Square Enix announces new Dragon Quest games that may or may not come to Switch
Square Enix just announced 5 new Dragon Quest games — and a big update to another — as part of their Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary stream. The only problem is, we don’t know if most of them are coming to Switch, or if some of them are even coming to the West.
There’s a good chance that at least some of the titles in the presentation will make it to the Switch, and a few of them have been confirmed to be coming West too, so we’ve broken it down into helpful categories. Hopefully we’ll learn more about these games, including their release dates, platforms, and availability, in the coming months. Keep in mind, these are educated guesses, so don’t get out the pitchforks if we’re a little bit wrong.
Releasing worldwide, but not on Switch
Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi!
The first game shown off in the presentation today, Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi! is a mobile-only puzzle game. No gameplay was shown in the game’s trailer, but it looks to be some sort of variant of a Match 3-style game. It’s slated for release in Japan by the end of 2021 on iOS and Android, with a worldwide release coming later.
Japan only, already on Switch
Dragon Quest X – Version 6
The very long-running Dragon Quest MMO, Dragon Quest X, is getting a huge update in Spring (Southern Hemisphere). The good news is that this one is already on Switch — and just about every other platform you could possibly name too. The bad news is that, according to the presentation, there are no plans to bring the MMO to players outside of Japan, which is a bit of a bummer. However…
Maybe worldwide? But probably on Switch
Dragon Quest X: Offline
A single-player, offline version of Dragon Quest X, DQX: Offline brings an all new art style to the game, while maintaining all the story beats of its online predecessor. Unfortunately, no platforms were announced yet, but given the game’s art style, I think it’s probably safe to assume it’ll make its way to Nintendo’s flagship hybrid at some point. This also hasn’t been confirmed for a worldwide release, but unlike the online version of Dragon Quest X, the stream didn’t explicitly say it wasn’t coming westward. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Worldwide confirmed, probably on Switch
Dragon Quest Treasures
Dragon Quest Treasures is a new type of RPG spinoff for the Dragon Quest series, and features everyone’s favourite husband rogue Erik and his little sister Mia in their childhood as they explore an exciting new world on a quest for treasure. It’s been confirmed to be getting a worldwide release, and although platforms have yet to be listed, as with above it’s a pretty safe bet that it’ll hit the Switch.
Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake
Dragon Quest III, a fan favourite in the series, is finally getting a remake… with a little bit of a twist. It’ll be using the HD-2D art style previously seen in the very-well-received Octopath Traveler, an art style that seems absolutely perfect for remaking old pixel-art titles like this. Platforms haven’t been announced beyond “home video game consoles”, but come on, Octopath and the upcoming Triangle Strategy have both hit the Switch — this is most likely coming too. It’s set for a worldwide release, and the studio behind it is aiming for a simultaneous release in all regions. Either way, it looks dope.
Worldwide confirmed, but who the heck knows about platforms
Dragon Quest XII
Yup, this is the big one — Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate. It’s getting a simultaneous worldwide release at some point in the future… and that’s about all we know. The trailer in the presentation was a very very light teaser, akin to the Metroid Prime 4 teaser all those years ago, simply showing off the name of the game and little else. It may come to Switch, and it may not, there’s really no way of knowing when we have such little information about it. One thing we do know is that it’ll be shaking up the battle system a bit, in ways that have not yet been revealed.
