Monster wranglers unite! The Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince PC and Mobile release is finally here. If you’ve been itching for more Dragon Quest, or looking for a Pokemon alternative, it’s a great choice.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince (also known as Dragon Quest Monsters 3 in Japan) was originally a Nintendo Switch exclusive title, launched back in December 2023. As part of Square Enix’s shift in focus to multi-platform titles, the game has been ported to PC and Mobile.
This is fantastic news, especially for those who were put off by the game’s graphical glitches and significant performance issues on the Nintendo Switch. We can safely say that the PC (and Mobile) ports are well-optimized, and running great.
Now being free of Nintendo’s hardware, the game is running smoothly and the performance issues have been fixed. The game runs at a stable 60FPS on all high settings on the Steam Deck. The game on PC is honestly a wonder. It takes up less than 10GB of storage space, and can run well, even on low-spec machines.
If you’re looking for a monster catching JRPG, The Dark Prince honestly rivals the greats and it’s on par with recent Pokemon titles.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince’s monster designs also ooze personality and charm with Akira Toriyama’s (yes, the Dragon Ball guy!) designs. If you haven’t noticed already the main character is also Psaro, from Dragon Quest IV—so if you’ve played that mainline entry before, you’re sure to love the story.
The Dark Prince follows the story of the half-human, half-monster prince, Psaro, who is seeking revenge on his father—the cruel monster and ruler of Nadiria. Psaro has been cursed, so he can never harm monster kind, so instead, you’ll recruit monsters to fight on his behalf instead. The game’s plot serves as a prequel and side-story to the events of Dragon Quest IV.
If you’re looking for a new JRPG to play and you’ve already gone through Dragon Quest XI, open up Steam (or your smartphone’s app store) and give Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince a try. The story is charming backed by character and monster designs by the legendary Akira Toriyama. The combat is also easy-to-learn and snappy.