Not your usual quest

The Dragon Quest series, since its inception on the Nintendo Entertainment System, has been one of the largest Japanese-style RPG franchises in the short history of video games. Outside of Japan, the series is certainly not as popular as its step-brother Final Fantasy. In its home country however, there are few video game series as loved as Dragon Quest.

Dragon Quests Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is a spin-off title for the Wii, set in the Kingdom of Alsword. The game is based on Kenshin Dragon Quest, a plug-and-play TV game which requires the player to hold a model sword and shield and slash at enemies on screen. For the Wii version, the sword and shield have been replaced with the Wiimote.

In true Dragon Quest fashion, the main character is simply known as Hero. Hero is accompanied by other characters such as Setia, Dean and Hero's father Baud. While in towns, Hero and his friends can move around almost freely. They will be able to interact with various NPCs and shopkeepers selling weapons and items.

Venturing outside of towns lets you travel to a wide variety of areas that are accessed via a 2D world map. By reviewing the world map, you can see the imposing Tower of Mirrors located directly behind the castle town. Movement in these areas is highly restricted. Hero can only move forward in these areas, either by holding down the B button or by pressing the up button on the D-Pad. Only when the party reaches a fork in the road you will have to choose a path via an on-screen prompt; however navigation doesn't get any more complex than this.

Wield a sword in hand, brave warrior

Leaving town will also mean combat. Maps are littered with various enemies such as Slimes, the infamous mascots of the Dragon Quest series. Enemies will randomly drop onto the path of the party causing a fight to ensue. When a battle commences, your party cannot move forward until all the enemies have been defeated. During these battles the primary function of the Wiimote is to be wielded as a sword. By swinging the Wiimote in a slashing fashion, Hero will attack the onscreen enemies with either a horizontal, vertical or diagonal swipe of his sword.