Dragon Quest Creator Teases Exciting Announcements For 35th Anniversary

Not sure if the Switch will get Dragon Quest XII right away.

@Ulysses It might. DQ11 did very well on the Switch especially considering how late the port was, and with Hero in Smash, it would be a really dumb decision not to.

I’m just hoping for DQ10 localization.

@JissuWolfe Hear hear on DQX! I'm itching for a good MMORPG on Switch, and Dragon Quest would be perfect.

Why won't Square port Final Fantasy XI to Switch? It could handle the older MMO very well.

Alternatively, I keep wishing Square Enix would turn FFXII into a full-fledged MMORPG. All the guilds and the lore would be perfect for an MMO, and the original game was desperate to emulate one at that. Don't even change the graphics, it looks perfect just the way it is! Expand all the areas into vast open world environments. It would be both retro and "new" and it would be perfect for the Switch.

I might as well watch this, but if the next game is anything like 11, I'm staying far away. 11 was probably one of the most generic JRPG's I've ever played, and I've played some pretty generic ones.

The music in the ps4 version of 11 was also pretty terrible honestly..

At the very least we will get confirmed platforms and release date for Dragon Quest the Adventure of Dai.

Dragon Quest IX Remake has been hinted at more than once.

I’m really hoping they drop 4, 5, and 6 onto the switch

Best series for consistency and longevity imo. Been an amazing ride so far.

I don’t like to wish list but I would love to see another anniversary collection (the wii one was worth every penny/yen). Even if it is just straight ports of everything that was playable on the 3ds (ie the whole series).

I would do something crazy for a slime mori mori 3 pack...or a new entry.

Ok back to earth. From a practical perspective I would like them to make a matcha bowl so my tea set has a big sister. My tea cup and teapot are so cute! Also info on the upcoming dai no daibouken game would be nice.

@Ulysses If it doesn't then Japan will be mad. Dragon Quest's success and popularity rely on the platform that is currently on top in Japan and right now only Switch is that dominant platform. I could see Dragon Quest XII coming to Switch, PC, and maybe PS4 (if it's still alive in 2022) but I'm not sure if it'll come to PS5 or Xbox this time.

@Liam_Doolan I think you mean Dragon Quest XII NOT XIII lol.

EVERYONE

Keep your expectations low....

We don't know if there will be anything for the switch at all. So plz keep the expectations down for a bit

Let us not forget about Dragon Quest Monsters. Let’s also not forget there still is an untranslated Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2. Will Dragon Quest 10 finally make it to the west? Could Dragon Quest four through six make it to the Nintendo switch like one through three? Are we getting an announcement on Dragon Quest 12? I know I’ll be watching. My expectations are very high. For the love of Dragon Quest give us the games.

@VoidofLight That is pure blasphemy.

I'll absolutely be tuning in! Dragon Quest is probably in my top 3 game series of all time, and XI's in my top 3 games of all time, so I can't wait to see what's going to be announced here. I've enjoyed every DQ game I've played, so I know I'll be happy with whatever comes up here! My safe (and common) predictions are DQXII (I was doubtful until recently, but I think it'll show up), a collection of IV-VI, the new Dai game, DQ Monsters with Erik and Mia, and maybe another surprise spin-off as well. My dream announcement on top of those would be a DQIX remake with online co-op and all the free DLC included on the cartridge, but if we're seeing XII, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see IX for a little while longer.

@anoyonmus While I'd love to have all the DQ games on Switch, I also have a PS5, and I'd imagine there are plenty of DQ fans here who have a PS4/PS5 as well. I'm personally not worried about platforms here, unless everything winds up being only on mobile (which wouldn't be the case). Either way, it's hard to imagine there won't be anything for the Switch here given how closely tied this series is to Nintendo.

@VoidofLight

Perhaps you've played so many generic ones that you don't recognise a great one.

@VIIIAxel maybe.

