Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai Review (Switch, PS 5, PS 4, Xbox Series X/S, PC)

With Square Enix’s stellar reputation and the charming, whimsical nature of the Dragon Quest franchise, I was excited to dive into Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest – The Adventures of Dai, curious to see where Dragon Quest’s newest spin-off would take me. 

For those who aren’t in the know, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai is an adaptation of The Adventures of Dai anime and manga series. It only received a revamp just recently, hence its booming popularity in the West, but The Adventures of Dai is actually an old entry that spun from the Dragon Quest franchise as early as the ‘90s. 

And so, old timers will be happy to re-experience the old The Adventures of Dai days in Infinity Strash. All the while, newcomers will finally have the chance to see what all the fuss has been about. 

But first things first, what does Infinity Strash have to offer the gaming world? Is the game worth your time and money, whether a newcomer or a veteran? Tag along on our Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest – The Adventures of Dai to find out.

Run the Tape

In roughly 20 hours worth of playthrough, Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai runs the tape of some 40-odd snippets of the The Adventures of Dai anime series. It picks up relatively slowly at the start, with several cutscenes cueing in and setting the stage for the battles to come. 

As a young baby, Dai washes up on the shores of Dermline Island. He grows up under the tutelage of Avan, the powerful hero who once saved the world. In Dai’s prime, though, he loses his memories fighting against the formidable Dragon Knight Baran. 

So, Dai is forced to start all over, gradually regaining his memories in bits and pieces (and consequently, his skills and abilities) and building up to become strong enough to fight Baran once again.

At its core, losing memories to regain them gradually is a neat gaming strategy. It means players start off as weaklings, building up their battle skills and upgrading their abilities to grow powerful enough to fight the final big boss. Of course, all of these are familiar to veteran studies of The Adventures of Dai, whether anime or manga, and therein lies the first issue.

Show Don’t Tell

See, as interesting as The Adventures of Dai anime and manga is, I still would have loved to see the story re-imagined for gaming. Perhaps even a standalone story infused with the Dragon Quest universe and charming Dai trio. 

But, Infinity Strash lifts off nearly every aspect of the story from the series, somewhat transforming the game into some kind of stripped-down speed through recap. It just doesn’t work to maintain and pique veteran study interest to find out more because, in the long run, you already know how the story ends. 

On the flip side, newcomers may shift to the edge of their seats a little because, at its core, The Adventures of Dai truly was a compelling tale to watch and read. The only issue is that the cutscenes unravel in static images that seem to be lifted directly from the manga. 

Seriously. Cutscenes play out like a weird visual novel, with a cliff notes format capturing the manga bits. Characters don’t move. They don’t talk either. Instead, a voice-over reads out character lines also displayed at the bottom of the page. 

The whole story mode part of the game comes off as outdated. Why didn’t Square Enix design in-game cutscenes? They’re not interactive, either. So, your job is to sit through several cliff notes, try to avoid wandering thoughts like what to have for dinner, and somehow hope to grasp the story for engagement, if not entertainment’s sake.

Props Where Props Are Due

Now, a few cutscenes are in the form of animations. But these are very few to hardly take away the boredom slowly creeping in by now. And for those, at least the visuals are stunning. The color and natural elements blend into the environment and easily jump off the screen. Characters, too, have enhanced design and emotion. 

Plus, the voice acting, including the voice-overs, is done by the same actors from the anime. So, therein lies the authentic aspect of the game. Still, the game leans too heavily on attempting to cram a series into a game. Ideally, to set the stage for the battle sequences, which, I have to say, are just as flashy as I expected, albeit also reenactments from the anime.

Not an Action RPG

I have to stress that Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai is by no means an action RPG as penned down on the box. No. There’s no exploration whatsoever, which, considering its incorporation of the cheery Dragon Quest universe, feels like a lost opportunity.

Instead, the main mission takes place across seven chapters. Each chapter has stages. Players select the next stage on a menu and are immediately whisked off into either a small section to fight against enemies or a battle arena to go up against bosses. Many of Infinity Strash’s bosses are instantly recognizable from the Dragon Quest franchise. If not, perhaps from Naruto?

The combat is simple yet fun. You’re free to choose from three characters, whom you gradually recruit to your Dai party as the story progresses. Besides Dai, you’ll meet the cowardly mage, Popp, and the kind healer, Maam. Each has varied skills and abilities, but all three can only equip three skills at a time.

While the story unfolds, it’s break time to get snacks or scroll through your phone. However, when battle sequences cue in, that’s your time to shine, which also means that the only interactive aspect of the game is battle sequences, making this more like an arena brawler/fighter as opposed to an action RPG.

Let’s Have Some Fun

As much as combat is simple, the enemies you’ll go up against are excessively tanky. And so, soon, you’ll find yourself dying a tad too many times before finally receding to take a visit to the famed Temple of Recollection. 

This part of the game plays like a roguelike dungeon, where each time players set foot here, they start from level one. Also, you’ll spend most of your time here battling against random enemy spawns and winning loot as a result. 

Additionally, you’ll collect “Bond Memories.” These are cards that, when you connect them to a playable character, boost their stats to a certain level. The Temple of Recollection is the place to go for a break from the story mode or to upgrade. 

However, there are only so many levels you can clear in the Temple of Recollection before you have to return to the story to chop down some more chapters and unlock higher levels. 

It’s a gameplay loop where you must switch from one to the next. Enemies continue to grow stronger. To defeat them, you’ll need to obtain higher-tier bond memories. These are only found at the higher levels of the Temple of Recollection. You can probably see where I’m going with this, where there’s an aspect of continuous and studious grinding to progress. 

The grind itself isn’t necessarily terrible. After all, combat is where Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai shines. But the game is in desperate need of a boost in enemy variety because once you’re through with the first few chapters, everything else starts to look and feel a tad too repetitive.

Verdict

I can’t put a finger on which audience Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai is meant for. Fans of the series are treated to a brutally stripped-down recap of the anime series. On the other hand, newcomers have to put up with static images and voiceovers to grasp what exactly is going on in the game.

It leaves you questioning the decision to copy and paste an anime series. All along, revoking any means of interacting with the environments, or exploring the Dragon Quest universe for that matter. 

During combat, you can at least enjoy some breathing room. Here, you can take on Dragon Quest’s most iconic monsters and show them the stuff you’re made of. It’s a snappy and flashy system that truly lets your inner hero shine every step of the way.

Unfortunately, that little escape is often derailed by the repetitiveness of the Temple of Recollection. You’ll have to return to fight the same enemies over and over. Its rooms don’t do much to introduce details you haven’t seen before. 

In the end, you come to the conclusion that Infinity Strash isn’t at all worth its day one full price. But Square Enix has never been one to shy away from a good challenge. So, I guess we’ll have to wait and see where their next stride in the Dragon Quest franchise takes us.