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Square Enix officially announced the next mainline Dragon Quest game during the series’ 35th anniversary livestream event. The title is called Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, and it looks to have a darker tone than previous entries in the long-running RPG franchise.
Square Enix didn’t showcase any gameplay footage of Dragon Quest XII, but it did share the game’s logo, which you can check out below. No release date or platforms were confirmed, but according to series creator Yuji Horii, the company is aiming for a worldwide release with the game.
Horii teased that the theme of Dragon Quest XII is having options and choosing your own way how to play, which seems to suggest the game will be more open-ended than previous installments. Horii also teased that there are decisions made by the character that might change the whole game.
While there wasn’t much in the way of concrete details, Horii did confirm that Square Enix will be shaking up some core elements of the series with Dragon Quest XII. In particular, the developers are going to change the long-standing command battle system. Horii didn’t share any more specifics beyond that, but he did tease that commands won’t be removed entirely. You can watch the teaser trailer for Dragon Quest XII below.
Horii first spoke about Dragon Quest XII back in January 2020. At the time, however, he didn’t share any details about the game, only confirming that it was “still a ways away” from release. “Happy new year. There’s a lot more that I couldn’t say in the message below, but as for Dragon Quest XII it is still a ways away. However, there might be something we can announce before that. Please continue supporting us this year, too,” Horii wrote on Twitter (as translated by Siliconera).
Before this, the last mainline Dragon Quest game was Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, which originally released in the West for PS4 and PC in 2018. A Nintendo Switch port titled Dragon Quest XI S arrived the following year with additional content, including the 2D mode from the unlocalized 3DS version. That edition of the game was subsequently ported back to PS4 and PC, as well as Xbox One, in 2020.
Square Enix announced a handful of other new Dragon Quest games during the 35th anniversary stream, including an HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest III. That title will likewise receive a worldwide release. We also got a look at a new spin-off called Dragon Quest Treasures, which follows a young Erik and Mia from Dragon Quest XI on a treasure-hunting adventure. Finally, Square Enix announced a new Dragon Quest X expansion as well as a chibi-style offline version of Dragon Quest X. The former will remain Japan-exclusive, but it’s currently unclear if the latter will receive a Western release.
