Jeff Cork
Game InformerDragon Quest Builders Review: Building On A Strong Foundation
Published 10/4/2016
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Scoring alignment
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Score
80
-4 vs critic avg
Review
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PS3 / PS4 / Android / PC / iOS / Vita / Switch - 10/11/2016
Dragon Quest Builders
"Dragon Quest Builders is a sandbox action RPG where your imagination is the limit! Everything plays out in real time and the world is made entirely of blocks (although it may not look that blocky) and you can use these blocks to build pretty much whatever you want. Building is easy and can be done in three steps: 1. Plan what you’re going to build! 2. Gather your resources! 3. Begin construction and create your masterpiece! There is an overarching main storyline to follow in Dragon Quest Builders so if you want a narrative to get attached to and pull you through, that’s in there too. It wouldn’t be a Dragon Quest game without one after all! Oh and there’s plenty of quirky side quests and NPCs to give you that full RPG experience, just with the additional sandbox gameplay and monsters to battle as well."
- Developer
- Square Enix Business Division 5
- Publisher
- Nintendo, Square Enix
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Critic average
84
Average of 51 scored external reviews.
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Whimsical / playful / lightheartedDefining · Curated baseline
Highly replayableDefining · Curated baseline
Systems / mechanics-drivenDefining · Curated baseline
Exploration-drivenDefining · Curated baseline
Buildcraft / customization-heavyDefining · Curated baseline
Side-content richDefining · Curated baseline
Strategic / planning-heavyStrongly · Curated baseline
Story / character-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Show 11 more descriptors
Cozy / low-pressureStrongly · Curated baseline
Loot / progression-drivenStrongly · Curated baseline
Atmosphere-driven / aesthetic identityStrongly · Curated baseline
Reflex / execution-heavyModerately · Curated baseline
Combat / action-focusedModerately · Curated baseline
Puzzle / logic-focusedModerately · Curated baseline
Serious / dark / groundedSlightly · Curated baseline
Punishing / high-pressureSlightly · Curated baseline
Run-based / proceduralNot present · Curated baseline
Multiplayer / socialNot present · Curated baseline
Short / focusedNot present · Curated baseline
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Review coverage
Critic signal strength
Numeric critic scoring uses full scored reviews once available. Review-in-progress scores act as temporary early signal only until full review scores exist. Unscored reviews still count as coverage, but they are not included in the critic average.
High confidencePolarized
Critic avg
84
51 scored reviews
Total coverage
51
All coverage currently scored
Score range
50–95
Lowest to highest scored review
Signal shape
Polarized
Score range is 31+ points
Critic landscape
The critic average is 84 across 51 scored reviews, with a 45-point spread. Critics are far apart on this one.
How to read this
Treat the average carefully. A polarized landscape is where reviewer match, review text, and score deltas matter more than the headline number.
Most scored reviews currently sit in the 80–89 band.
Score distribution
Shows how included scored reviews are clustered across the normalized 100-point scale.
51 included scored reviews
90–10018 reviews · 35%
80–8930 reviews · 59%
70–791 review · 2%
Below 702 reviews · 4%
Showing 51-51 of 51 matching critic reviews. 51 total critic reviews. Page 6 of 6.
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