Square Enix and Koei Tecmo have announced yet another mobile spin-off game based on the iconic and hugely popular Dragon quest series. Dragon Quest champions is the name, and it appears to be a multiplayer title centered around the very traditional turn-based combat of the RPG franchise – which has only had a very gradual evolution since it first debuted in 1986.
According to the official website of Dragon Quest champions (as translated by Gematsu), the game revolves around a Battle Royale-esque Tournament Mode, in which 50 players roam a map in real-time, scavenge for items, fight familiar Dragon Quest monsters to improve their skills, and then battle other players in turn-based based battles until they are the last party standing.
Square Enix announced the game in a livestream presentation. We’ve bookmarked the video so you can see the game in action:
While the mix of real-time roaming, traditional turn-based RPG combat, and competitive multiplayer seems strange, the visuals do give an idea of how it could work.
Players can see each other running around the map and can jump into battle with an opening attack, which takes both opponents to a separate, turn-based battle screen. It seems like each player can have three different characters in their brawl.
There doesn’t seem to be an urgent time limit when it comes to selecting your commands (whether to attack, run, or use a special ability or item), but since other players can still see you on the free-roam map , and being able to see that you are in the middle of a fight, they can step in halfway to disrupt things. Taking too long to dispatch or run away from an enemy increases the risk of another player joining the fray, and you’ll have even more combatants to deal with.
Read: Final Fantasy battle royale, The First Soldier, will end in January 2023
Square Enix says so Dragon Quest champions will also have “a lot of solo gameplay elements” such as a story mode and “missions of all kinds”, though we assume that will likely be Fortnitestyle challenges.
Dragon Quest champions is developed by Koei Tecmo and published by Square Enix. Takuma Shiraishi (Dragon Quest X Online, Dragon Quest Builders 2) serves as the game’s producer, while Tomohiko Sho (Dragon Quest Heroes, Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate) is the director of the game.
Champions has no set release date and it is not yet known if the game will come to Western markets. A closed beta test for the Japanese market is starting February 6-13, 2023, and is limited to 10,000 applicants on iOS and 10,000 on Android. Those who qualify can apply to the Dragon Quest champions website.