DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
Game
Game2024
DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Dark Prince
Developer Square Enix
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a 2023 role-playing video game developed by Tose and published by Square Enix. It is the seventh game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series following Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 and the first to be released outside of Japan since Joker 2 in 2011. The Dark Prince was released for the Nintendo Switch in December 2023 and for Android, iOS, and Windows in September 2024. The… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
330 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
75
LovedLoved
155 positive · 51 negative
95% range 69–81%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 155 | 51 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 30 | 4 | 52 |
| Mastodon * | 8 | 2 | 15 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 11 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
497 of 617 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
74% recommend · 146 yes, 50 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 196 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (1,030 of 1,421 positive).
Many players find the monster synthesis system addictive and the core gameplay fun. [1][2][3] Several reviewers criticize the story as weak, simplistic, or an afterthought. [4][5][6] Some players note the game feels unfinished or lacks post-game content. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [18]
i found it... disappointing? people have already spoken at length about the story and the plot and the characters and whatever i agree there's not much on the bone here, it's all an excuse to do the actual monster raising. but the monster raising was not very fun to me. on a basic level, monsters have skill trees, some basic traits (like "can poison enemy when they get hit!") and they level up to get stronger. ok, …
- [12]
For context, I am a huge Dragon Quest fan but I had never played any of the Monsters games in the series. I originally bought this game on the Switch when it first came out but had to put it down because the graphical issues and frame problems. I felt sick after playing that version for longer then 30 minutes. I bought this game again on steam to give it another chance after I finished Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined …
- [4]
Umm... so it's DQM, and if you enjoy monster collecting, the gameplay is actually quite fun. But the story? It's so brainless to the point that it made me laugh... The main character is a half-demon, half-human who's seeking revenge on his father, the demon king, because humans bullied him, betrayed him, and caused his mother's death.... yes, nothing to do with his father... And then we have the female lead, an elf …
- [3]
A fine addition if you already like DQM, but a mechanical step back. Greatly improved graphics, and synthesis is still the best part of the series. The story and the difficulty are the worst. Story Ignorable at best. If you're here for a good story, pass. World and Exploration The environments look cool but feel empty. It's like the levels were built first and the monsters and items got placed afterwards. The …
- [1]
Fun game, monster synthesis system is really addicting, runs great on steam deck
Summarised from 34 of the 311 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
74% of the 196 Steam reviewers we collected recommend DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Dark Prince. The complaint that keeps coming up: story is weak or poorly written. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince received "mixed or average" reviews from critics. During its first week on the market in Japan, the game sold 346,583 physical copies according to Famitsu, becoming the best selling game in Japan for that week. The game had sold a million copies by January 2024. Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 330 · most liked firsti found it... disappointing? people have already spoken at length about the story and the plot and the characters and whatever i agree there's not much on the bone here, it's all an excuse to do the actual monster raising. but the monster raising was not very fun to me. on a basic level, monsters have skill trees, some basic traits (like "can poison enemy when they get hit!") and they level up to get stronger. ok, nothing egregious. but the problem is that you need to do a lot of fusing to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve been putting off this review because I wasn’t sure how to approach it: give a thumbs up to support the game while writing a more critical review, or give a thumbs down and explain why while still making it clear how much I love this series. I’m going with the latter. This game series needs course correction. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince feels unfinished—or, at the very least, like a major step down for the series. It’s streamlined, simplified, and, in many ways, gutted of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you were to take a look at my profile you'd see that I banked 130 hours into this game, 100% of achievements and the Monsterpedia by having had at least one copy of every monster in the game. Meaning that I found all of the rare egg-only monsters as well as those requiring lengthy synthesis to acquire. Additionally, I've played this series since its first installment decades ago on the Gamboy Color. So when I tell you I wouldn't recommend this title, this is coming from that total…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really looking forward to the new Dragon Quest Monsters The Withered World launch that’s a game I need to preorder! 🐉❤️😊 Play the demo it’s fantastic imo like a Dragon Quest X Pokémon @square-enix-games.com
positive · AI labelView post →I figured it out. Dragon Quest Monsters games typically star young versions of existing characters. Young Pauline guides and commands Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong was partly inspired by King Kong, often regarded as a monster. Donkey Kong Bananza is actually a Dragon Quest game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Apothecary Diaries game? Dragon Quest Monsters demo today????? TORNEKO'S MYSTERY DUNGEON?????????????????????????????? What is going on?!?!?!?!
