Dragon Quest X. While we already knew it was supposed to come out on Wii, but much like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, DQX is also going to get a port to Nintendo’s more powerful upcoming hardware. But the bigger news is that DQX will support online play.
Developer Details:
- Square Enix is working on this title in-house, unlike recent Dragon Quest games, which have been farmed out to other developers.
- Character Designer: Akira Toriyama (Dragon Quest series artist, Dragon Ball creator)
- Composer: Koichi Sugiyama (Dragon Quest series composer)
- Director: Jin Fujisawa (credits: Dragon Quest IX, Dragon Quest VIII)
- Producer: Yosuke Saito (square Enix Executive producer, credits: Nier)
Game Play
Battle System: The gameplay and graphics look a lot like Dragon Quest VIII (which isn’t great news since that game, while it still looks great by today’s standards, also came out seven years ago). But the battle system seems to follow from the tried-and true DQ formula: simple menu commands. To make it work online, this time you’ll make a battle decision, and then wait a few moments before you can take another turn.
Crafting: Two announced crafting abilities include Alchemy (to power up weapons and armor) and Sewing (to create equipment).
Monthly Fees: Maybe. It’s looks like the game may require a fee in Japan, but much like Monster Hunter Tri, there’s a strong chance this would be waived in North America.
Controller: Wii Remote and Nunchuck, Classic Controller, USB keyboard compatible
Classes: Human, Ogre, Elf, Dwarf, Pukiripo, and Wedi
Wii U Version
The Wii U is backwards compatible with all Wii games, but Andriasang reports that “DQX will have a separate Wii U version with updated visuals. The two versions will be cross platform compatible, so players on either version will exist in the same world.”
3DS Connectivity: Possible. The game may allow you to download your character to your 3DS for Spot Pass exchanges, letting people you meet in the real world come over to your console game.
Release Date:
According to the official site, the release date is set for 2012 on Wii (in Japan), TBA for Wii U. Given the often delayed development cycle in bringing these games to the US, there’s a strong chance the game may see a simultaneous Wii/Wii U release in the States.
While the game is being billed as an online game, rather than an MMO, it doesn’t look like you’ll be forced to play with other people if you don’t want to. You can play solo if you’d like, with computer-controlled allies to assist you, but you still might need to be connected to the internet. According to Andriasang: “It’s possible to play offline for the first few hours after the start of the game. However, to play all elements of the game, an internet connection is required.”
