With franchises such asThe Legend of ZeldaandMetroidcelebrating their 35th anniversary this year, it’s easy to forget thatDragon Quest, one of the pioneers for the RPG genre, is also celebrating this milestone in 2021. To celebrate, Square Enix is hosting a live stream later this week where it is expected to reveal the newest entry in the series,Dragon Quest 12, along with some other surprises. Now it seems that series creator Yuji Horii is already teasing fans to expectDragon Quest 12news later this week.
Dragon Questfirst released in Japan on May 27th, 1986 for the Famicom. The game was one of the very first examples of a console RPG, inspired by PC games of the time such as Wizardry and Ultima. The turn-based combat system went on to inspire the entire RPG genre, and the series has gone on to become a cultural phenomenal in Japan, inspiring multiple anime and film adaptations. The mostrecent entry isDragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age, which first released in Japan in 2017 and has seen numerous re-releases as recently as last December.
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Last year, series creator Yuji Horii confirmed that the newest mainlineDragon Questgame is in development at Square Enix, and that there would be multiple announcements and reveals duringthe series' 35th anniversary year. Yesterday, Horii posted on Twitter that there would be many announcements during Thursday’s live stream, including news on “that game.” What Horii is likely referring to is the currently unannouncedDragon Quest 12.
As the series' creator and director of almost all mainline titles, Yuji Horii is known to be very hands-on with the development of mainlineDragon Questgames. The original releases ofDragon Quest 8andDragon Quest 11infamously did not release with any voice acting because Horii was tweaking the game’s scripts right up to their release. Yuji Horii is also known for writing the story for thebeloved classic Super Nintendo RPGChrono Trigger.
Dragon Quest 11was the first mainlineDragon Questentry to release on a console since the 2004 PlayStation 2 titleDragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King, not counting the 2012 Nintendo Wii MMORPGDragon Quest 10.Dragon Quest 12is expected to follow suit, as 11 has been released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. As the 35th anniversary live stream will air with an English language option, it is likely thatDragon Quest 12may receive a simultaneous worldwide release, afterDragon Quest 11took over a year to release in English.
Dragon Quest 12is currently in development.
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