neutral · AI labelView post →For context, I am a huge Dragon Quest fan but I had never played any of the Monsters games in the series. I originally bought this game on the Switch when it first came out but had to put it down because the graphical issues and frame problems. I felt sick after playing that version for longer then 30 minutes. I bought this game again on steam to give it another chance after I finished Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined (phenomenal game). I was already happy to see all the graphical problems of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Originally released in 2023 for the Switch, it's well ported and is one of the better titles in the franchise. Has the usual humor and charm of DQ games, plot is interesting and easy to follow. Combat, Synthesis, and progression keep you hooked, the world is beautiful and the monsters are fun and the best part of the game. There are various minigames and modes to play as well. DQ is no stranger to trying different genres, this one is pretty standard JRPG from a wide view, but the monster…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World Key Art. DQ Monsters usually stars younger versions of main game characters. Terry & Milly (VI) starred in the first game Kiefer (VII) starred in Caravan Heart Psaro (IV) starred in The Dark Prince and now Bianca & Nera from DQ V.
neutral · AI labelView post →Just finished Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince recently… Good game to scratch that itch after not getting the last like 4 Monsters games localized but man they shouldn’t lock the majority of post game behind DLC… 3 bosses and a one room dungeon on disc isn’t post game smh.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is severely undercooked. It shows up everywhere. So many big, empty rooms with a character just standing in the middle. As examples, there's a large room in the tower that has only a bed in the middle. The game also sends you to this big city to fight in an arena...which means teleporting directly to the arena building with a roped off entrance so you can't leave. The arena building itself has, again, big square empty rooms. The field maps are somewhat better, at least they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game haul today! Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment, Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3DS and Animal Crossing Wild World!
neutral · AI labelView post →Everything Announced at the 6/9/2026 Nintendo Direct. Rhythm Heaven Groove – Switch 1&2 – Out 7/2/2026 Onimousha: Way of the Sword – Switch 2 – Out 9/25/2026 Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen – Switch 2 – Out 10/9/2026 Stellar Blade – Switch 2 – 2026 Orbitals – Switch 2 – 9/3/2026 Rayman Legends: Retold – Switch 2 – 10/1/2026 Big Walk – Switch 2 – 8/4/2026 ONE PIECE: Grand Gourmet – Switch 1&2 – 10/23/2026 Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave – Switch 2 – 9/14/2026 Ninjala 2: The Uncharted Planet,…
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm excited for the GBA rereleases but annual reminder that there are also plenty of other mongames on Switch: Digimon, Monster Rancher, Monster Hunter Stories, Dragon Quest Monsters, World of Final Fantasy, and a TON of indie mongames like Coromon, Monster Crown, Monster Sanctuary, and plenty more!
neutral · AI labelView post →"OoT remake" this, "Kingdom Hearts 4" that... and no one is talking about this goofy little flower bird in the new Dragon Quest Monsters game. 😔
neutral · AI labelView post →It is like a tech demo. The core is intact. Taming, scouting and team building. The worlds are poor, compared to DQMJ entries, they are essentially planes with assets dropped in. The echelon system means the lower echelon for each area is simple to the point of boredom, some of the later areas show a hint of old dragon quest monster puzzle solving. I enjoy that the game encourages you to chase the higher synthesis through bloated stats, its not necessarily great design, but its core to this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm so excited for the new Dragon Quest Monsters game..
positive · AI labelView post →aaaa, I'm happy to have any news about Dragon Quest XII ;w; And having recently played through Dragon Quest V and Dragon Quest Monsters The Dark Prince (and a bunch of other DQ Monsters games in the past year), I'm very excited for the new Monsters game 🐱
positive · AI labelView post →The most dissapoint Dragon Quest game thus far. I've played DQ 8, 11 DQ Monster Joker 1, 2, and 3(Bonus content and all in the Pro version) By god all mighty, this game fell so flat. Admitetly I haven't gone far, but all other titles I was already invested in the first 10mins or so. The DQ 8 and 11 are traditional, but they were still fun. 8 was based on more limited hardware, but the area felt at least intresting 11 kept the limited world style, but each area was rich in detail DQMJ 1 and 2…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dragon Quest Monsters The Withered World demo first-impressions: 🔹 Fully voiced 🔹 Very cute vibes 🔹 Auto battle, x2 speed 🔹 World traversal is a little trippy 🔹 About 2 hours to beat Game releases December 3, 2026 #NintendoSwitch2 #DragonQuestV #SquareEnix #DragonQuestMonsters #DQMTheWitheredWorld
positive · AI labelView post →Nintendo Direct capped off an already incredible week of game news with a BANGER! 🔸 FIRE EMBLEM: FORTUNE'S WEAVE 🔸 Dragon's Dogma II: Dark Arisen 🔸 Xenoblade Genesis 🔸 Final Fantasy Resonance 🔸 Switch Sports Resort 🔸 Dragon Quest Monsters 🔸 OCARINA OF TIME?! 🥹
neutral · AI labelView post →Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC.
