Dragon Quest Treasures is a great way to introduce your kids to RPGs

digitaltrends.com:

RPGs aren’t always the most kid-friendly experience. They can be filled with complicated combat systems, massive difficulty spikes, and long run-times that can make them feel insurmountably long. While series like Pokémon cracked the code, making the genre more approachable for players of all ages, most young children aren’t likely to pick up something like Tales of Arise.

Dragon Quest Treasures tries to solve that problem. The upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive takes the colorful world of Dragon Quest XI and places it in a chilled-out game built for both kids and those who find 100-hour RPGs a little too demanding. After demoing the first hour of the game, I can see how it could make for a great stepping stone into the Dragon Quest IP for younger players. Its slow pace and simplified systems may leave long-term fans yearning for a deeper RPG, but it might be the perfect game for long-time fans to share with their kids.

Dragon Quest Treasures acts as a sort of prequel to Dragon Quest XI, starring Mia and Erik in their younger days. The opening scene of their adventure plays like a childhood fantasy, complete with pirate skeletons. It’s a bit like if you turned Dragon Quest into a Netflix cartoon, turning its monsters into adorable sidekicks.

It’s a bit slow to get going, and that’s where you can really feel who the game was built for. Early on, I’m taught basic actions like crouching and using my slingshot to solve little environmental puzzles in between long text box conversations. As someone who hasn’t been following the game closely, I wasn’t even sure if it was an RPG with battles and leveling up for a good 20 minutes.

Before it gets to any of those hooks, it introduces the “Treasures” part of its title. As soon as