It’s a Great Time to Be a Dragon Quest Fan

Despite the series’ longtime popularity outside Japan, there hasn’t been a better time to be a western Dragon Quest fan.

It still feels like a miracle that Dragon Quest VII for 3DS made its way westward, after it stayed in Japan for over three years. Those playing it (not me — yeah, I know) have explained how it’s a serious improvement over the original PSOne title, and makes for one of the best RPGs on the system. While some early possible sales data isn’t encouraging, hopefully it sold well enough that Nintendo and Square Enix are satisfied with the results. It’s an incredibly long and text-heavy game, which was the biggest hindrance to its localization, so it would be nice if they could see a good return on their investment.

Meanwhile, Dragon Quest Builders also released on PlayStation 4 and Vita (though only on PlayStation Network for the latter). This one’s the Minecraft-esque title that tasks players with rebuilding a destroyed Alefgard, and takes place after the bad ending of Dragon Quest I. This game also received good reviews from both critics and gamers who picked it up, but it’s too early to tell how it sold. The fact that it didn’t inherit the popular multiplayer features from its inspiration didn’t help, though that doesn’t rule out the large number of players who play Minecraft solo for its intriguing gameplay. There’s also a demo, where I discovered that I enjoyed this type of story-driven presentation more than Minecraft’s comparatively aimless one. Feel free to try it out, if you’re interested.

Both aforementioned titles are enough to last fans for a good while, but in their desire to further spread the wealth, Nintendo will be releasing Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for 3DS in the west soon. It will arrive in both America and Europe on January 20th.

As the name implies, this is an enhanced port of the original PS2 version, with new features that improve its accessibility and longevity. Battles are no longer random, as enemies run into the protagonist on the field and in dungeons, and vice versa. There are also options to speed up battles, as the slowness of them was a frequent complaint with the original. New playable characters Morrie and Red help make this version worth it for those who’ve already finished it, alongside new sidequests, new dungeons, and an alternate ending. That you’ll also have it on a handheld is nice, complete with performance that’s actually acceptable, unlike the mobile version.

Unfortunately, there’s a good chance this version will inherit the same issue the western version of DQVII contained: the removal of the orchestral soundtrack. The Japanese version contains new mixes of the orchestral tunes from the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. But if the western trailer released is accurate, this will be replaced by a mostly-faithful MIDI soundtrack for the west. Neither Square Enix nor Nintendo have provided explanations as to why this had to happen, but the best assumption is that it’s due to licensing issues, likely with composer Koichi Sugiyama. It should still sound good, but it will be tough going from the PS2 version’s orchestral soundtrack (which we did receive) to this.

It doesn’t appear that DQVII for 3DS has done well sales-wise, but I’m a little more optimistic about DQVIII’s sales potential thanks to its reputation. It was the first DQ game in a good while to make western RPG fans take notice when it came out for PS2 in 2005/2006, and there hasn’t been a title that’s matched its presentation since. Not to undermine the success of Dragon Quest IX, but that title took different approach to its gameplay, and wasn’t as character-driven. Besides, most of DQVIII has already been localized, so it could make for an easy profit.

A good reason why I’m hoping both parties involved are satisfied with their sales, because I’d like for both versions of Dragon Quest XI make their way over. The presentation will be enough for Square Enix to bring the PlayStation 4 version, which could be the version that hits Nintendo Switch, since it will have Unreal Engine 4 support. But I’m nowhere near as certain about the 3DS version, especially if that version isn’t ported to another platform. What also makes me less certain is the state 3DS software will be in, potentially, late 2017 or early 2018, as I can’t imagine it will have much remaining support then — especially for a text-heavy RPG. Here’s hoping I’m being a little pessimistic here, but it’s also a realistic scenario to consider.

First, though, we should concern ourselves with DQXI’s Japanese release. Square Enix and creator Yuji Horii previously stated it would release during the anniversary period between May 2016 and May 2017, but given how long it’s been since we’ve seen it, I’m losing faith that it will make that period. Perhaps they can prove me wrong with its next showcase, which will come in the form of an Anniversary special that will air on December 30th on Japan’s NHK TV. They should show at least a portion of it here.

After that, we can fully concern ourselves with whether we’ll play it in English, and continue this good DQ period.