neutral · AI labelView post →I tried really hard to like this. Dragon Quest Monsters for the Gameboy was one of my favorite games, that I still get an itch for and replay every few years. And man, you can almost see the vision in this game. It’s really cool to see the monsters from my childhood animated, the mechanics are very similar, and there’s new monsters and stuff, it all seemed promising. But this is just a very low quality product. Okay, fine, the story and cutscenes are silly nonsense, it’s a Dragon Quest game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Jerkules my beloved 😩 (confirmed for the new Dragon Quest Monsters game)
neutral · AI labelView post →Yuji Horii confirmed Debora will be in the new Dragon Quest Monsters game!
neutral · AI labelView post →'Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World' details battles, synthesis, and three new monsters. The game features over 500 Monsters and you can have up to four in your party and four in reserve. Three new Monsters: - Slime Balls - Bamboo Badboy - Groovy Grouse www.gematsu.com/2026/07/drag...
neutral · AI labelView post →I hope the next Dragon Quest Monsters game is also a Young Yangus sequel.
positive · AI labelView post →Dragon Quest Monsters might be a good game
positive · AI labelView post →Sham Hatwitch is confirmed for the upcoming Dragon Quest Monsters game and-- for the moment-- everything is right with the world.
neutral · AI labelView post →DQ5 girls 5-ever! 🐲⚔️ Err, to elaborate... Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is coming out this December, and brings back Bianca and Nera from the original game to implement monster mechanics (DQV). Details + Trailer: www.rpgfan.com/2026/06/17/d...
neutral · AI labelView post →I loved Dragon Quest Monsters The Dark Prince, but it sure looked pretty bland! The new Monsters game has a much more unique art direction and I'm super excited for it so I'm gonna hibernate until it's available 🐱💤
positive · AI labelView post →Dragon Quest Monsters 4: The Withered World will be the first time EVER that a Dragon Quest game has strictly dedicated female leads without offering a male alternative. It took 40 years for this to happen.
neutral · AI labelView post →Hello Friends, Today I will review the game Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. This is a monster catching game with some story elements mixed in. The main character is actually a villain from one of the mainline Dragon Quest games. In this game, players control the main character who is named Psaro. This is apparently the same villain as the character from the mainline Dragon Quest IV. I personally never played the newer versions, but i have played original version. The story revolves…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Square Enix pre-orders from today's Nintendo Direct are up at VGP: Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World PS5: videogamesplus.ca/ejogk9 Switch 2 (game-key card): videogamesplus.ca/xf5pd4 Switch: videogamesplus.ca/7bq8d4
neutral · AI labelView post →After Mattrick, they probably shouldn't have promoted internally from the executive class that went along with the pivot of internal studios to kinect and home theater media center. They needed leadership that knew how to deliver quality games on time. Saw Sony hit its stride mid-PS3 era with the advent of the AAA narrative action adventure game and could never adjust to that. I know American company, but maybe they should have looked to Sega, Capcom, Koei Tecmo to lead Xbox game studios and…
neutral · AI labelView post →Another Dragon Quest Monsters game!! And Debora?!??
neutral · AI labelView post →Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC.
neutral · AI labelView post →I was curious about this game because I had heard Dragon Quest Monsters was a solid Pokemon alternative, and some of the monster designs genuinely looked fun. Honestly though, I came away really disappointed. -Graphics and Game Feel: The graphics feel extremely outdated, and not in a charming or intentional retro way, just low quality. The game also feels very poorly polished overall. Movement is rough, transitions are clunky, dialogue pacing is painfully slow, and the whole experience gives…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Growing up in the early 90's, the GameBoy Color was my favorite video game console and DQM 1&2 were two of my favorite games. I loved the early DQ games, but I was too young to really figure them out, so I preferred the DQM games as they were easier to get into thanks to the linear plot and progression path, the appeal of collecting classic Toriyama-mons, and the overall lowered difficulty. I never tried the weird DQ7 spin-off game on the GBA and the only Joker game I played was the first one…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A sadly shallow and disapointing return to one of my favourite series ever. I LOVED joker 1, played it through high school with my best friend, sharing tips, areas explored, and potential synthesis options. This game's story left me baffled and frustrated. I couldn't finish it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New Dragon Quest Monsters game was announced so I might as well shill a relevant video that took me about 200hrs to put together youtu.be/rajjNb0I2ec?...
