The game was released in Japan on January 28, 2016. Media speculation from when the game was first announced was that Dragon Quest Builders would be a Dragon Quest version of Minecraft, and IGN compared the game to Dark Cloud (2000). ‘’Builders’’ was initially announced in July 2015 to be under development for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Part of the release was to “test the waters” for a big game release like Dragon Quest XI Release Protagonists were designed by Akira Toriyama, with Etrian Odyssey creator Kazuya Niinou serving as the game's director. Producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto has said that Sony Interactive Entertainment's multiplatform PhyreEngine was chosen for ease of development across multiple PlayStation consoles. Release in the west on the PlayStation Vita was chosen so that whether players were had busy lives or had time to dedicate to the game, they could enjoy the title. The original Dragon Quest video game's plot was chosen for its relatively simplicity compared to later titles in the series to make the game as accessible as possible to new players. The game designers wanted to make an open sandbox game combined with an RPG's purposeful story-driven plot, and since ‘’Dragon Quest’’ has always been known for its “pick up and play” accessibility it seemed like the right combination. Players gather 'material' all over the world in order to rebuild the land of Alefgard from scratch.

With time passing by, a new builder (the player character) appears to revive the desolate world for the next hero. The deal turned out to be a trap, leading to the hero's defeat and allowing the land to be dominated by monsters. The game is based on a parallel ending of Dragon Quest: before the final battle, the hero accepted the evil Dragonlord's suggestion - each rules a half of the world. The game is set in Alefgard, the world of the original Dragon Quest. The player has a health bar, and must eat food over time, similar to Minecraft. Monsters such as Slime and Dragon from the original Dragon Quest appear in the game. There is also a day/night cycle, with stronger monsters appearing at night. The player can also build a selection of rooms that contribute to the level of the base. Players build camps out of blocks the camp gains levels based on how much it has been built up.

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