Dragon Quest X has been re-announced as an online MMO exclusively for Wii and Wii U! This was announced on Labor Day weekend by developer Square Enix in Japan ahead of the Tokyo Game Show 2011 which takes place next week.
This game marks the first online entry in the series and the first core-Dragon Quest game to head into Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game territory, it’s important to note that, much like Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV, both of which were online games released by Square Enix; Dragon Quest X maintains the core series numbering and thus is NOT a spin-off, but the next major entry in the longest-running console RPG series.
The full Japanese name of the game is “Dragon Quest X: Awakening of the Five Tribes Online”, the game hasn’t been announced for release outside of Japan, so it may get a different title when it comes Stateside and to the West. Which it assuredly will (these days, all Dragon Quest games and most major RPGs are released in the West, the latest being the spin-off series sequel Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 for 3DS, which releases on September 16, 2011). A payment model wasn’t announced for the game although both FFXI and FFXIV by Square Enix require a monthly fee. However since the Wii features online connectivity without a subscription, there is the possibility that Dragon Quest X may be a free-to-play MMO.
Amazingly, Dragon Quest X is being developed simultaneously on both the current-generation Wii and the next-generation Wii U. The Wii version will be released next year in 2012, with the Wii U version undated at this time.
Additionally, players will be able to transfer their data from the Wii or Wii U to the Nintendo 3DS and share their game details (called “Tag Mode”) with other players via StreetPass! This marks the first Wii U game to feature 3DS connectivity.
The game’s setting takes place in the world of Astortia, where the current season in the game will reflect the real-world season, with holidays being celebrated such as Christmas, Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Naturally, you’ll be able to create your own character and the game will feature five races with five continents to explore. The game also features a job system, with additional downloadable content jobs being released as post-launch DLC.
If another player falls during battle and you are allies with them, you will be able to help them out. One interesting aspect of the game however is the fact that you can actually play through an offline Story Mode using the same Non-Player Characters as the online portion, just without the other players inhabiting the world. This will allow those non-Internet-connected Wii owners to complete the game even though they don’t have a net connection.
Fans will remember that Dragon Quest X was originally announced as a Wii title at the end of 2008, although Square Enix had been pretty mum on the game until now. It was previously to be developed by Professor Layton and White Knight Chronicles developer Level-5, but it has been revealed that Level-5 is no longer working on the game and Dragon Quest X is now being developed internally at Square Enix. Previously Level-5 was the developer behind Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for PS2 and the DS sequel Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.
Producing the title is Nier producer Yosuke Saito with computer-generated movie scenes being handled by Visual Works, the same company who provided the incredible cutscene visuals for Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the upcoming Tomb Raider 2012.
Here is the first in-game footage for Dragon Quest X!
What do you think about Square Enix jumping on the MMO console bandwagon with this Wii/Wii-U-exclusive?