Dragon Quest Treasures
Image: Nintendo Life / Square-Enix

With the likes of Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, and Sonic Frontiers launching in the coming weeks and months, you might have forgotten that a little game called Dragon Quest Treasures will be making its way to the Switch on December 9th, 2022.

Although billed as a Dragon Quest spin-off during Nintendo's own Direct Mini showcase earlier this year, Treasures nevertheless features a boatload of characters, locations, and monsters to discover, and Square-Enix has now lifted the lid on some more of the game's core mechanics.

Primarily, we're treated to a deep dive into the world of monster recruitment. Monsters dotted around the land of Draconia can be battled by protagonists Erik and Mia; once defeated, some might be willing to join your party and provide unique abilities to help you on our quest. Monsters are designated a colour depending on their rarity, including bronze, silver, gold, and rainbow. The rainbow-coloured Monsters are the rarest and as such may prove the most difficult to recruit.

Square-Enix also elaborated on the types of Monsters you'll be recruiting. First up is a unique character called Oozabella, a cute pink slime that can always be found wearing an adorable yellow bow. In addition, we get a glimpse at the Fiery Dragling, the Stormy Sabrecat, and the Valhalla Vulture. You can check out each of these Monsters in the below images.

Finally, we also get a good look at a mechanic known as 'Fortes', which are unique Monster abilities that will help Erik and Mia navigate the dangerous land of Draconia. These include the Launch Forte, which allows Erik and Mia to reach high ledges, The Glide Forte to cover great distances and avoid fall damage, The Sprint Forte for rapid land traversal, the Stealth Forte to dive below ground and avoid the keen eyes of the enemies, and finally the Scan Forte, which will be crucial for locating key crafting materials.

Previously, Square-Enix provided a healthy dose of information on Dragon Quest Treasures' two protagonists, Erik and Mia, so be sure to check that out and get fully caught up. For more screenshots, we've compiled some of the best in our comprehensive gallery to fuel your hype train. Hopefully we'll get a bit more information in the coming weeks ahead of the game's December 9th launch - hey, maybe a new trailer, Square-Enix?

Are you excited to dive into Dragon Quest Treasures later this year? Grab your Monster and let us know in the comments!

[source gematsu.com]