Operation Backlog Completion 2025

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?

Dragon Quest XII Could Influence the Next 10-20 Years of Dragon Quest

 Video games  4 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Jul 192021
 

Dragon Quest XII remains a mystery in many ways, as we still don’t know much about the game itself.

We know from the announcement that there will be some changes to the combat system and possibly a darker tone, and that the story is already complete.

And now we know that those changes, whatever they turn out to be, might be around for a long time.

According to a new interview with Square Enix’s CEO Yosuke Matsuda, translated here by Gematsu, Dragon Quest XII’s development is “taking into account the next 10 to 20 years of the Dragon Quest series.”

He went on to say that, “There are parts that remain consistent with the traditional image of Dragon Quest, but new elements are also necessary. After all, as a brand we always need to innovate.”

Of course, some people are interpreting “new elements” to mean that the series is going to feature action combat from now on, but we still haven’t gotten any clear information about how the combat system is changing. There’s no reason to assume it will be something extreme.

It does sound like they’re planning a notable shift for the series in general, though, or it wouldn’t be necessary to mention that they’re thinking ahead to the next 10-20 years. Here’s hoping it will be a good move, not a disappointment!

How do you feel about the fact that Dragon Quest XII might set the tone for the next decade of Dragon Quest and beyond? What do you think the changes will be like?

Dragon Quest XII Story is Complete, Same Director as XI

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 282021
 

Dragon Quest XII has been a minefield of overreactions and misinterpretations ever since it was announced the other night, but we have a handful of new concrete details to look at!

On a recruitment page for Dragon Quest XII, Yuji Horii states that the story is complete and just needs to be implemented.

However, since Dragon Quest XII is a big game, it will still take time before it’s finished.

The page also includes a message from the game’s director, Takeshi Uchikawa. He was the director of Dragon Quest XI, so if you enjoyed XI, it should be reassuring to know that XII is in good hands.

Meanwhile, both my use of Google Translate to read the page and the translation here from Twisted Voxel show that Horii once again said the command battles will be “renewed” but that they won’t reveal how just yet.

This really doesn’t sound to me like it’s going to be an action game. “Renew” isn’t the word I would use if I was taking out turn-based combat to replace it with something else. There are sites out there reporting that Horii said during the live stream that it’s “not turn-based,” but I don’t know where they’re getting that translation from.

It’s also been revealed that Dragon Quest XII will use Unreal Engine 5.

So while we don’t know much at all about Dragon Quest XII, at least we have a few more details. I find it especially interesting that the story is already complete. Maybe that means they’ll reveal some story details soon and give a better indication of what the tone will be like.

How are you feeling about Dragon Quest XII so far, and when do you think we’ll learn more?

 Older Entries