Dragon Warriors

Just when you think you’re cynical enough to expect no surprises from a gaming-related conference these days, especially one focused on Japan, all you need is one unexpected announcement to throw your entire worldview off balance. For Sony’s Pre-Tokyo Game Show Conference, that title was Dragon Quest Heroes.

Over the years, Square Enix has explored a number of genres for Dragon Quest spin-offs. The Rocket Slime, Monsters, and Mysterious Dungeon titles can’t be put in the same category as the mainline titles, despite somewhat fitting in the same genre. It’s why no one expected a “Warriors” game, titles that traditionally favor hacking and slashing, to be their next venture — developed by Omega Force, no less.

Okay, so it’s not entirely a “Warriors” game, according to producer Ryutaro Ichimura. They could have fooled me based on the first trailer, showing action bearing a strong resemblance to one in its spectrum — especially to the recently released Hyrule Warriors on Wii U, if that wasn’t curious enough. Both are based on properties whose traditional titles contain RPG elements, so that’s probably no coincidence.

While Ichimura was mainly playing the part of a marketer, there may be some truth in his retort. Though battles with regular enemies occur like a typical Warriors game, an article from Famitsu this week explained that Omega Force is using their experience from the medieval Japan-themed Monster Hunter-alike Toukiden for Heroes’ boss battles. Bosses in your average Warriors game happen with normal humans on the player’s level, sometimes with higher defense and attack skills; but they could be something special here.

The main playable characters shown in the trailer are brand new, the work of franchise character designer Akira Toriyama. It takes place in the kingdom of Elsarse, a peaceful country that began faltering once the hearts of monsters became corrupted. Guardians Akuto and Meer have been tasked with fighting the monsters and restoring peace, but they’ll be accompanied by other original characters who have yet to be identified.

It wouldn’t be a Warriors game (which it is, despite Ichimura’s claims) if there weren’t legacy characters from previous titles. Terry from Dragon Quest VI, and Maya, Kyril, and Alena from Dragon Quest IV, can also be seen near the end of the trailer. It’s difficult not to notice how Alena’s outfit is a little skimpier than it was in DQIV, despite being 16 years old. It’s a nice representation of how standards and practices have changed in Japan during the last decade though DQ is admittedly no stranger to fanservice. If they’re revealing this many characters up front, Heroes could have a far bigger cast than Omega Force’s other non-Dynasty and Samurai Warriors titles.

The story scenario was Koei Tecmo’s idea, but DQ franchise creator and director Yuji Horii also contributed. The soundtrack will feature orchestral remixes from previous DQ games, composed by Koichi Sugiyama. The buttrock from your average Warriors game could still pop up, but it won’t be prevalent.

Anyone would be kidding themselves if they concluded the idea behind this spin-off was the most surprising part. It really came out of left field for everyone because it will be the first DQ game to release on a non-Nintendo dedicated gaming platform in nine years, by the time it releases in spring 2015. It’s coming to Playstation 3 and Playstation 4, marking the franchise’s return to Playstation since leaving with Dragon Quest: Shonen Yangus on Playstation 2.

This isn’t the case of the franchise switching sides, though. When Dragon Quest X producer Yuu Miyake discussed the need to take DQ multiplatform in the future, he wasn’t merely referring to that game, but where the franchise is going. The company feels they’ve reached the point where they can no longer leave mainline installments exclusive to one platform. Horii also mentioned in Famitsu this week that Heroes and Dragon Quest XI are being developed in tandem, and expressed his desire for the audience to play the former to build excitement for the latter. This game won’t play anything like a typical DQ game, meaning he might be implying something.

The guessing game concerning where DQXI will go has been ongoing for a while, but it only intensified with these comments. Since Horii has denied that mobile will be the destined platform, most figured 3DS was the target. But comments from Horii and Miyake have thrown that prediction into disarray, and it would be surprising if it was only on one platform. Some still believe it will release on 3DS, but Horii could have hinted at a PS3/PS4 release, similar to Heroes.

It’s also possible that it could release on all of them. If the original 3DS isn’t powerful enough to handle it, no one would (or should) be surprised to see them take the New 3DS-exclusive route. PS4 and (New) 3DS would be a bizarre combination, but it’s not too unlikely. Something tells me Horii is getting a kick out of playing mind games with the fanbase.

Of course, this will all be pointless if Heroes and XI don’t leave Japan, and they damn well should. Heroes stands a better chance of being localized than any of the 3DS DQ games, considering it’s on two platforms performing better than Nintendo’s handheld in western markets. It’s also in a slightly more attractive genre to westerners than the Rocket Slime and Monsters games, and has far less text than Dragon Quest VII. Nevertheless, a localization is no guarantee, even with Square Enix actively releasing DQ games on mobile phones in English– the most recent being Dragon Quest I. Anyone who wants to see Heroes or XI (or both) should keep their fingers crossed.