Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King arrives January 21st

Nintendo Australia has announced that Dragon Quest VIII Journey of the Cursed King will arrive in Australia on January 21st early next year. Dragon Quest VIII was first released on the PlayStation 2 back in 2004 and makes it way to the 3DS not only intact but with improvements like an orchestral soundtrack. The game has also been changed with churches no longer needed to save the game, you can quick save and quit any time.

There’s also a StreetPass photo sharing feature, when your photo is shared it gets a thumbs up and the more these thumbs up the image gets – the more chance you get of getting a new item.

The story begins when a jester, Dhoulmagus, comes to Castle Trodain and steals the King’s sceptre. He then uses its power to turn his majesty into a troll, the Princess into a horse, and the castle inhabitants into plants. The only one left unscathed from this attack is a castle guard who escaped the curse and must now step up to save the kingdom he’s sworn to protect. Only by travelling the lands, recruiting allies, and following the trail of destruction that Dhoulmagus leaves in his wake will The Hero be able to retrieve the sceptre in order to restore Trodain back to its former glory.

As players dive into the rich story of DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, whether they’re visiting for the first time or coming back to relive the adventure all over again, they can enjoy full voice-acting in all plot-important cut-scenes, and new story content that will provide more back-story about The Hero and the villainous Dhoulmagus. Further additions include additional quests to complete and dungeons to explore, and even a new alternative ending.

Returning heroes may also find that elements of DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King have been streamlined for this handheld outing. Adventurers in a hurry no longer need to rush to a Church to save thanks to the new Quick-Save function, allowing them to save and exit the game at any time. And for warriors in a hurry, battling foes is also much faster with the introduction of the ‘Speed Up’ feature, allowing heroes to cut their way through each encounter with much greater haste.

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