Dragon Quest XI: In Search of Departed Time Gets 3DS Release Date in Japan, But No Switch Details

Guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow...

The newest trailers make it look like the actual core game is identical on PS4 and 3DS. Just the graphics are different.
Hopefully that increases the likelihood we'll see a localization. 1 translation needed, 2 very large platforms to make the money back.

I definitely think we'll get confirmation tomorrows.

I just hope that no matter what it gets released on, it gets localized. They have localized so many DQ games recently, and the Switch could use a great rpg (the 3DS could be easier to port it to instead of building it for Switch).

I do hope we get a localization announcement tomorrow, but I probably won't buy the game (seeing as I am not into Dragon Quest)...

July 2017 is going to be a pretty massive month for the Japanese gaming industry. DQXI will probably be the last major blockbuster for the 3DS, provided that the rumored Pokémon Stars isn't on the 3DS. A great send-off IMO.

It appears Square Enix isn't confirming to anyone as to whether the Switch version of the game is launching alongside the 3DS/PS4 versions or not, so it is very possible that DQ11 could show up at tomorrow's Japanese Nintendo Direct for official information about the Switch version. As of right now, no footage of DQXI running on the Switch has been shown off. Nobody knows whether it is based on the 3DS or PS4 version of the game, or if DQXI on the Switch is a completely different version entirely.

I'm betting, like most titles that go to Nintendo, it will release at a later time period.

It's been a long time since a new game in the vein of classic DQ1-8 was released. I wouldn't count on a DQ10 localization- MMORPG's on consoles mostly died out after the PS2, and only FF14 seems to have survived that. As for DQ11, I highly doubt it will be announced in the Nintendo Direct. (People expect way too much out of them, and it's never been a heavy hitting announcement platform.) However, I do expect an announcement at E3 regarding a western localization. As for an NS version... I wouldn't expect it until maybe next year. Maybe. Porting from the PS4 to the NS takes a week with UE4, but I don't know about DQ11's engine...

I love the approach they are taking on 3DS where you can go with the DQIX type visuals or switch to the 16 bit style like old school. Will be hard to choose!

And it may sound weird, but that also allows me to skip the revealing costumes that are all to prevalent in games these days. No worries when I get to choose the graphics!

I don't know how much extra work that was, but it's so retro i love it!

Is this bad news for the Switch version? Is it cancel?

Ok, so let me get this straight, there is gonna be some kind of cross save feature between 3DS and PS4!? We don't get this with
Hyrule Warriors/Hyrule Warriors Legends, Xenoblade Chronicles/Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Super Mario Maker/Super Mario Maker 3DS
and many more, but we get the feature between a Sony Home Console and Nintendo Portable? Did we all stumble into some kind of alternate universe?

All joking aside, I find the lack of Switch info on such an important title to kind of fly directly in the face of SquareEnix's supposed greater focus/support of the Switch. Considering it was one of the earliest games ever revealed for the Switch (then known as NX), it seems extremely suspect that it had no info. Especially when you consider how well the Switch is doing overall, I would have expected the Switch version to be highlighted more than the other 2.

im dying to see what the switch version looks like and also whether it'll get localized

@Grawlog To be more specific, MMO RPG's (especially of the Japanese variety) are in short quantity outside of... Japan.

I certainly intend to get this on Switch, but this is worrisome. If the Switch release is still far off, it's gonna be the PS4 version for me.

A new DQ game only gets 14 comments? The 3DS to PS4 connectivity is worth 50 at least. I'm guessing via a Squenix account. Tried setting one up for FF14 but no luck.

I'll likely get this on PS4 but some Switch info would be nice. Secrecy is one thing but at some point it gets kinda ridiculous. The system is out, the game was announced 2 years ago, just fess up.

I would love a Switch/3DS bundle to come out to North America. Hopefully they'll make that happen.

I've always felt a bit put off by the human designs in Dragon Quest, mostly because everybody looks the same between games. I know it's because of the artist, Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame, and his famous style but it simply keeps me from feeling invested in the game and its characters. I think it's because his characters look so stiff while I like more the expressive and cartoony type of anime. Sure love his monster designs, though, and they've kept me coming back to the series despite having to actually finish a game in the series yet.

Gonna wait for the localization of a Switch release.

I like the retro graphics on the 3DS version, but the PS4 version looks beautiful as well. I don't know which one to get. Then, the fact there will be some kind of shared save data between the two just screams "BUY BOTH!".

