As gamers, we figure ourselves pretty savvy when it comes to designing games. We like to think we know how we would create something given the opportunity. These days, we’re given the opportunity more and more as developers release games with various building functions.
The latest title to include building is Dragon Quest Builders 2. This series focuses on a young hero who is thrust into a world where building has been outlawed. The only answer is obviously to get building!
Sometimes it’s nice to stand back, and take a nice long look at your creations with a friend.
While it doesn’t have the same kind of building or world creation as other games out there, it’s yet another experience where players can flex their creativity. There are open areas in the world where buildings can be constructed and plots line the cities just waiting for a mighty builder to come by and construct the perfect structure.
The player’s job is to tap into their creativity and design the ultimate building for the people. But it’s not just a simple case of getting to work, you will need to go on quests. Questing involves collecting items for your friends, fending off enemies, and helping out wherever necessary.
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Shop NowDragon Quest Builders 2 isn’t the first game to allow players to build within the world(Thanks Minecraft!). In fact, there are a lot of other games that push it further, allowing players to build their own experiences. These happen to be some of the latest, as more and more game developers realize the infinite power of the gamers imagination and replayability.
It begs the question, what other games are out there that gives players the power to build and is this be a pattern developers might continue to embrace?
Recently, the incredible Super Mario Maker 2 was released to critical acclaim. Players are given hundreds of blocks to create whatever type of Mario course they can dream up. Puzzles, speedruns, extremely challenging courses, and even themed courses have cropped up as part of the user-created content. E3 2019 showed the competitive side of Super Mario Maker 2, with players competing in a knockout style tournament.
Instead of Nintendo giving players just a curated experience, they’re shifting the power into the player’s hands. These sorts of games can live on well after their expected lifetime, as the content is practically infinite. So long as players want to create content, there will be content there to play.
We really hope this new addition is a sign of things to come for other projects in the future!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold like hotcakes, but imagine if it included a “builder” mode. This is kind of what’s happening with the remake of Link’s Awakening. Players are given a sort of mini dungeon builder. By collecting room tiles, and placing them down within a pre-defined area, players can create an entire dungeon to explore. We can’t wait to see how this works in the full game.
But we also can’t help but wonder what it would be like if The Legend of Zelda was given the Mario Maker treatment. It would be incredible to see the kinds of worlds and experiences players could conjure up, though no doubt we’d end up playing some really devilish water temple levels.
Just imagine all the ghost hunting possibilities and maps with friends or alone you could make!
While all these games are either out or confirmed, what about other titles, ones that could definitely benefit from user-creator content? One look at Nintendo’s mighty line-up tells us that they have a whole lot of franchises where, if given the opportunity, players would spend years creating levels. Luigi’s Mansion, Super Smash Bros., Yoshi, Kirby – there are so many games that would do exceedingly well to receive a “Maker” spin-off series.
Giving players the tools to create content within a game is a win-win situation. Players get even more content to play and the game remains in conversation. What’s more, as time goes on and players become more skilled, the quality of user-created content will only improve. While Dragon Quest Builders 2 is the latest title to give players some light building opportunities, it certainly won’t be the last title to offer players a canvas and say, “show me what you got!”
What do you think about this new wave of games that gives players the tools to create levels, worlds, and experiences for others? What game franchise would you like to see embrace this?
Read More: Get Creative with Super Mario Maker 2
The fun of Super Mario Maker 2 is in the creation of courses and levels. Players can create something as simple as the first ever level of Super Mario Bros. or as complicated and convoluted as they please.
