This year,Dragon Questjoins the likes ofThe Legend of Zelda,Castlevania, andMetroidin celebrating its 35th anniversary. For the occasion, Square Enix recently held a presentation showcasing the upcoming slate of titles currently in development for the franchise across mobile and console platforms, hosted by series creator Yuji Horii. To close out the show, Square Enix finally announced the long-awaited next installment in the series,Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate.
Dragon Questis a Japanese RPG series that started in 1987 on the Famicom (NES) and quickly became one of the pioneers of the RPG genre, being one of the first mainstream console RPGs ever created and the basis for the entire JRPG genre. The series has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon in Japan, inspiring multiple manga, anime, and film adaptations and commonly being referenced in other media, including recently inSega’sYakuzaseries. The last mainline title,Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age, first released in 2017 and has received an enhanced re-release since.
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During today’s presentation, Square Enix revealed six upcomingDragon Questtitles, including a remake ofDragon Quest 3from the team behindOctopath Traveler, a new expansion for the Japan-only MMORPGDragon Quest 10, a spin-off featuringDragon Quest 11party member Erik calledDragon Quest Treasure, and more. The presentation ended with the majorDragon Questsequel announcementthat fans have waited years for,Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, which will be the next mainline game in the beloved RPG series.
Despite the game having started development a few years ago, details are quite scarce regardingDragon Quest 12, with Yuji Horii refraining from answering most major questions like release date or platforms. What Horii did reveal is thatThe Flames of Fatewill be a more matureDragon Questgame, with him calling the game “Dragon Questfor adults.” He also stated that there will be some changes to the game’s iconic turn-based command system, but did not detail whether this will be a complete combat overhaul or ifDragon Questwill follow the likes ofFinal Fantasyin a more action-focused direction.
Horii repeatedly claimed thatDragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fatewill heavily focus on player choice, with the character’s “fate” being the core theme for the game, similar toDragon Quest 5’s marriage decisions. Some fans have noted that Horii’s description of the decision-making may be regarding thereturn of the job systemfromDragon Quest 9, which allowed fans to create custom characters and play together online as part of a party.
Aside from this, nothing else is known aboutDragon Quest 12. Horii declined to comment on what platforms the game will be available for or when it will release, although he did briefly mention that it will be the first game in the series tolaunch worldwide simultaneously. Horii briefly mentioned that the developer has been prototyping some combat systems, implying that it might still be quite some time before we see any actual gameplay or in-engine footage.
