Square Enix has confirmed that Dragon Quest XII is taking longer to release due to a restart of development.
Now dubbed Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams, the upcoming JRPG is no longer opting for the darker, more mature aesthetic of the game’s reveal. Instead, similar to the beloved Dragon Quest XI, the game will return to the traditional DQ visuals and approach fans love.
Series creator Yuji Horii confirmed that the game’s character designs and music were both completed by the series legendary Akira Toriyama and Koichi Sugiyama, both of whom passed away during development. While there is a fair amount of asset reuse between games, it’s not known how of the game’s designs and soundtrack will be brand-new.
Additionally, Dragon Quest XII: Broken Dreams will no longer be pushing towards the action-focus that was teased during early development. The game will remain a traditional JRPG with turn-based battles, the series’ legacy combat, although it will likely have its own twists.
As for the game’s story, Dragon Quest XII will focus on a new insomniac hero who is plagued by strange visions as he dreams. The primary character design, which may prove controversial, is a departure from the happy-go-lucky looks of most DQ heroes, and he’s joined by a unique cast of companions, including a robot and a lizard-like creature.
As the next entry in the ultimate JRPG franchise, it’s nice to see the new game return to its roots again. There was some worry that the switch to action would change the feeling of DQ, and it seems that those worries were not unfounded.
Alongside continued development on Dragon Quest XII, Square Enix is also working on additional remakes of past games in the series. While the team hasn’t confirmed which titles will be remade, there’s hope that the team is working on a remake of the series’ most popular entry: Hand of the Heavenly Bride.
As for DQ XII, the game still does not have a release date at the time of writing, or even target platforms. However, an upgraded version of Dragon Quest XI S is releasing on Nintendo Switch 2 on September 24, 2026.
