The wait for Dragon Quest 12 continues, with fans excited and worried about the franchise’s new direction. Square Enix wants to make this installment more “mature,” feeling that previous titles might be too childish for older gamers.
No one knows what this installment is going to be like, as news for the entry has been pretty slow on the publisher’s part. However, we do hope that this series doesn’t follow the same trend that Square Enix might have started with Final Fantasy 16.
While it’s not a bad game at all, there is something about the 16th entry that tries to be this franchise’s “grown-up” entry. It’s rated M for mature, has sex in it, and features a story that combines Game of Thrones with Attack on Titan. For better or worse, this is a game meant for older audiences, which has its fans and detractors.
Admittedly, we wouldn’t call this game “edgy.” Regardless of how fans feel about the story of Final Fantasy 16, the tone is consistent and most of the story’s moments feel earned. This isn’t Stranger of Paradise, that has a story so edgy and bad that it actually goes back to being amazing.
Despite the sixteenth game having plenty of fans, we feel that Dragon Quest 12 going for that tone would be pretty disappointing. Trying to be more mature with this franchise is a fine move, but these games were built on being fun fairy tales with Akira Toriyama’s art style. We have a hard time imagining more “mature” versions of the slimes and dragons in these games since that robs the series of its personality.
It’s not yet known how far into development this RPG is, though it was said that the game would honor the late Akira Toriyama. Hopefully, they don’t change the art style too much, or the battle system.
Square Enix has a thing for action RPG combat, which isn’t inherently a bad thing. Fans can say whatever they want about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Visions of Mana, or Valkyrie Elysium (remember that?) but these are pretty competent games with fun battle systems. The Dragon Quest series has had some action RPGs, but never a full-blown entry.
Admittedly, we understand why Dragon Quest 12 would want to be different from the eleventh game. To many, Dragon Quest 11 was the ultimate Dragon Quest game, giving fans one of the best turn-based RPGs ever released. With a huge world, monsters filled with character, and an ever-changing story, there was so much to enjoy with DQ 11.
Doing something different with the franchise is only natural, given how good the last game was. If you can’t reinvent a beloved formula, you have to try something else. Let’s just hope all this talk about maturity and changing the battle system doesn’t make it too adult. Dragon Quest 12 does not have to be like Final Fantasy 16.