Dragon Quest VIII: Journey Of The Cursed King Preview
[Updated 1/23/17 – Four New Character Trailers]:
[Updated 1/20/17 – Launch Trailer]:
[Updated on 1/1/17 – Official Dragon Quest 8 Site Launched]:
With Dragon Quest VIII releasing on 3DS next Friday (January 20), Nintendo has finally opened its official site for the game. It’s filled with all of the information and media you need to get hyped! Check it out right here.
[Updated on 1/9/17 – Action, Adventure & Intrigue Trailer]:
[Updated on 12/13/16 – Features Trailer]:
[Updated On 12/12/16 – Introducing Morrie & Red Trailers]:
[Updated On 12/6/16 – GameStop Pre-Order Bonus]:
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is coming to the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on January 20, 2017. If you pre-order the physical copy of the game from GameStop in North America, you will also receive a free 3DS pouch adorned with Dragon Quest 8 imagery on both sides. It’s a nice little exclusive bonus that fans will no doubt have to own.
[Updated On 11/30/16 – Story Trailer]:
[Original Preview]:
Nintendo thrilled fans of Japanese RPGs last year when it announced that both Dragon Quest VII and VIII would make their way to the U.S. on the Nintendo 3DS. Both were originally scheduled to make it out this year, but I think Nintendo made the right choice in pushing part VIII back a bit to give VII a chance to breathe and to allow gamers adequate time to finish.
Today, we finally have a release date for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King! It will launch on January 20, 2017, a few months before the Nintendo Switch debuts in March. It will be a fantastic way to pass the time as it’s a lengthy game, clocking in around 60 hours for most people who have played through the title.
I’ve played a fair amount of the original game on the PlayStation 2, and I must say it’s one of the best Dragon Quest games that has come out. The presentation was impressive for its day, and it’s fantastic to see that the voice acting remains in the portable version as well. Although simply porting the game to the 3DS would have probably pleased many gamers, it’s nice to see that Square Enix has put some extra time enhancing the new version to be better compatible with an on-the-go lifestyle. The game now features a quick save function that will allow players to save and exit the game at any time. If you’re tired of slogging through battles you can activate the “Speed Up” feature, which will make combat quicker than ever before.
In addition, a new camera mode has been added that will allow players to capture screens of their quest as it unfolds. These can then be shared via StreetPass where special rewards can be obtained.
With the constant stream of quality RPGs on the 3DS, it has become quite the little system for diehard fans. It reminds me of the heyday of Super Nintendo and PlayStation when RPGs seemed to come out every month. I’m excited to pick this one up once again and try my hand at restoring peace to the kingdom.
With the new year comes new quests and great adventures, and 2017 will be no different when the DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King game comes to the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on Jan. 20. This handheld retelling of the classic RPG will be back and bigger than ever, with two new playable characters, more side quests and the ability to battle monsters on the go.
The story begins when a jester, Dhoulmagus, comes to Castle Trodain and steals the King’s sceptre. He then uses its power to turn his majesty into a troll, the Princess into a horse and the castle inhabitants into plants. The only one left unscathed from this attack is a castle guard who escaped the curse and must now step up to save the kingdom he’s sworn to protect. Only by traveling the lands, recruiting allies and following the trail of destruction that Dhoulmagus leaves in his wake will The Hero be able to retrieve the sceptre in order to restore Trodain back to its former glory.
As players dive into the rich story of DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, whether they’re visiting for the first time or coming back to relive the adventure all over again, they can enjoy full voice acting in all plot-important cutscenes, and new story content that will provide more back story about The Hero and the villainous Dhoulmagus. Further additions include additional quests to complete and dungeons to explore, and even a new alternative ending.
Returning heroes may also find that elements of DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King have been streamlined for this hand-held outing. The new Quick-Save function allows players to save and exit the game at any time. And for warriors in a hurry, battling foes is also much faster with the introduction of the “Speed Up” feature, allowing heroes to cut their way through each encounter with much greater haste.
Those who wish to capture mementos of their quest to restore peace to the land will now find it’s easier than ever before, as at any time outside of battles and cutscenes players can pause the action and take a photo of their adventure thus far. These photos can be customized in a variety of different ways, including allowing The Hero and his companions to perform special poses, adding stickers and filters, or putting a frame around the image to add a personal touch to their memory. Once the player meets Cameron Obscura in Port Prospect they’ll also be able to unlock Cameron’s Codex, where they’ll be rewarded for taking pictures of certain subjects, monsters and situations.
All of these images can be saved to the SD card and shared to other DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King owners via the StreetPass feature. Once these photos have been shared, other players can give them a thumbs up, and the more of these the image earns, the higher the chance of receiving a new item.
Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
For more information about DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, visit http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/dragon-quest-viii-journey-of-the-cursed-king-3ds.
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
