It’s been a while sinceDragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fateappeared in public. Announced during the franchise’s 35th-anniversary celebration in 2021, the game was early in development but still looking to rock the boat. Fans learned thatDragon Quest 12will use Unreal Engine 5, its story is finished, and new battle systems were prototyped for it. The game is also expected to take a darker turn than the normally chipperDragon Questis used to, which has many fans anxiously waiting to see just how different it will be.
Among the oldest JRPG franchises,Dragon Questhas probably adhered the closest to its traditions. Music, visuals, and turn-based combat have remained similar in each mainline entry, even through a shift to full 3D inDragon Quest 8and a real-time MMO format inDQ10. In the modern RPG climate,Dragon Quest 11’s questsand mechanics were so old-school that it could’ve been seen as refreshing. However, Square Enix has decided that it’s time to shake things up. There’s a lot of trepidation about how this shift inDragon Quest 12will go, but if it follows the example of Square Enix’s other JRPG giant, it could work out great.
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Action Combat Would Be A Major Shift For Dragon Quest
Ever sinceFinal Fantasy 10, the mainlineFFentries have strayed further from their turn-based roots.Final Fantasyhad been using a more action-heavy take on turn-based gameplay for years, but that still didn’t prepare anyone for the introduction ofFF11’s real-time MMO combat. Things were closer to normal inFinal Fantasy 12and13, butFF14was another MMO and15was a full-blown action RPG. It was a rough first pass, but with improvements made inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, the franchise has begun to prove itself capable of a brand-new direction.
The jury is still out onFinal Fantasy 16, but it’s the closest the franchise has gotten to a true hack-and-slash title. Drawing on theDevil May Cryschool of design,FF16is a few progression changes away from being an action game outright, which doesn’t sit well with the whole fanbase. Even so, a gradual transition to action since the ’90s is more palatable than the potentialchangesDragon Quest 12could bring about. Turn-based battles are at the core ofDragon Quest, so Square Enix will have to replace them with something just as good.
How Final Fantasy 16’s Combat Could Work In Dragon Quest 12
The vital part of introducing action gameplay toDragon Quest 12is ensuring that RPG veterans can play around with it.Final Fantasy 16offers fully customizable accessibility featuresthat can, at their peak, almost totally automate combat. This won’t persuade everyone to giveDragon Quest’s new gameplay a shot, but it will help people who aren’t used to action games get the full experience. Something that integrates menus more likeFinal Fantasy 7 Remakemight be a better fit forDragon Quest, but after spending so long without action gameplay,Dragon Questneeds to use it or lose it.
Dragon Quest 12needs to go all the way with its action combat if it followsFinal Fantasy 16. It must display confidence in its identity, as doing so will improve the player’s experience as a whole. An accessible but highly-customizable combat system that adaptsDragon Quest’s best hero abilitiesis all thatDQ12needs to matchFF16’s own system. IfDragon Quest 12can manage that, then it should be able to forge its own identity while leaving the door open for more traditional entries in the future.
Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fateis currently in development.
MORE:Square Enix is Already Making the Case for Another Turn-Based Game After Final Fantasy 16
