Dragon Quest XII Resurfaces as Beyond the Dream With Restarted Development
The subtitle change and development restart signal that Square Enix is reworking the game's direction after years of silence, rather than simply polishing the original plan.
Reporting from 5 sources: 4Gamer.net, ASCII.jp, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark, and 1 more.
Square Enix released the first new footage of Dragon Quest XII in years during a May 27 broadcast, revealing that the game has been restructured and retitled. Originally announced in 2021 as Dragon Quest XII: The Flame of Chosen Destiny, the subtitle has changed to Beyond the Dream. The development structure has been completely revamped, according to the company. The brief in-development footage showed a protagonist who can see mysterious dreams, a red-haired woman accompanied by a robot-like character, and a swordsman with dragon-like features. The environments included grasslands, beaches, deserts, and towns. Executive producer Yosuke Saito stated that the release is still a while off. The game will continue to use character designs by the late Akira Toriyama and music by the late Koichi Sugiyama, the three founders of the series. Yuji Horii, the series creator, appeared in the broadcast and described the world as bright and exciting rather than dark. The platform and release date remain undecided.
The broadcast, titled "Announcement from Dragon Quest," aired on May 27 at 10 p.m. Japan time. It was the first substantial update on the project since its initial reveal on Dragon Quest Day in 2021. ASCII.jp reported that the original plan for "The Flame of Chosen Destiny" faced "various challenges" and that development was difficult, leading Square Enix to "thoroughly consider what the series numbering should be" before deciding to restart.
Yuji Horii, the series creator, appeared in the broadcast and described the world as "not dark but bright and exciting," according to ASCII.jp. Executive producer Yosuke Saito stated that the release is "still a while off," as noted by Game Spark and Inside. The in-development footage showed a red-haired female character accompanied by a robot-like figure, who was seen riding a motorcycle and wearing an engineer-like outfit. Game Spark and Inside both highlighted this character as a potential heroine.
The environments shown included grasslands, sandy beaches, deserts, wastelands, and towns. A swordsman with dragon-like horns and skin color also appeared briefly. The game will continue to use character designs by the late Akira Toriyama and music by the late Koichi Sugiyama, the three founders of the series. The platform and release date remain undecided.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 5 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net 「ドラゴンクエストXII」の最新映像公開。開発は体制を変更してリスタートし，サブタイトルも「夢の彼方へ」に
- ASCII.jp 「ドラゴンクエストXII 夢の彼⽅へ」ついに発表 開発体制を変更してリスタート
- Denfaminicogamer 新作『ドラゴンクエストXII 夢の彼方へ』発表！！広大なフィールドを駆け巡る最新映像が公開
- Game Spark 『ドラクエXII 夢の彼方へ』ヒロイン？らしき女の子が可愛い！開発中映像が公開
- Inside 『ドラクエXII 夢の彼方へ』ヒロイン？らしき女の子が可愛い！開発中映像が公開