Dragon Quest 12 Revealed with Fresh Title and Trailer

On Wednesday, a livestream event celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Dragon Quest series, which first launched in Japan on May 27, 1986. The 10-minute presentation showcased the first new footage of Dragon Quest 12, now titled “Beyond Dreams,” since its initial announcement in 2021 during the 35th anniversary festivities of this beloved RPG franchise. Originally intended to take a darker approach, the development team has since pivoted to a more classic and uplifting Dragon Quest narrative, complete with a fitting visual style. Here’s what we discovered about Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams.

Executive producer Yosuke Saito shared, “We’re hard at work on 12, but due to a reshuffle of the team and a restart of development, it’s going to take a bit longer until it’s in your hands. The original version, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, faced numerous challenges. However, after discussions with Mr. Horii about what a mainline Dragon Quest game should embody, we decided to start fresh. It was a significant choice, but I believe it was the right one to ensure the next Dragon Quest game will resonate with all you fans. Along with this new direction, we’ve also updated the game’s logo and subtitle.”

The new footage begins with breathtaking views of a majestic castle, charming medieval towns, and rugged landscapes. The camera then focuses on a spiky-haired warrior—likely our hero—sporting light brown hair, an undercut, and a serious expression, with a sword slung over his shoulder. He leaps from a hillside, rolls acrobatically, and sprints across a lush field. The scene transitions to a sunlit beach populated by floating, octopus-like Healslimes, followed by a sandy desert where a large scorpion can be seen in the distance.

Next, we meet one of the hero’s companions: a girl with short red hair riding a unique bicycle-like contraption, accompanied by a quirky humanoid robot. She sports a tattoo on her left bicep and gives her mechanical friend a thumbs-up. Another companion appears, resembling a young lizard-man with spiky gray hair, dressed in armor similar to the hero’s. The scene then shifts to the top of a grand castle, where a knight in red and purple armor gestures dramatically. Their horned helmet obscures their face until they lift the visor to reveal—another lizard face! It’s unclear if this is the same character from earlier.

The camera returns to the protagonist in a cave, battling a fearsome dragon clad in armor.

After the trailer, series creator Yuji Horii shared additional insights about the game. He mentioned that our protagonist is “beset by strange visions in their sleep. What lies beyond dreams? Surely not a world of darkness, but a bright and exciting future.” Horii concluded by stating, “All I’ll add is that Dragon Quest 12, like every game before it, will feature Akira Toriyama’s characters and Koichi Sugiyama’s music.”

Saito and Horii did not provide a release date or window for Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams.

The 2021 teaser for Dragon Quest 12: Flames of Fate hinted at a much darker tone for the usually cheerful RPG series, showcasing jagged flames erupting from beneath dark stone in the shape of the Roman numeral for 12, accompanied by a growling narration of the game’s title. The teaser lacked in-engine footage or key art and didn’t even feature a modern take on the franchise’s iconic theme song. Instead, it simply informed fans that a successor to 2017’s immensely popular Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age was in the works. Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams already feels much more aligned with the series’ traditional formula compared to the moody atmosphere of Flames of Fate.

Since its debut in 1986, the Dragon Quest series has sold over 95 million units, with Dragon Quest 11 being the standout title, selling more than 8.5 million copies worldwide. Earlier this month, Dragon Quest was inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, alongside fellow inductees Angry Birds, FIFA International Soccer, and Silent Hill.