Operation Backlog Completion 2024

Remember, We Hardly Know Anything About Dragon Quest XII

 Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Jun 282023
 

Dragon Quest XII is once again a hot topic of debate, which is impressive considering how little we know about it.

Part of this comes from Final Fantasy XVI. Being an M-rated action RPG, it’s led many fans to think Dragon Quest XII will follow in its footsteps.

The concerns about Dragon Quest XII having action combat have been circulating ever since it was announced, despite there being no proof of that.

This time, however, the controversy is more about the game’s tone.

The latest news comes from an interview in which Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii was asked about the status of Dragon Quest XII, since we haven’t seen anything about it since it was announced in 2021.

As translated by Noisy Pixel, he responded:

Mmm, I guess it will take a little while. This time we are making a game directed toward an adult audience, so we are having a lot of trouble (laughs). There was also the Coronavirus pandemic.”

He goes on to say that a lot of employees are still working remotely.

This has spurred a lot of controversy over the idea that Dragon Quest XII will be a dark, edgy, M-rated game, along with the repeated claims that it won’t have turn-based combat, even though none of this has been confirmed. We still don’t know what they mean about the target audience being adults. We barely know anything about Dragon Quest XII at all.

Here’s what’s actually been confirmed about Dragon Quest XII:

  • The full title is Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate.
  • It was described as “Dragon Quest for adults” when announced.
  • It will have choices.
  • The combat system will be “renewed” but still feel familiar to fans (based on the translation here).
  • The story is complete.
  • It has the same director as Dragon Quest XI.
  • It uses Unreal Engine 5.
  • Dragon Quest XII could set the path for the next 10-20 years of the series.

None of that says the combat will be a radical departure (if anything, it suggests the opposite). There’s no proof the tone will be dark and edgy or even rated M, either. All of those assumptions are coming from the “Dragon Quest for adults” line, which still hasn’t been explained. For all we know, that could mean they’re making the gameplay more complex.

So, what about this latest interview answer? Considering he laughed while giving the answer, I’m not sure we should attach too much significance to the adult target audience being what’s caused so much time to pass without news. The remote work and COVID-related delays feel like the more likely culprits.

Dragon Quest XII could have a completely different tone, but it’s too early to panic over it. In the meantime, I probably should play more Dragon Quest so I have more than two games to reference when talking about it!

What do you think Dragon Quest XII having an adult target audience means?

---
If you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Dragon Quest Treasures Gameplay Loop Explained

 Video games  8 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Aug 102022
 

The screenshot reads, "The dragon's tail lies lost, hidden amongst countless other treasures..."Last time we discussed Dragon Quest Treasures, I mentioned that I was still wondering about the gameplay loop.

Well, Square Enix posted a new article that explains the gameplay loop and goal.

On Draconia, a land formed from the bodies of two legendary dragons, there are seven special treasures called Dragonstones, each shaped like part of a dragon.

Your goal is to find these legendary Dragonstones, along with any other treasures you come across, by searching the islands of Draconia.

From your base, you’ll choose an island to travel to. Then you’ll gather materials, work with your treasure-sensing monsters to find bric-a-brac and treasure, and then have your monsters carry it. You have a special item called the Fortune Finder that activates Treasure Visions and lets you see the treasure’s location through your monster’s eyes.

Once you return to your base, your treasure will be appraised. If you find multiple copies of the same treasure, the one in the best condition will be kept.

So it seems like the major gameplay loop is all about collecting treasure and appraising it, with the Dragonstones serving as the major goal of your treasure-hunting quest. With everything else that is coming out this year, I don’t know if Dragon Quest Treasures is a game I’d play right away, but I’m sure I’ll pick it up eventually.

Are you looking forward to Dragon Quest Treasures?

---
If you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

Dragon Quest Treasures Story and World Details

 Video games  8 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Jul 112022
 

One game we’ve discussed a few times now, most recently after the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, is the upcoming Dragon Quest spin-off Dragon Quest Treasures.

It’s coming out in December, but we still hardly know anything about it.

The official Japanese website was recently updated with new details about the main characters and the story and world, and Gematsu translated these new details here.

Dragon Quest Treasures follows Erik and Mia, who are pulled into the world of Draconia where they begin searching for treasure. This world is inhabited by monsters, and they gain the ability to communicate with monsters thanks to something called the Dragon’s Dagger.

Erik and Mia are also joined by a cat spirit and a pig spirit, who partner with them. It goes on to say you can press a button to switch between Erik and Mia, who share the same level.

Putting that together with what we saw in the Nintendo Direct trailer, it sounds like you’ll control one human character directly while three monsters join you in your party. From the little bits of combat shown in the trailer, though, I’m not sure if that means there’s a meaningful difference between playing as Erik or Mia or if they’re functionally the same.

I’m most curious about what the gameplay loop is like, since it has such a focus on treasure-hunting. The story details revealed here don’t give much of an indication of what the overall goal is, either.

Now, Dragon Quest Treasures has been described by many people as being a successor to the Dragon Quest Monsters games, but back when Treasures was first announced, they said a new Dragon Quest Monsters game would be announced in the future. I’m looking forward to that.

I feel like I don’t have a solid grasp on what Dragon Quest Treasures is like yet, but it does look worth keeping an eye on. What do you think of Dragon Quest Treasures so far?

---
If you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, enter your email in the box below to subscribe!

 Older Entries