May 27, 1986, is an important time for Dragon Quest, as it is the date the first game was released. Since then, the Dragon Quest series has continued to release new games, while also inspiring other franchises like Final Fantasy and even modern titles such as the Like a Dragon games. This year, the influential franchise is celebrating 40 years of games and adventures. For this 40th anniversary, Square Enix has shared announcements for the future of the franchise, which include a new entry in the mainline series, a new spinoff, and more.
For its next mainline entry, the title has been changed from Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate to Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams. More than a title change, the game completely restarted development. While The Flames of Fate’s concept was aiming for a darker tone than any previous DQ game before it, Beyond Dreams seems to be taking the route of colorful fantasy the series is known for, and taking it to the max with dream and imagination elements. The art and music will still use works from Akira Toriyama and Koichi Sugiyama, with a similar style to what we’ve seen in the recent 2D remakes, but in a 3D environment.
Besides its mainline games, the Dragon Quest series is accompanied by a sister spin-off series, Dragon Quest Monsters. The next entry for this series has been announced as Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World. This series uses similar monster-catching mechanics to the Pokémon games. The new Monsters title will follow two protagonists, Bianca and Nera, from Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. The Withered World is coming soon to Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Windows.
For Nintendo Switch 2 players, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age was also announced, with a release date set for September 24 of this year. For the mobile game, Dragon Quest Smash/Grow, a limited-time campaign is currently taking place with anniversary rewards. Additionally, Square Enix announced that the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake have sold four million copies globally.
However, no new remakes were announced today. It seems the Dragon Quest team is completely focused on the next mainline title, Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams, since its restarted development. What do you think of these announcements and the new direction for DQ XII? Let us know in the comments below, and for more Dragon Quest content, stay tuned to GameObserver.
