The future of the Dragon Quest series has been unveiled by Square Enix and Nintendo at a special media event in Japan that just ended. The two titans of the Japanese gaming scene have taken the wraps off of Dragon Quest X while also talking about the Dragon Quest Collection, a compilation of the first three games in the series (and their Super NES remakes), which will be released for the Wii in Japan on September 15. An American release is unlikely, but we can hope.
Dragon Quest X is being described as an “online RPG” similar to Dragon Quest IX. Players will be able to team up for multiplayer adventuring, but a strong single-player game will also be included. The game is being developed internally at Square Enix with Producer duties falling to Yosuke Saito (Drakengard, Nier).
Even with the “online” tag, the game looks to be a traditional entry in the Dragon Quest series with job classes, Slimes and turn-based battles. It also has a cel-shaded look that is very reminiscent of Dragon Quest VIII.
Best of all, Dragon Quest X will be available for the Wii and the Wii U. Yes, you read that right. The Wii U version will include enhanced graphics and cross-console play with the Wii version. The Wii version is currently scheduled for a 2012 release in Japan while the Wii U version is “TBA.” Hopefully they make it to America as well.