@EmmatheBest
Lol exactly was tinking the same

i'll get it import on PS4, if nothing else. im interested in trying the Dragon Quest game

In times like these, I'm so glad I chose PS4 Pro over Switch.

The switch version should have never have been announced. We have no release date, no screenshots, no gameplay footage.

SE should have just stayed silent until they had stuff to show. It's ridiculous that we still have no idea which version the switch game will be based on.

Oh here we go...

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why the Switch makes sense. No need to buy 2 games

I'm still holding grudges for DQX never seeing release outside of Japan.

Switch version is most likely cancelled.

This is annoying me. I don't want it for 3DS I want it for Switch. Dragon Quest is my favorite series and I'm going to get mad. I'm glad SquarEnix still supports Nintendo and all, but this is a pisser. They are not going to milk me me into a double dip. I have a PS4 but I want it on my favorite machine.. Don't F with me SquarEnix.

Look at that beautiful limited edition. Salavation levels are high. I will not double dip.

I was gonna get 3DS and PS4 version, but I'll just get the Switch version instead.

No sense buying on PS4 anymore for games releasing on Switch. I'll grab 3DS version just cause I like the sprites and 3D

@Yasume
Switch version is likely cancelled

Or, these versions were in development long before NX was even a rumor, much less announced with dev kits.

Given they just said it's coming, and the fact it would make no sense to cancel a game 4 weeks after a consoles release, especially one selling well, and the fact they keep saying they're gonna be showing big support for Switch...

I'd say that not only is that not likely, the chances of it being cancelled are slim to none.

My guess is they started working on it late last year and aren't sure if they can get it ported before the others release. That and Nintendo may want to use the Switch reveal to bolster their e3 this year.

I would buy this Day 1 on Switch.

I absolutely plan to get the 3DS version the first day that it is available in the west. I doubt that Nintendo negotiated for DQ VII and VIII to be localized and did not discuss XI at the same time. Hoping for a Christmas launch in the west.

I would guess that Square-Enix and Sony have a deal in which the PS4 version needs to be on the market for a certain length of time before the Switch version can be launched. The PS4 is finally getting real momentum in Japan and Sony will want toe ensure that this game contributes to their cause.

There's two series I always pick up: Ys and Dragon Quest. I think it will eventually localize now that they finally brought 7 out West, but who knows, it's Square Enix and other than Final Fantasy task they show little love to the West on their core games.

@RatKing64 I have huge doubts there is any truth to Sony having some kind of timed exclusive deal. More like the switch version is nowhere near ready.

We still have no idea which version the switch game is based on.

I just wanna see the switch version. I miiiiiiight double dip for the 3ds artstyle but Switch has really torpedoed my interest in the 3ds (granted it was fading before but still).

Got to admit the 3DS version kind of looks awesome. In some ways I like it more than the PS4 version. Maybe the Switch version lets us SWITCH....PS4 style docked, 3DS style handheld, and can toggle between 16 bit and PS2 style graphics like in Wonder Boy.

Nah...but it's a nice dream.

@Plywoodstick Still could appear in the Japan Direct. Since they made the official release announcement yesterday, I can't imagine them having many reasons to NOT talk about Switch unless they're delaying it massively (which is silly since they already confirmed the version in the "NX" era....it's not a port but an initial platform spec), or because they could co-announce with Nintendo 36 hours later. Doesn't mean it will but I wouldn't rule it out.

West, though..pfft...how long did we wait for 7 again?

@rjejr It's squeenix. If the game was announced 2 years ago that means we've only got 8 more to wait!

@Yasume I think it's more likely Square Enix got the development kit tools late so it will just come out later for Switch.

@NEStalgia "If the game was announced 2 years ago that means we've only got 8 more to wait!"

Yeah, but they never shut up about it. Now The Last Guardian, that came and went, I think it was canceled 5 times over it's development cycle, but Squenix isn't usually so coy. Heck they announced the game on NX before Ntinedo even officially announced the NX. Then they said they didn't announce it, only maybe sorta announced it. Then they did announce it, but only sorta maybe.

I think it will come out on Switch, but I'm still leaning towards the 3DS version as more likely than the PS4 version.

But I still think 3DS and PS4 connectivity is the real issue here. Will the Switch and 3DS games connect?

@rjejr Last Guardian is an exception because A) Sony's clueless and B) The producer/visionary died partway into production the first time, so it was directionless forever more.

