Dragon Quest Swords: Tower of the Masked Queen (3DS) is an enhanced version of the Nintendo Wii game Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors that was developed by Genius Sonority/Eighting Co Ltd and published by Square Enix.
Plot[]
The player is thrust into the role of the hero. After completing the trial, things start to get more complicated once Prince Alance's mother comes into the picture...
Gameplay Mechanics[]
The player uses the D-Pad/Circle pad to move the character around. The player can move around the overworld but will placed into a fixed first person perspective once they get into battle. They can use the A button to confirm and the B button to decline during menu dialogues.
In battle however, the player only uses the D-Pad and buttons for selecting menus or raising the shield(via the B button)The actual fighting requires you to use the stylus to either attack your opponent to deflect attacks. Attacks with a blue marker can be deflected while red ones have to be blocked lest you take damage.
New Equipment[]
| Equipment Name | Equipment Type | Obtained by | Master Stroke | Additional Effects? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estark Blade | Sword | Defeating Estark | Secret of Evolution | 128+ Attack and increases the user's power by 50% |
| Hypernova Sword | Sword | Giving Minimoggie 75 Mini Medals | Hypernova Breaker | 145+ Attack and lowers enemy defence |
| Dragovian King Sword | Sword | Fuse the Metal King Sword and the Dragovian Sword | Wrath of the Dragovians | 125+ Attack, doubles the speed of the Master Stroke meter |
| Gospel King Sword | Sword | Tempering the Rusty Old Sword | Heavenly Meteor | 195+ Attack, has a 50% chance of inflicting Instant Death and triples gold obtained from battles |
| Pandemonic Sword | Sword | Treasure Chest in Cave of Resolution | Pandemonic Pulverisor | 150+ Attack, increases in power the less HP you have. |
| Dragovian Shield | Shield | Treasure Chest in Dragovian Sanctuary | N/A | 125+ Defence, reduces Breath damage by 1/2 |
| Pandemonic Shield | Shield | Treasure Chest in Cave of Resolution | N/A | 55+ Defence, reduces breath damage by 1/4 |
| Goddess Shield | Shield | Defeat Edah Sophix and get an S Rank | N/A | 200+ Defence, immunity to status effects, all damaged lowered by 1/2 |
| Soulsucker | Shield | Give 75 Mini Medals to Minimoggie | N/A | 145+ Defence, lowers elemental damage by 1/5 |
| Lord's Bracer | Accessory | Defeating Estark | N/A | Double's the user's attack power and starts their Master Stroke meter at 50% |
| Dragovian Helm | Accessory | Treasure Chest in Dragovian Sanctuary | N/A | 83 Defence, makes the user immune to instant death and dark attacks. |
| Metal Slime Necklace | Accessory | Defeat King Latem | N/A | 190+ Defence, immunity to all status effects |
| Rigor Mortex Brooch | Accessory | Defeat Valgirt with an S rank. | N/A | +83 Attack, makes the user immune to Fire and Ice attacks |
| Snapped Orb | Accessory | Defeat Nomeg with an S rank. | N/A | 50 Defence, lowers chance of status effects. |
Bosses[]
| Boss | Boss Name | Chapter | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sir Dirk Worthington | Chapter 1: The Walk | Caliburn Cave |
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Briquet | Chapter 2: Doubt | Galantyne Glades |
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Emissary of Xiphos | Chapter 3: The Mask | Arondight Heights |
 |
Fishy Monster | Chapter 4: Torment | Seacace Seacove |
 |
Grossmesser | Chapter 5: The Tower | Tower of Mirrors |
 |
Draug | Chapter 6: Reflection | Mirror World |
 |
Golok the Gatekeeper | Chapter 7: The Parting | The Red Sea |
 |
Gigantes Statue | Chapter 8: Deathbringer | Deathbringer's Citadel |
  |
Ruin | Chapter 8: Deathbringer | Deathbringer's Citadel |
| Xiphos the Deathbringer (1) | Chapter 8: Deathbringer | Deathbringer's Citadel | |
| Xiphos the Deathbringer (2) | Chapter 8: Deathbringer | Deathbringer's Citadel |
Post-Game Bosses[]
| Boss | Boss Name | Chapter | Location | Mirror Group | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Clank 'n' Knalc | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Silver | Both knights share a HP bar. Drops a Rusty Sword upon defeat. |
 |
Nizam | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Silver | N/A |
 |
Nomeg | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Silver | N/A |
  |
Lavura | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Silver | N/A |
 |
Salta | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Silver | Can be stunned if hit with Sizz/Bisouka. |
| Valgirt | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Silver | Can only be fought after defeating the first 5 Mirror Bosses. Resurrects once after defeat. | |
 |
Der Gib | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Purple | Can be stunned if hit with Sizz/Bisouka. |
  |
Nomegeon | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Purple | Turns invisible at the start of the fight. |
| Niuroen | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Purple | N/A | |
| Valgirt Nedlog | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Avalonia) | Purple | Can be only be fought after defeating the other Purple mirror bosses. Resurrects once after defeat. | |
| Edah Sohpix (1) | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Deathbringer's Cathedral) | Black | All attacks inflict status effects if they connect. | |
| Edah Sophix (2) | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory(Deathbringer's Cathedral) | Black | Unlocks Payback Mode once defeated. | |
| The Gauntlet | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory | Silver | You refight all the story mode bosses in sequence. | |
| The Mirrored Gauntlet | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory | Purple | You refight all the mirror bosses in sequence. | |
| The Ultimate Gauntlet | Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory | The Old Reflectory | Rainbow | You refight all the story mode bosses, mirror bosses and extra bosses in sequence. |
Other Bosses[]
| Boss | Boss Name | Chapter |
Location |
|---|---|---|---|
  |
Estark | Post-Game | Cave of Resolution |
 |
King Latem | Chapter 7 and onward | Metal Meringue |
| Lord of the Dragovians | Post-Game | Dragovian Sanctuary |
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Additions to the Original[]
- Once the player beats the game, they'll gain access to a new dungeon on the World Map. This dungeon is called the Cave of Resolution which is a mountain dungeon which starts out cold and gradually becomes hotter. The player fights Estark at the very bottom of the dungeon.
