The DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS series has long been a spin-off from the mainline games, putting the focus on collecting, raising, and battling with monsters rather than controlling a party of human heroes. The Withered World is the next entry in that line, and it brings back familiar faces while building on the monster-catching and team-building systems the series is known for. After spending about an hour and thirty minutes with the game on PS5 Pro, there is a lot to talk about. The hands-on session covered two parts of the game, Story Mode and Synthesis Mode, giving a good look at how exploration, battling, and monster collecting come together this time around.

A Familiar Start With a New Look

The preview opens with Bianca and Nera setting off on their journey and getting pulled into the world of DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS. Fans of DRAGON QUEST V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride will recognize the two characters, though here they have been redesigned with a cuter style that fits the game’s colorful, monster-filled setting. Once the story gets going, players get to pick their starting monsters and main characters before heading out into the world.

One of the more enjoyable parts of the preview was simply moving through the world. Your recruited monsters follow behind you as you travel, which adds a nice, lively touch to exploration. The game also includes a day-and-night cycle that changes the look of the environment as time goes on. Monsters appear directly in the overworld instead of popping up randomly, so players need to stay alert while walking around rather than just rushing to the next area. The map is also filled with things to interact with, like treasure chests, seeds, checkpoints, and plants that can be watered.

Recruiting monsters is not just about defeating them in battle. During fights, there is a chance to scout a monster, and the odds of success can improve depending on the situation. Some monsters will even ask to join your team on their own, without needing to be scouted at all.

Battling With Your Monster Team

Combat sticks close to the series’ usual formula. Instead of controlling every move directly, players set tactics for their monsters and let them handle the fighting. This makes choosing the right team and setting good strategies important, especially against tougher opponents. With more than 500 monsters available in the game, there is a lot of room to try out different combinations and playstyles. For easier fights or repeated encounters, the game also includes an auto-battle option, which makes getting through simpler battles much more convenient.

The second big focus of the preview was the Synthesis system, which lets players combine monsters to create new ones. This is where the collecting side of the game gets a lot deeper, since players can experiment with different combinations to work toward stronger monsters. Synthesis can also unlock certain special monsters that are rarer and more powerful than what you would normally come across. For players who enjoy tinkering with combinations and building up their team over time, this system looks like it could end up being one of the most satisfying parts of the game.

First Impressions

DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Withered World keeps the charm that the series is known for, with cute monster designs, bright environments, and a monster-collecting system that goes deeper than it might first appear. Having more than 500 monsters to work with gives players plenty to discover, and the Synthesis system adds another layer to team building. The auto-battle feature is also a nice touch for handling weaker enemies without much hassle.

That said, pacing was one area that stood out as needing some work. A few parts of the preview felt slow, and battles in particular could use a faster speed option to make repeated encounters go by more quickly. Even so, there is a lot here for fans of DRAGON QUEST and monster-collecting games to look forward to. Between the exploration, scouting, battling, and Synthesis systems, The Withered World shows plenty of promise, and it will be interesting to see how these features are refined by the time the full game releases.

※ All footage/screens are from the PS5 version under development.