But yeah Square makes no hesitation to run a fully CGI trailer a decade before they start development It could be delayed, and given the Sept finalization of Switch dev kits that makes sense, but given this was one of the very FIRST Switch games planned on a console they weren't even supposed to be mentioning, before anyone else even had a dev kit from a company with 3 launch titles (Setsuna, DQH1&2), I'm not buying the "dev kit delay" thing, I'm thinking for DQ (and Capcom for MH) were probably allowed to work right in Nintendo HQ if they wanted to to get those games going. So if they're holding back info it's got to be for some business related release info. Especially the "may or may not be same date" part seems like "we're not saying what we're saying. You didn't hear that the password is 'opensesame' from us."

Maybe Switch gets glued to the Western localization/global launch date though. It's a good chance to try to push DQ in the west with 11. It has forests and horses and looks like Zelda. OTOH maybe that means that happens earlier than expected.

@NEStalgia Whatever it is, I just wish they would have said it. Whatever their plans are, whatever the issue is, just say what's going on. Don't throw Nintnedo under the bus if they got the dev kit late - never a good idea to throw Ntinedo under a bus - but they could still simply say - "We are working on the switch version and we'll release it when we can." Which they sort of said, but not really, as I don't think they mentioned Switch at all during their presentation, it only came up during a twitter conversation later. That's the real problem, leaving it out of the official news conference and having some sort of info show up later on Twitter.

I mean come on, they are putting the PS4 disc and 3DS cart in the same box, 1 price, but the Switch doesn't even get a mention? That's not right.

Have you seen the trailer? No Switch at all, not at 1:09 nor at the end. What are people supposed to think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pY5lVpi4U0&feature=youtu.be

@rjejr Of course the PS4 disc and 3DS cart are in the same box. How ELSE would they get rid of PS4 discs in Japan? ;P Of course for ~$175 or so, that's a heck of a kit. Only COD could get away with that here.

Also says a lot about the Vita when the game has PS4 crossplay......with 3DS.

Seriously, though, yeah, it very well could be every bit as bad as it looks. It could be they're targeting the PS4 version but their shoddy engine isn't running so well handheld and they're not sure how to fix it. OTOH the theme with Switch 3rd parties is that they all sound an awful lot like Nintendo. Bethesda, now Squeenix (right after Squeenix said they're prioritizing Switch). The image they're presenting is that Switch is abandoned or just forgotten while they squeeze it in the back door. But I don't think they'd be doing that at the current date given that Switch has been outselling 3DS in Japan despite limited inventory and despite a new Monster Hunter out and DQ on the way.

I think the hedging about the date "can't say if it will or won't be same day" means either they're really not sure if they'll hit the date or not, or they know they're not but don't want to admit it, or know they will but have some "special" Nintnendo controlled announcement for it, OR will be doing Switch as a global release whenever localization is done, but they're not done localization and don't have a date and aren't announcing Western localization until E3 or later so they have to stay silent.

Can't even rule out that IF it's localized that it wouldn't be Switch exclusive in the West.

For now we're talking about Squeenix saying "Switch is supported but we can't say if we have something to say" about a game that's Japan only It's all irrelevant on this side of the ocean unless you're fluent in Japanese.

OTOH, honestly the 3DS version seems in a lot of ways the most compelling. This might be the game to prove that graphics don't make the game and how much eye candy is little more than that when you can play the exact same game with 16-bit sprites and even control it all at once

Edit: Besides, it could be worse. They haven't talked about an XBox version in the trailer OR on Twitter!

@NEStalgia "Also says a lot about the Vita"

Obligatory "What's a Vita?"

And I still don't understand why Xbox is even in Japan, much less how it got the past few FF games and Tomb Raider. Or even Sunset Overdrive for that matter.

To many "or" in the middle of that post for it to mean anything. The "or" are what I'm trying to avoid. I feel confident it will release on Switch, in both Japan and the west, it' sjust annoying that they announced it on Switch way back when Switch was NX but now that the trailer comes out it looks like only a PS4 and 3DS game. And looks pretty much are everything to some people.

@rjejr Imagine a desert wasteland, barren and desolate, with no signs of life or human interaction since time immemorial. Now imagine a video game console buried in a hole in the middle of it. That's a Vita.