- Once Chapter 9 starts, the player can also access the Dragonvian Sanctuary. The level itself is a skybound area that is home to high level monsters and good loot. At the end is the Lord of the Dragovians, a giant scarlet dragon that can wield all sorts of powerful magic.
- Once Xiphos is unsealed and the player gains access to the Figure of Fate Master Stroke, a new dungeon called the Metal Meringue will be unlocked which gives the player 10 minutes to slay as many Metal Slimes/Liquid Metal Slimes before King Latem shows up. The level ends regardless if you defeat him or not.
- Edah Sophix now has another form that's a palette swap of Xiphos's first form. You'll have to fight him instead of the 3 Purple Mirror Bosses.
- Several new weapons and Master Strokes are added in, some of which reference other games in the Dragon Quest series.
- Ruin from Dragon Quest VIII appears in the game as one of the midbosses in Deathbringer's Citadel, right before Xiphos himself.
- Three new Mirror Bosses, Nizam, Niuroen, Lavura are added in and are enhanced versions of Briquet, Ruin and Fishy Monster respectively.
Differences from the Original[]
- The game's battles are the only mandatory first person aspects. Outside of battle, the player moves around akin to Dragon Quest VIII or in first person if they choose.
- The game's control scheme has been altered to work with the Nintendo 3DS instead of the Nintendo Wii.
- The game gives you an option to turn off voice acting or switch it between English and Japanese versions.
- When you choose to fight Edah Sohpix, you won't have to fight the three Purple Mirror bosses before him. Instead you'll have to fight a stronger version of Xiphos's first form before fighting him.
- King Latem no longer appears in Olde Reflectory and is now the stage boss of Metal Meringue.
- The player can skip cutscenes if they wish. The game also has menu options that allow you to listen to the game's music, watch cutscenes and read the Bestiary entries.
- The post-game is now counted as Chapter 9: The Olde Reflectory with the area itself being expanded into several rooms.
- Nomegoen has a new gold and black colour scheme to differentiate it from Nomeg, another Mirror boss in the game.
- If the player fights Xiphos with the Deathbringer's Sword/Deathbringer's Shade, Xiphos's dialogue will be different.
- If the player does a second playthrough on either Payback or Challenge Mode, they can unlock a boss rush challenge known as The Gauntlet. The Mirrored Gauntlet is unlocked by completing The Gauntlet and is a harder boss rush challenge involving all mirror bosses. Complete The Mirrored Gauntlet to unlock the hardest boss rush challenge called The Ultimate Gauntlet where you fight every single boss in the game.
Unlockables[]
- The Olde Reflectory: Once the player defeats Xiphos and the credits roll, Chapter 9 will begin, and they can find a previously blocked off area called the Olde Reflectory. The area is a small room with several mirrors, each of which allows you to fight a boss. Defeating the first few bosses unlocks a second room which is on a lower floor. This room contains 5 purple mirrors each containing a boss. Defeating the Purple Mirror bosses unlocks a final room with a black mirror containing Edah Sohpix who is one of the hardest bosses in the game. If the player defeats Edah Sohpix and starts again on Payback or Challenge Mode, they unlock The Gauntlet found in the final room. Complete The Gauntlet to unlock the Mirrored Gauntlet and complete that to unlock The Ultimate Gauntlet.
- Cave of Resolution: Once Xiphos is slain, this dungeon will be unlocked. It takes place in a mountain that starts out cold and gradually grows hotter until it's volcanic. At the bottom of the cave lies Estark, a legendary monster from eons ago.
- Metal Meringue: This level is unlocked once the player learns the Figure of Fate Master Stroke. A training spot for strong warriors, defeat as many Metal Slimes/Liquid Metal Slimes as you can in 10 minutes. Once your time is up, King Latem will show up. The level ends regardless of if you defeat him or not.
- Payback Mode: The player unlocks this mode by defeating Edah Sohpix. The player starts out with Xipho's Sword, the Deathbringer which is the second strongest sword in the game. The player also keeps their items but not their levels.
- Challenge Mode: The player unlocks this mode by defeating Estark. This mode makes all the main story bosses and enemies more difficult, mirrors the layout of all levels, allows the player to keep all their levels (but makes them take double damage and deal double damage).
Trivia[]
- All the mirror bosses are enhanced versions of bosses aside from Valgirt. Their names are also reversed with Clank 'n' Knalc's name being a palindrome.
- One of the bosses, Nizam is a reference to Mazin from Dragon Quest VIII.
- The Gospel King Sword is a reference to a rumor surrounding Dragon Quest VIII that the player could create the 'Heavenly King Sword'. The recipe required the Gospel Ring (which can't be used in Alchemy), Rusty Old Sword and a Slime Crown to create this fabled weapon. The effects it has in this game is a reference to the recipe as well.