Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince has rekindled my love for monster-taming games

Although I typically enjoy games in which one collects, tames, trains, and then encourages small creatures to battle each other, I have a sense that I have lost my affection for this genre. I am unsure whether it is due to my dissatisfaction with the recent Pokémon games or simply feeling weary of this particular formula, but I couldn't even complete Scarlet & Violet.

It felt as though nothing could fill that void in the past year, but then I had the opportunity to play Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince at Gamescom. My love for monster-taming games has been rekindled. Although I have dabbled in the mainline Dragon Quest series before, I had never played any of the spin-offs from the Monsters series. Therefore, trying out The Dark Prince was a completely fresh experience for me.

Naturally, the Monsters series shares a great deal of DNA with the mainline games: a vibrant cast of characters, exploration and progression of the story, side quests, and, of course, the unmistakable style of Akira Toriyama. The only true difference lies in the fact that the character you control does not fight for themselves. The protagonist of The Dark Prince is a young Psaro, the villain from Dragon Quest 4. Don't worry, you don't need to have played the game to understand what's going on here. After his father, the Demon King, curses Psaro, preventing him from harming monsters with his own hands, he must persuade other monsters to fight on his behalf. Thus begins our adventure of monster-taming.

In The Dark Prince, there are over 500 monsters to tame, making it the most extensive monster roster outside of Japan to date. As you travel, you encounter wild monsters with whom you engage in visible battles within the world. This eliminates any surprises regarding the monster you'll be facing and saves you countless hours that would otherwise be spent wandering through tall grass in search of a specific monster companion.

The functioning of your monster group in The Dark Prince differs from other monster-taming games you may be familiar with. You have four active slots and four reserve slots, which means you can potentially have up to eight monsters with you simultaneously. Four engage in active combat while the other four serve as substitutes that you can switch in if any of your initial monsters are defeated. However, certain larger monsters occupy two slots, while others require only one slot. You must weigh the decision of whether it is preferable to have a larger, more powerful monster compared to having two weaker ones.

The battle system is as extensive as you desire. You can give specific commands to each monster or simply opt for auto-battle and let them do their own thing. This way, you can accumulate experience points without all the extra effort. It's nice to be able to orchestrate some battles while completely ignoring others and taking notes in the process. This will make it much more convenient to plan breeding programs while simultaneously defeating hordes of enemies.

During battles, you can explore monsters to recruit them, give them names, enhance their abilities, and even create stronger monsters through synthesis. Thanks to the breeding features, you can have two identical monsters with completely different attributes and abilities, turning it into a paradise for players who want to finely tune their perfect group.

The Dark Prince offers various thematic environments with peculiar interactive elements. The one I played was designed in the style of a candyland, where you could navigate through the grasping spoonflower-like cotton candy plants to access specific areas. The environment was intriguing to explore due to these unique means of locomotion, and the monsters themselves exhibited their own behaviors, with some engaging in wild skirmishes with each other.

Other thematic realms include a forest, icy landscapes, and lava-infused settings, but the most intriguing aspect is that all environments undergo seasonal changes. This affects not only the visual scenery but also physical transformations and the types of monsters found within them. A lake that was previously impassable may freeze over in winter, allowing you to walk across it. Mushrooms might appear in summer, providing platforms to jump on. You don't have to wait long for each season to arrive, as the transitions occur within minutes, often accompanied by swirling leaf effects across the screen as you play.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince offers a refreshing change for fans of monster-taming games, especially for those who, like myself, have grown a bit weary of Pokémon or were disappointed by Dragon Quest Treasures. It will be released exclusively for Nintendo Switch on December 1st.