Or it could be like a timed exclusive for switch but who knows

@anoyonmus As long as it comes to Switch, I don't mind if it's timed exclusive or multiplatform personally. Exclusives are nice and all, but DQ needs to reach a wider audience, and releasing on multiple platforms is the way to go. That being said, every mainline DQ is available on a Nintendo system, and I don't see that changing after the Switch version of DQXI helped raise a lot of awareness for the series outside Japan.

Rocket Slime. Do it!

Sounds like DQXII will at the very least be teased at that event.

@k8sMum I've played a couple of classic JRPGs, and Dragon Quest 11 has the same exact plot elements of finding the treasure of the elements, and defeating the big bad guy who tries to rule over the world. It diverges a bit, but not enough to actually be worth much.

Compare this to other jrpgs that are out now, which have crazier stories with genuinely good characters, unique and fun battle systems, etc.

I get Dragon Quest is the oldest JRPG, and so it keeps the same feel, but it's just sort of boring. I don't understand why many people think it's the greatest rpg ever made, when it doesn't do anything revolutionary. The only people I can really see liking it are those who are older and grew up with turn based JRPG's with really simple plots.

@VIIIAxel that is actually true. Thanks for reminding me

So there could be some switch announcements. I would like to try a DQ game someday

Just patch the first 3 games so they stop stuttering (old man yells at cloud)

@BloodNinja NINJA APPROVED

@anoyonmus If you're looking into trying Dragon Quest, I'd highly recommend starting with DQXI! The Switch version is fantastic and has a really long demo that lets you get a feel for whether or not it's the type of game you'd enjoy. I've played most of the main entries in the series, and I'd personally say that XI is my favorite and also the best starting point for newcomers. It absolutely nails the classic RPG feeling while adding plenty of modern polish.

The most fun aspect of a pending DQ announcement is trying to peg what platform it will release on. This is a series that went from ps2, to ds, to wii mmorpg, then to a multi Plat where the best selling version in japan was on... 3ds? I kind of assume the next one will be multiplat as well but they could surprise with switch exclusivity or even a smartphone release of DQ12 that's also a life sim because reasons.

NintendoLife very slow to this news. This is old news now. Everyone knows about it and has for like 2 weeks now.
Looks like the folks at NL don't care much for Dragon Quest.

Oh yes, so excited here, hopefully DQ12!

@VoidofLight Aren’t they ALL like DQXI though? Having free movement in battle (that has no gameplay impact) was about as radical an innovation as the series has ever seen. It’s not exactly fair to call it a generic JRPG, as its literally the basis for all JRPGs, but I get what you mean.

Pls make DQBUILDERS 3 ! I beg u !!

@Chowdaire don’t forget NES, SNES and PS1. DQ goes where Japanese gamers are.

@Spiders The free movement adds nothing to the gameplay unlike other Jrpgs, and the story is more on the generic side compared to other jrpgs.

They literally do nothing to innovate.

Fingers crossed for a new Rocket Slime game

It took awhile for Collection of Mana to make it out of Japan, maybe S-E will do the same for the Dragon Quest Heroes Switch ports...

But only if they finally localize DQX for Switch first.

Hell, give us the DQV PS2 remake in HD ON Switch/PS4/5 while we’re at it.

The 30th anniversary of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy was commemorated with a new Fortune Street (Itadaki/Boom Street) title... could the 35th anniversary finally bring Fortune Street to the Switch?

I think he's talking about dragon quest 10, I recon they have touched up the graphics and made it more single player focused

based on past rumors the top 3 things to look for are

Dragon Quest XII
A single player version of Dragon Quest X
An HD Remaster or Remake of Dragon Quest IX

Hard to watch at 4am... But I will check the news a couple of hours later I guess. Give me new game + ports and I will be happy

I hope they announce an offline version of DQX. That's the only game I haven't played.

I'll find out when I wake up after the presentation. Hoping for info on XII. Only played XI so far, but that was a great experience.

If they announce Dragon Quest XII, I'll buy whatever platform it will be released for first (if I don't own it already). Just please not PS5 'cause that thing is impossible to get!

