The long-running Dragon Quest series is a phenomenon in Japan, but hasn’t quite gotten its due in the rest of the world. That started to change a bit after the massive success of Dragon Quest XI, and the spin-off Dragon Quest Builders brought even more players on board. We still know next to nothing about the next mainline Dragon Quest game, but another spin-off is arriving soon to keep Slime stans occupied until then. Here’s everything we know so far about Dragon Quest Treasures.
When is the Dragon Quest Treasures release date?
The biggest news about Dragon Quest Treasures at the June 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini was its release date. Dragon Quest Treasures is set to launch worldwide on Nintendo Switch on December 9, 2022.
Square Enix hasn’t announced plans to bring the game to any other platforms yet.
Is there a Dragon Quest Treasures trailer?
Yes. After first appearing at the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary stream, Dragon Quest Treasures got a short teaser in May 2022.
The June 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini gave players a slightly more in-depth look at Dragon Quest Treasures, which includes some gameplay footage.
What is the Dragon Quest Treasures setting?
Like its cousin Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest doesn’t set all of its games in the same shared universe. Each entry tells its own story and their settings generally aren’t revisited. That’s a bit different with Dragon Quest Treasures. This spin-off is a direct prequel to Dragon Quest XI, which is perhaps not surprising given how popular the last mainline game was for Square Enix.
Dragon Quest Treasures follows the siblings Mia and Erik, who both appeared in Dragon Quest XI. Erik is one of the playable main party members, while Mia is a side character. The two siblings are thieves, so naturally Dragon Quest Treasures will follow them on a treasure hunt.
What do we know about Dragon Quest Treasures gameplay?
Even if you’re a long-time Dragon Quest fan, Dragon Quest Treasures has some surprises in store. It plays nothing like games in the main series. Where most Dragon Quest games have real-time gameplay only during exploration and move to a turn-based system for battles, Dragon Quest Treasures is played entirely in real time.
Another major difference with Dragon Quest Treasures is how it allows you to recruit a host of different monsters, rather than just fighting them (though there’s plenty of that, too). As its Nintendo Direct Mini appearance shows, Dragon Quest Treasures has more action-oriented combat, more akin to Dragon Quest Builders. In combat, your recruited monster pals will fight for you, and they also pitch in outside of combat.
Your main goal in Dragon Quest Treasures is, unsurprisingly, hunting down treasure scattered around the land of Draconia. Some of that treasure will be hidden in initially inaccessible places, and you’ll need the help of allied monsters to reach it. The latest trailer shows Erik and Mia using Slimes to bounce to high platforms, Drackies to ride wind currents, and Sabers to speed across the environment. Players can also use a magic compass to help them locate treasure. The full process of hunting down spoils hasn’t been revealed yet, but once you collect it, you can use the funds it provides to update your home base and recruit stronger monsters.
