While Pokémon Go sprung onto the scene back in 2016, this year is shaping up to make an even bigger impact in the realm of augmented reality titles. Following last month’s debut of Minecraft Earth, we’re now turning our attention to the Japanese game developer Square Enix. The publisher’s latest brings its 36 year old franchise into the real world. Dragon Quest Walk will be debuting on iOS and Android smartphones later this year with more slimes and enemies than fans can handle. Head below for a closer look at the upcoming AR title.
Dragon Quest is one of the publisher’s longest running titles, having first launched in 1986. In the past few decades, Square Enix has gone on to release a variety of sequels, ports and other titles that fit into the series. As for its latest, the video game developer will be taking some cues from Nintendo.
Dragon Quest Walk enters as the latest title in the franchise and offers a unique experience compared to previous games. Available as an iOS or Android app, the mobile game will take advantage of augmented reality to bridge the gap between the real and digital world.
Square Enix’s new title is just the latest in developers looking to bring their games to smartphones. Just last month Microsoft gave Minecraft the same treatment and Niantic has been gearing up for the public launch of a similar Harry Potter-based release.
Details on exactly how Dragon Quest Walk will differentiate itself from the likes of Pokémon Go are still unknown. As of now, the publisher’s brief announcement trailer gives us a look at how various characters from the franchise will populate our world. Though given how the Dragon Quest series has focused on role playing titles in the past, it’ll be interesting to see if the narrative-heavy gameplay makes its way into Walk.
Dragon Quest Walk enters closed beta later this month
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbp9V_uA6_U
As you can expect from the eastern company, Dragon Quest Walk will be first debuting to players in Japan come June 11th. After the closed beta ends, expect to see the mobile game open up to International players ahead of a full global launch. An official release date has yet to be announced as of now, but the company is noting that we’ll see it land on phones sometime before year’s end.
9to5Toys’ Take:
One of the things that made Pokémon Go such an immerse success was just how popular the underlying property was. That’s also something Microsoft certainly has going for it with Minecraft. But for western audiences who aren’t as familiar with the Dragon Quest franchise, there’s no telling how big it’ll be at launch.
Even if it doesn’t have the same kind of traction as other AR games here in the States, it could very well end up a hit in Japan and other countries. Though until Square Enix officially showcases all of its gameplay and other details, we’ll just have to wait and see.
FTC: 9to5Toys is reader supported, we may earn income on affiliate links
Subscribe to the 9to5Toys YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!