@the8thark What are you talking about? Yuji Horii's tweet is from yesterday.

@VoidofLight Personally I don't think a game has to be "innovative" in order to be good. And XI in particular is meant as a love letter to the series. It's intentionally calling back to past games, directly and indirectly. If you're a fan of the older games like me, XI resonates with you. I don't know if I'd call it the greatest RPG ever made (and seriously who cares, how do you even measure that in any objective sense) but it's certainly one of my favorite DQ titles.

@VoidofLight Dragon Quest by remaining the same generic JRPG over the decades is appealing to a pretty wide audience of:
a) old people who don't have time to learn new tricks;
b) casual players who just want to play an easy to digest RPG;
c) kids who are just starting to play video games;
Nothing wrong with that (although recycling of music themes ensures that whenever I have a good time with one DQ game I cannot pick up another immediately after) and thanks to that "lowest common denominator" aspect DQ games are bound to land on many "TOP X" lists.

I will refrain from getting too hyped since DQ XI took a while to release on Nintendo's main platform. I expect XII to be a timed-PS5 exclusive, or some other nonsense like that.

My extremely modest hope is we get the previously Japan only 3DS game Terry's Wonderland for the Switch.

@Ulysses Hopefully whatever the "Switch Pro" will be, it'll run it. There are some franchises I just won't play on anything but a Nintendo system. DQ is one of these franchises. So I hope the wait won't be too long.

No plans to release on switch

@Ghost_of_Hasashi I think PS5 is a sure bet for DQXII, and SquareEnix has been expanding DQ audience in Xbox with DQXIS and Builders 2 in Game Pass, so I hope they continue that trend.

@VoidofLight Well, DQ certainly isn't the most original series out there, but what's way more important than originality is execution, which is something at which DQ excels at.

On the other hand, I've played plenty of experimental games with a cool idea but terrible implementation.
Depends what you're looking for, and what the game wants to be.

@IronMan30 They made an entire 3DS game for XI to avoid losing sales in Japan. Since 75% of their sales come from there

I think even timed PS5 exclusively for DQXII is just risking a catastrophic backfire in Japan.

Man, if DQ aiming to reinvent the wheel each time means it'd be like whatever the heck Final Fantasy has become, then no thank you.

The fact is, there are barely any classic turn-based RPGs these days, and the DQ devs still understand exactly what makes those types of games fun. DQXI was a highly-polished, well-written and utterly charming modern RPG that didn't lose any of the sense of adventure from the best games of the 16-bit days. Those things alone make it stand out from all the pseudo-action RPGs and self-insert dating simulators that have flooded the genre as of late.

Leave experimentation to other series and let Dragon Quest be Dragon Quest.

As for the announcement, still hoping for DQX in English, but I'd also be excited to see Builders 3 or even Theatrhythm.

I'm hoping for that monsters game they teased a bit back about Erik and Mia.

I would like IV, V, and VI on Switch!

There is no classic RPG series that comforts life's woes like Dragon Quest for me. I am really eager to play the next installment and see more about it!

@VoidofLight That’s what I said! I used free movement as an example of what goes for innovation in a DQ game.
It’s part of the series DNA to stay as roots as possible - it’s what fans expect from it (see post above). Tim Rogers’ Dragon Quest XI review really nails the nature of the appeal. Mainline series just isn’t for you. If you’re looking for innovation, almost every JRPG is an attempt at expanding on the DQ formula is my point.

@Dr_Lugae I'm well aware of the history, but Sony is bending over backwards to get timed exclusivity for its new console. Of course, I do hope that I'm wrong and it makes its way to Switch at or soon after launch.

@Ulysses it will surely get it right off the bat since 11 sold extremely well on the switch.

@Alex78
The video has been on youtube for almost a week now with the teaser screen giving us all this information.
My the time I was made aware of it's existance on the 14th of May, it was already known to everyone in the community and many outside of it too.

This is old news and NintendoLife is very late to the party.

I'm hoping to see the return of Alltrades Abbey in DQ12