Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams revealed after development restart

'Work on the original version hit a lot of hurdles along the way.'

Square Enix has re-revealed the May 2021-announced Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate under the new title Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams. The original concept announced in 2021 underwent a restart in development under a new structure.

“We’re hard at work on XII, but due to a reshuffle of the team and a restart of development, it’s going to be a bit longer till it’s in your hands,” explained executive producer Yosuke Saito. “Work on the original version, Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, hit a lot of hurdles along the way. But as we kept talking with [Dragon Quest series creator] Mr. [Yuji] Horii and pined down what a mainline Dragon Quest game should look like, we decided to move things around and start over from scratch.

“It was a major decision, but I believe it was the right one to ensure the next Dragon Quest game will be the one that all you fans of the series will really love. As part of this new direction, we’ve also changed the game’s logo and subtitle.”

Dragon Quest series creator and game designer Yuji Horii added, “It’s the story of a young hero who’s beset by strange visions in their sleep. What lies beyond dreams? Surely not a world of darkness, but a bright and exciting future. The game has gone in a different direction to the one we originally announced, but I think you’re going to love it.”

Saito said, “It’s a fantastic story, and I wish we could tell you more about it, but the team would get angry at us, so let’s leave it there.”

Horii mentioned, “All I’ll add is that Dragon Quest XII, like every game before it, will come with Akira Toriyama’s characters and Koichi Sugiyama’s music. And that’s everything I can say for now.”

Watch the first look trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here: Japanese.