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Dragon Quest XII Targets an “Adult” Audience

Dragon Quest XII

To close out the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary livestream today, Square Enix announced a new mainline entry in the long-running RPG series, Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate.

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The game was revealed by a brief cinematic (embedded below) showing the logo being being carved out of barren earth. A menacing voice then said the tagline, which, according to the stream’s translator, is “What is the purpose of life?”

Through the translator, Designer Yuji Horii explained that the tagline refers to the both the gameplay and the narrative. “It’s about having options,” he said. “You have to choose your own way of how to play.” He said that the player’s decision can have ramifications on the whole game.

The development team also seems to be taking some risks, with changes coming to the familiar command battle system. However, Horii seemed to imply that the changes to that system remain in the prototyping stage.

Perhaps most surprising is that the game will have a darker tone than previous entries. Horii said, “It’s a more darker impression. It’s like Dragon Quest for adults.”

Dragon Quest XII is currently without a release window or target platforms.

During the stream, the company also announced five other new games, a HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest III; a new spin-off called Dragon Quest Treasures; a free-to-play, puzzle-based mobile spin-off called Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi; the next season of Dragon Quest X; and Dragon Quest X Offline. The last three will be available only in Japan.

About the author

Damien Lawardorn
Editor and Contributor of The Escapist: Damien Lawardorn has been writing about video games since 2010, including a 1.5 year period as Editor-in-Chief of Only Single Player. He’s also an emerging fiction writer, with a Bachelor of Arts with Media & Writing and English majors. His coverage ranges from news to feature interviews to analysis of video games, literature, and sometimes wider industry trends and other media. His particular interest lies in narrative, so it should come as little surprise that his favorite genres include adventures and RPGs, though he’ll readily dabble in anything that sounds interesting.
Damien Lawardorn
Editor and Contributor of The Escapist: Damien Lawardorn has been writing about video games since 2010, including a 1.5 year period as Editor-in-Chief of Only Single Player. He’s also an emerging fiction writer, with a Bachelor of Arts with Media & Writing and English majors. His coverage ranges from news to feature interviews to analysis of video games, literature, and sometimes wider industry trends and other media. His particular interest lies in narrative, so it should come as little surprise that his favorite genres include adventures and RPGs, though he’ll readily dabble in anything that sounds interesting.

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