XBox is in Japan? Does anyone else know about this?! Maybe it needs an anime girl like they gave IE. No...that didn't help either. I think it's hard to be taken seriously as a gaming device without actually being global, so it has to be in Japan. Plus ORIGINALLY they made the XBox about a lot of Japanese games in the West (and Sega was helping the X0 rolout and design.) These days..yeah...failure is an understatement. It says a lot that the platform itself is entirely rejected there. No clue why it got stage time with Squeenix for FF at the MS show. Or a timed exclusive on Tomb raider. My guess is MS will just pay any amount of money to anyone for the appearance of support, because they can't get on stage in a stadium with an orchestra and show God of War and Horizon. What have they got, post-Bungie Halo-branded games and Quantum Break? But it's silly to send a bunch of Japan execs to MS's E3 show to pretend they care at all. Honestly it's almost silly they bother showing up for Sony. Every home console is an abject failure there. Japan seems to hate doing anything with TVs other than watch game shows.

It'll definitely release on Switch in Japan.....that still looks like the up and coming platform there. There's more potential for Switch than PS4 in Japan, and this is DQ, so..yeah. The West, I'd guess Switch is more likely than anything else. PS4 is the most popular here, but I think the Nintendo audience is the most aligned with interest in DQ, and 3DS sold great, but it's far from dominant like in Japan, so Switch has the most potential for DQ.

I think a lot of third parties will simply do anything to avoid launch year. They want to land when 30M already have the machine (unless it's XBox in Japan were 300 people are just dandy.) I wonder if they'll have a parade for the one person in Japan that buys a Scorpio?

@NEStalgia "I wonder if they'll have a parade for the one person in Japan that buys a Scorpio?"

I've seriously wondered if Scorpio will even release in Japan. What's the point, more embarrassment? And it's not like they need it there day 1 anyway, PS4 launched in Japan 3 months after the west, Feb after Nov, and despite you're thinking home consoles are dead in Japan PS4 still sells. If you add slim and pro that was 25,000 this week, that would be 1.3 million per year just in Japan, and this was a slow week for PS4 games. Sure, they prefer handhelds to home 10-1, but that 1 is still making them some money. Japan could reach 10mil PS4 by the end, 4.4m now but PS3 is still selling there 10 years later so PS4 could have another 5 or 6 years left. I think that's something. Not total like Wii U, but just for Japan.

@rjejr I really wouldn't call those PS4 sales in Japan "good". It's barely above WiiU numbers. More to the point, WiiU is barely below PS4 numbers. That's like an eighth the population of a single prefecture in Tokyo adopting the thing. That's pretty awful. It has a niche, and it may be a profitable niche. Vita has a niche in the US too. So did WiiU. But it's not unfair to say ALL home consoles have failed in Japan this gen. Yes, MS gets to walk the plank, but it's a short plank, and there's a waiting line waiting to walk it Honestly even 3DS numbers aren't where they ought to be in mobile crazed Japan, but at least they're not quite so dismal. That's a VERY populous country...those numbers are awful.

It's just that while PS4 and WiiU both get to be called "failures" there, and 3DS gets to be called "highly successful", XBox just begets hysterical laughter when you see numbers like "45 sold this week" in a country of over 120M. Honestly you should get TV air time when you buy one or something. But 4.4M in 3 years in the same country isn't really something to boast about either.

@NEStalgia "But 4.4M in 3 years in the same country isn't really something to boast about either."

Well there's boasting, and then there's, it could be worse, we could be trying to sell a Wii U or an Xbox. Gues sI look at it mor efomr the point of view of - compared to everyone else. Plus, PS4 games always seem to be in the top 20. Wii U usually gets Minecraft, and I don't think I've ever seen any Xboxen game in the top 20 in all my years here, like 6 or 7.

So 4.4 million may not be a "boastful" amount, but if it's selling and more importantly the games are selling, than I guess I'd still consider it a success. Not a record breaker or a newsmaker, but a success.

That's where I kind of shake my head at Scorpio. Even if it sells in the west, what games are selling on it? Minecraft, CoD, Halo, Gears, Forza. Boasting about the most powerful console seems kind of weird when it has the most limited game selection. That's like having the fastest car but it runs on an element that can only be found in the heart of the sun, good luck getting it.

So the home console is dead in Japan, that's a fact, and w/ that as the backdrop I think PS4 will beget PS5 in a few years, even in Japan. Expectations just need to be kept in check. How many NES Mini sold in Japan? How many more do you think they could have sold, 3-5 million more? Sorry, kinda stuck in my head.