neutral · AI labelView post →I've only played the original DQM on Gameboy, and the first Joker on DS, but this one was still a really good romp, in my opinion. Some people complain that it's not as good as previous titles etc., and I agree with some of those points, but I'm really just happy to see more DQM in general. This game DOES need some more post game content, it lacks heavily in that department. So far it's not a whole lot, and I remember Joker having a good amount of content when the main story was over, and this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's the article. Their cookie policy is shit, so fuck 'em. Hell, just go to the game's page: https://www.woodus.com/den/resources/dq+nightfly.php > Enix's Dragon Quest is one of the most important JRPGs ever made and can be credited (alongside Final Fantasy) with turning the genre into the huge commercial proposition it is in Japan today. > However, given that the game's Western release – under the title Dragon Warrior – wasn't quite as acclaimed in the US, there's a good chance that some…
neutral · AI labelView post →Goddd I'm so happy to have a Dragon Quest Monsters game about the girlies
positive · AI labelView post →Dragon Quest Monsters game where you play as Girl I'm in
neutral · AI labelView post →Random Game of the Day Day 490 - Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince A semi-open world RPG where you go around battling and collecting DQ monsters like Pokemon. You can combine them to make stronger monsters as well. It was fun up until the final boss Anyone played this game?
neutral · AI labelView post →One of the best monster tamers I have ever played. We need MORE Dragon Quest Monsters series titles!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing the Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World demo on the Nintendo Switch 2 and i really like it. Feels like a good Pokemon like game. #DragonQuestMonstersTheWitheredWorld #NintendoSwitch2 #Nintendo #Switch2 #DragonQuestMonsters #DragonQuest
positive · AI labelView post →Dragon Quest V's Bianca and Nera go on a monster-collecting adventure in the Withered World in a new Dragon Quest Monsters game!
neutral · AI labelView post →The indie game I'm making and three of the inspirations behind it: Pokémon Octopath Traveler Dragon Quest Monsters #indiegame #gamedev #indiedev #unrealengine
neutral · AI labelView post →I didn’t realize Dragon Quest Monsters has a border when it’s played on super game boy. That’s pretty cool.
positive · AI labelView post →Umm... so it's DQM, and if you enjoy monster collecting, the gameplay is actually quite fun. But the story? It's so brainless to the point that it made me laugh... The main character is a half-demon, half-human who's seeking revenge on his father, the demon king, because humans bullied him, betrayed him, and caused his mother's death.... yes, nothing to do with his father... And then we have the female lead, an elf who was captured by a human slav* trader. After the MC saves her, the first…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Workout inspiration for tonight in honor of the Dragon Quest Monsters game announcement (which I hope won't suck)
neutral · AI labelView post →They should invent a game that is like Dragon Quest Monsters 2 that is different so I can experience it again for the first time
neutral · AI labelView post →One of my favorite spooky themed video game areas is this neon grave themed world Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 3. It blends together surprisingly well.
neutral · AI labelView post →Game is like, terribly boring in term of story (to think it's a prequel to DQ4 lol) combat is very uninteresting, and I strongly feel that all the charm of old monster joker games has dried up, You're left with a somewhat mid game, with a few interesting landscapes or stuff, that you should pick up when its 10 bucks, anything above that would be a shame
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Loved this game. If you want to play it for the story, dont bother, but if youre a DQM joker or DQM joker 2 fan, you'll love it. As a DS player, I loved Joker and this is a really nice addition, great synthesising.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dragon Quest is always a fun franchise to play, even if i haven't played too many games in said franchise. That said, DQ Monsters was a first for me. I half expected it to be Pokémon-like but it definitely is not. I will say, if you are expecting and desiring it to be like Pokémon, you will likely be disappointed. The games story is... not good. Its pretty bad. The story is largely an afterthought which is unfortunate. Pacing is in my opinion pretty bad. But it could also have been because…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun game, monster synthesis system is really addicting, runs great on steam deck
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Way too many pointless cut scenes and the game is ungodly boring. Takes no thought or strategy whatsoever. It's basically a walking simulator. In combat all you have to do is hit fight and everything takes care of itself. Got it on sale and even then I feel like I got ripped off. If it weren't for the ridiculous amount of cutscenes I probably could have returned it but now I have too much time sunk. Don't make my mistake.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
