At first glance, Dragon Quest Treasures might seem similar to Pokémon. The two do have a few things in common. There’s a colorful open world, quirky characters, and a lighthearted story. By far the biggest similarity is a shared mechanic of collecting monsters. As such, it’s not a stretch to assume the two share other gameplay elements. You might be wondering if you can breed your monsters in Dragon Quest Treasures as well. But the question is, can you?
Can You Breed Monsters in Dragon Quest Treasures?
The short answer is that, no, Dragon Quest Treasures does not allow you to breed monsters. This may come as a surprise or disappointment for longtime fans of the Dragon Quest franchise. That’s because the popular spin-off series, Dragon Quest Monsters, heavily focuses on breeding. In fact, Dragon Quest Monsters is much more comparable to Pokémon. But while the two do share a likeness, Dragon Quest Treasures isn’t a part of that series.
It’s actually understandable that breeding isn’t available given that Dragon Quest Treasures isn’t a typical catch-’em-all game. Erik and Mia aren’t taming monsters like trainers in Pokémon. Instead, they’re recruiting them for their help. Monsters are definitely still crucial to the gameplay, as they’re used to help you traverse the world and uncover treasure. They also help you in fights, which is good given the game’s approach to multiplayer co-op.
But you won’t use them to battle in the same way you would in Pokémon. Dragon Quest Treasures uses a real-time combat system. Rather than giving you direct control of your monsters, you simply instruct them while they auto-battle. You’ll instead control your character and battle alongside them.
Ultimately, while monsters are still a focus, there’s less of an emphasis on collecting all of them. You won’t necessarily need to fill any sort of Pokédex. You also won’t have a way to trade your monsters with other players. Finding treasure is the most important part of the game. Going into Dragon Quest Treasures and expecting a Pokémon-style adventure will probably let you down. Make sure to understand that this is a treasure hunting action-RPG first and foremost.
Nick Ransbottom is a freelance games journalist and bad puns enthusiast. If he isn’t streaming on Twitch or sinking dozens of hours into an RPG, he’s watching reruns of MST3K with his husband and cat.
