Operation Backlog Completion 2026

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?

Final Fantasy IV: An Old Classic I Finally Played

 Reviews, Video games  4 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Apr 242023
 

As a big Final Fantasy fan, one of the most notable gaps in my Final Fantasy playing history was Final Fantasy IV.

Well, no longer! Last week, I finished playing Final Fantasy IV for the first time.

(Because of the pixel remasters coming to consoles, you might assume I played it there, but the timing was actually just a coincidence; I was playing Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection digitally on my Vita.)

Final Fantasy IV puts you in the shoes of Cecil, a dark knight who begins to question the sinister order the king has given him and becomes an enemy of the kingdom as a result. It has a good story premise and some pretty interesting plot points, although I felt the story suffered from its pacing.

This is a fast-paced RPG. I finished in under 30 hours, which is quick for me playing a Final Fantasy game. But a result of the fast pacing is that I rarely felt I’d gotten to know the characters. It could have really benefited from slowing the pace a bit to show more character interactions.

Click for Final Fantasy IV spoilers
Especially since this game absolutely adores party members sacrificing themselves for you. If I’d been more attached to them, those moments would have hit harder.

On the other hand, I have to keep the context in mind. Coming off of the earlier Final Fantasy games, I can easily see how this would have felt like a huge step forward in terms of storytelling.

I also had a lot of fun playing it. Final Fantasy IV’s combat is a relatively basic turn-based combat system, but each character has a fairly unique way to be utilized in combat. It was challenging without feeling overbearing. Exploration was also enjoyable; while there were only a handful of reasons to deviate from the story path, I appreciated that the dungeons had items and secrets areas without being mazes (aside from a couple).

Now, I did end up with unintentional stress during my playthrough when all of my save files abruptly vanished while I was playing. I’ve had concerns about my Vita memory card for quite a while, but this is the first time it did that. Fortunately, since I was in-game while it happened, I was able to save again.

I’m happy I played Final Fantasy IV. It’s not a new favorite for me, but it was an enjoyable game. Since I have the Complete Collection, I’ll eventually play The After Years, too.

From the mainline Final Fantasy series, I’ve now played Final Fantasy III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XIII, part of XIV, and XV. Since I tried I and II but couldn’t get into them, Final Fantasy XII stands out as the next notable gap, but with Final Fantasy XVI less than two months away, it’s safe to say that’s what my next Final Fantasy game will be.

Have you played Final Fantasy IV? If not, it’s readily available now thanks to the PSP collection, the DS remake, the PC port of the DS version, and the pixel remaster available on PC, mobile, PS4, and Switch.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed Comes Out Next Week?!

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Apr 192023
 

Just two weeks ago, we looked at the Xenoblade Chronicles soundtrack collection announcement and wondered if it could be a sign that the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 story DLC would be released before July 29.

Well, there’s no need to wonder any longer, nor to wait for a Nintendo Direct where they might announce news. Nintendo announced the release date last night.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed, which is a story expansion and the final part of the Expansion Pass, will be out on April 25.

That’s right. Next week.

I haven’t watched the trailer because I still need to avoid spoilers. I did return to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 since we last discussed it, after I finished Fire Emblem, but I’m still nowhere near the end. My hope that I’d finish the game in time for the DLC no longer feels reasonable.

(In other release date news, Jack Jeanne will be out on June 15. The second half of June is looking intense for my backlog.)

I never expected the DLC to be out this soon, but it certainly is exciting. Now I just need to avoid spoilers until I’m ready to play. Will you be playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed next week?

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