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Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai is a video game based on an anime based on a video game series, which means it borrows elements from both, but feels more like the former than the latter. That being said, knowing a lot about the Dragon Quest franchise or the Adventure of Dai anime (or manga) isn't really necessary for this experience. Featuring some of the iconic monsters and spells from Dragon Quest, Infinity Strash is more of an anime recap than a game, which is a bit unfortunate considering just how excellent the actual gameplay is.
Playable characters include Dai, Popp, Maam, and Hyunkel as they journey together across numerous kingdoms and attempt to save the world from a rogue's gallery of villains from the anime and manga - including Flazzard, Crocodine, and Baran. The game is divided into chapters, with each chapter featuring numerous stages. The stages' objectives range from destroying monsters within a time limit to taking down a boss, to simply watching cutscenes for an extended period. Between these stages there are chances to edit characters, upgrade skills and spells, and tackle challenges in the Temple of Recollection - a roguelike-style gauntlet that can net players neat rewards and helpful items.
What Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai Is About
For those confused about how Infinity Strash relates to the anime and manga - or to the larger Dragon Quest series - the answer is pretty simple. The Adventure of Dai uses monsters and spells from DQ but a lot of the sillier humor and elements from the mainline series are absent here. In some ways, Dai feels completely distinct from the video game franchise that inspired it.
Infinity Strash is an adaptation of the anime, and the game actually features a lot of scenes from it. The art style and voice actors are also from the anime, meaning Infinity Strash feels like getting to play through segments of the series - an aspect that works in its favor. Longtime Dragon Quest fans will enjoy getting to see blue slimes and golems, but prior knowledge of DQ isn't necessary for enjoying The Adventure of Dai - and vice versa.
Infinity Strash's Story Is Great, Especially If You've Never Seen It Before
The actual story of Infinity Strash is good. Those who've never experienced it before will likely be drawn in by its quirky characters and stylized combat. The character development in The Adventure of Dai is pretty spectacular over the course of its run, and most of that is on full display in the game. If anything, Infinity Strash may serve as a nice crash course and introduction to the anime and manga - and inspire newcomers to give it a try.
However, there are a lot of cutscenes in this game, which may be off-putting to anyone who's experienced it all before. For instance, I've seen the anime and read a chunk of the manga so I found myself skipping a lot of the cutscenes, especially early on, as it felt like an unnecessary retread of content I'd already seen multiple times before.
Infinity Strash Is Too Heavy On Cutscenes & Recaps
The real problem with Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai is that an overwhelmingly disproportionate amount of it is stuck in watching voice-acted stills taken directly from the anime. A great example of this is in one of the chapters about midway through: Of the first 12 stages available, only 2 of those stages featured playable levels while the rest were recaps. This begs the question of what audience this game is actually for. Newcomers might enjoy the cutscenes, but they miss the nuances of the anime and manga, possibly leading to confusion with the narrative.
The target audience here is arguably fans of The Adventure of Dai, so the over-reliance on recaps is even more confusing. These are story beats people have seen before - numerous times, even, if they've read the manga, watched the anime, and/or seen anything of the original Dai from the early '90s. Yes, the story is great, and the character development is excellent, but it all feels like a missed opportunity for a video game based on The Adventure of Dai. Infinity Strash feels more like watching a show with some occasional interactive levels thrown in.
Infinity Strash's Gameplay & Combat Are Excellent
This glut of cutscenes is especially a shame because of how great the gameplay and combat are. The action combat means each character gets 3 skills or spells, a Coup de Grâce supermove, and a regular attack. By the later stages of the game, the boss fights are challenging and require strategizing. In other words, this isn't just a mindless hack n' slash. Stages that involve wiping out hoards of monsters - or playing through the Temple of Recollection - are highlights. The problem is that there's just so little of it. Even the half dozen or so side quests available don't add enough gameplay elements.
Collecting and upgrading Bond Memories - magic cards that can be equipped to customize characters - are other highlights. Running through the Temple of Recollection to get materials for upgrades (or to purchase other Bond Memories) is easily the most fun aspect of the game. Likewise, using collected materials to upgrade skills and spells adds more depth and customization to character progression. Players will need to consider which skills are worth investing in since they can only use 3 at one time, and they'll unlock a variety of new and interesting spells and skills along the way.
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.
A PlayStation 5 code for Infinity Strash was provided to Screen Rant for the purpose of this review.