"It's cute, but my least favorite in a series of winners"

After spending a few hours with Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart (now that it has been translated into English), one thing is very evident: this is not going to be your average DQ game. Like in the other DQM games, you, the player, runs around, catching monsters from Dragon Quest games. However, this time, you have to deal with a wagon, which I'll hit on in a moment.

Story

If you're playing a DQ game for its story, you might need to reconsider what game series you're playing. Let's face it, DQ does not have as much character development as Final Fantasy, not as much flair as most RPGs for that matter. Caravan Heart is no different: Keifer, from DQ 7, is back, younger, and for some reason, silent. The other characters have that usual DQ charm, which is always pleasant. I'd give a rating for the story, but it's unnecessary; it's Dragon Quest. That's all you need to know.

Graphics+Music aka Everything you'll be judging in the first few minutes

Again, very standard DQ. Colorful Toriyama characters are abundant and the world map looks especially nice considering it's only a GBA game. The music is not groundbreaking, but you may find some of the catchier tunes stuck in your head.

Gameplay

This is where the game stands out. No, it's not a Rhythm-RPG-Pinball hybrid. It is essentially a Dragon Quest monster catching game. Simple RPG turn-based battles mixed with simple RPG exploration (town dungeon town dungeon go find the secret food). However, as the title implies, a focus of this game is the "caravan" concept. You receive wagons on your journey and you fill them with people you meet. These people each have skills based on their DQ sprite (the guy in red armor is a warrior and he attacks and the guy in blue is a cleric and he heals). To top it all off, each wagon is led by a monster, which also participates in battle.

This is very experimental, but often (especially in the beginning) leaves you feeling constricted. The wagon requires supplies to move, so if you have no money, you can't fight monsters to make money. Plus, monsters don't even normally drop money. The many different people you can put in your team seems like endless customization possibilities, but its really not considering these people only have one skill and the monsters in DWM 1 or 2 could learn tons of skills. If you're heavily into monster breeding, I'd tell you to dust off DWM 2 instead of playing this one.

Battles aside, I did not like the fact that you cannot explore the towns. Upon entering a town, a menu comes up with the different buildings. It's faster, yes, but a million times less fun. Although, you may hate having to walk a quarter of a mile to save, so this might work in your favor.

I didn't have fun in the first hour or so of gameplay, but as you get into it, it gets a bit more fun. Stay away if you don't like DQ, but you'll have an enjoyable time if you do.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/21/08

Game Release: Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart (JP, 03/29/03)