Dragon Quest fans, rejoice! Square Enix has unveiled the sequel to the much-loved Dragon Quest Builders, while also revealing upcoming ports of the original trilogy of the popular franchise.
The news follows the confirmation that Dragon Quest XI will be coming to the western world as Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age sometime in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 3DS, and eventually also to the Nintendo Switch.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 For PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
At the Dragon Quest Summer Festival 2017 in Japan, Square Enix revealed that Dragon Quest Builders 2 will be released for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Dragon Quest Builders follows the formula of Minecraft as a world-building game, but set in the Dragon Quest universe. The title combines a guided story and open-world environments, and Dragon Quest Builders 2 appears to be doing more of the same but with some improvements.
New features spotted in early gameplay footage released for the game include underwater diving, a multiplayer mode for up to four players, triple the number of blocks that can be stacked on top of one another, and hang gliding, a feature that was popularized by The Legend of Zelda: the Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch.
One thing that should be noted with Dragon Quest Builders 2 coming to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, according to Forbes, is that its predecessor used the PhyreEngine, an engine created by Sony for PlayStation hardware. This made sense as Dragon Quest Builders was launched for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita. However, with Dragon Quest Builders 2 coming to the Nintendo Switch, the development team might have to either repurpose the PhyreEngine to work with the hybrid console or start from scratch using another platform such as Unreal Engine 4.
Unfortunately, no launch date was revealed for Dragon Quest Builders 2.
Dragon Quest Trilogy For PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS
In addition to Dragon Quest Builders 2, Square Enix also revealed that the original Dragon Quest trilogy will be ported to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 3DS.
Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest II, and Dragon Quest III will be released in Aug. 10, but only in Japan. It is unclear if these ports will see a worldwide release, but with the rising trend of retro games being revived, there is a good chance that they will also arrive to the United States soon.
With Dragon Quest XI and Dragon Quest Builders 2 on the docks, a port of the original Dragon Quest trilogy will help make the wait for the two new games a bit more bearable for hardcore Dragon Quest fans.
