What we saw with Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai was very particular because, despite certain shortcomings, it is a game that will significantly entertain anime fans. From the first minutes, you can see that it is a video game designed for those who watched the anime or read the manga and that the development of the narrative is very well planned. The combat system is solid, and the character progression, although tedious at times, is entertaining.
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai contains some simple positives, especially when it comes to delivering a dramatic and fun anime series storyline. Sadly, the gameplay does not complement that storytelling and falls short in content size and portions. Even the inclusion of RPG elements, such as Bond Memories, can’t seem to lift the action and prop it up to a higher Dragon Quest level that most of us are used to seeing.
The rare in-engine cutscenes during epic fights show promise, but they are so few and far between. This game could have been more broadly appealing and intriguing with its frenetic and exhilarating action RPG gameplay but ultimately loses itself with its lackluster presentation choices.
If Infinity Strash had leaned more heavily into the action combat, it would have been an excellent spin-off from the Dragon Quest series and could've been an enjoyable game in its own right. All the right pieces are here - there's just not enough of them. Unfortunately, that means Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai isn't so much an action RPG as an anime rewatch.
I generally like the “filler” titles in the Dragon Quest franchise. Dragon Quest Treasures was a delight, as was Builders, as was the VR game that I played in an arcade in Japan. This is a versatile property and most of the developers that work on it clearly enjoy what they’re doing. But Strash is different. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth as it comes across as cynical, and derivative to everything but Dragon Quest. Most egregious of all is that somehow, despite being based on a well-regarded Dragon Quest anime, it genuinely seems like the developers failed to understand what makes Dragon Quest a uniquely special property. If they did understand it, they comprehensively failed to articulate it. I’m genuinely disappointed, but, on the plus side, I fully expect that the upcoming Dragon Quest Monsters game will completely right the ship. The great thing about this series is that even in its lowest moments, it never takes long to bounce back.
Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is not an experience I recommend to anyone. Regardless of your familiarity with the series, I can promise you that this is not worth the time. Even fans who love the source material will get nothing positive from this title, as the miserable gameplay loop and surface-level storytelling will do nothing to initiate or enhance anybody’s love for the IP. What is here is more representative of a mobile game’s structure, with a console coating that’s mostly deceitful above all else.
SummaryInfinity Strash: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai allows players to live through the story of the exhilarating anime series, The Adventure of Dai, first-hand in an action role-playing game that combines stunning visuals with art from the anime and manga.
Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai is in development as a simul...