The First Look At Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams
Latest entry in the long-running RPG series surfaces with a new vision
"ColonelFancy" Mike Lind
5/27/20262 min read
Dragon Quest XII completely changes its original vision for a new direction
"Flames of Fate" scrapped for refreshed subtitle "Beyond Dreams"
Dragon Quest celebrates its 40th anniversary
The Dragon Quest team has finally given the first look at Dragon Quest XII. Originally announced as Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate in 2021 during the 35th anniversary of the franchise (strange to think that was five years ago...), perhaps a part of the long radio silence seems to be that project has apparently been completely scrapped and restarted from the ground up. Now titled Beyond Dreams, the logo looks more in theme with previous DQ games, and may be a sharp contrast from the previously perceived darker story, according to game director and series creator Yuji Horii.
"What lies beyond dreams?", Horii rhetorically asks during the 10 minute update. "Surely not a world of darkness, but a bright and exciting future. The game has go0ne in a different direction to the one we originally announced, but I think you're going to love it."
Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate was initially going to be a more mature and adult-oriented narrative, with a stronger focus on player choice and agency. As Executive Producer Yosuke Saito notes, Flames of Fate "hit a lot of hurdles along the way", citing shifts to the development team. Reports indicated that the team had tinkered with the idea of dropping the turn-based battle system altogether. According to Horii, fans can rest assured that turn-based will remain a staple of the combat. As a result of starting over, it will be a longer wait for Beyond Dreams will be ready.
While Dragon Quest XII: Beyond dream will be a ways' away, there are some other projects from the franchise along the pipeline. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World will be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Windows. It follows the adventures of Bianca and Nera from Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Blade. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age S launches on the Nintendo Switch 2 as the definitive experience of DQXII. That is slated to be available September 24th.
While there's nothing wrong with the idea of a mature rated RPG. There are numerous examples of role-playing games that carry darker themes. Expedition 33 has a very heavy narrative, same with Final Fantasy XVI. Not to mention the Yakuza series experimenting with turn-based gameplay while also handling a story with grittier edges. The Dragon Quest series flirting with that feels quite out of the spirit of the series. It isn't like the Dragon Quest games aren't without their darker moments. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was a particularly serious plot involving a ruined kingdom and very visceral blood feud between the half brothers Angelo and Marcello. The aforementioned Dragon Quest XI featured a rather abrupt and heavy shift in tone that leads to cataclysmic consequences.
That much being said, Dragon Quest can certainly handle heavier tones. But if Yuji Horii and the staff felt the bold direction of Flames of Fate was not worth venturing, I trust them on that principle.