An unexpected but welcome surprise from the June 20 Nintendo Direct was the reveal of Square Enix's Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, the latest Dragon Quest spin-off in the long-running Dragon Quest Monsters subseries. While not much is known about the title outside what was shown in the reveal trailer, it does appear to retain the classic monster hunting, breeding, and fighting the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-offs are known for. The reveal of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince raises some intriguing questions about its relationship to Dragon Quest 12, as well as the state of that title's development.
This July marks 6 years since the release of Dragon Quest 11, and it's been roughly 4 years since the announcement of Dragon Quest 12, which begs the question of when fans will receive an update regarding the game's progress toward release. The Monsters subseries of Dragon Quest games are very different from the core games in the legendary JRPG franchise, but the art style and monsters on display in the reveal trailer indicate that the title may serve as a lead-up side story to Dragon Quest 12 or bridge the gap between Dragon Quest 11 and the next main entry.
Now Is the Perfect Time for a Dragon Quest Monsters Comeback
Mere weeks before the reveal of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, Square Enix held a celebration marking the 25th anniversary of the Dragon Quest Monsters franchise. Part of the celebration included a trailer showing series highlights from its beginnings as a Game Boy Color title to the most recent release from 2019 and concluded with the reveal that players should "get ready for a new adventure". While not much else was known beyond that cryptic announcement at the time, fans now have confirmation of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince being the next game in the franchise.
With The Dark Prince set to release this December, it appears that Dragon Quest fans won't be getting any update regarding Dragon Quest 12's progress as Square Enix enters the promotion and pre-release cycle for the series' next spin-off. Still, the release of a new title in the Monsters spin-off series during the year of its 25th anniversary is a good sign for fans of monster-breeding and fighting RPGs like Pokémon, and it also bodes well for Dragon Quest 12's reveal sometime in 2024 as the series nears its 38th anniversary in May of next year.
How Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Could Tie Into DQ12
The initial reveal trailer for Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince didn't shed too much light regarding the title's story, but keen eyes have already picked up on several important details related to its setting and gameplay. Similar to the more recent Joker titles in the Dragon Quest Monsters series, battles will not be random and are instead optional encounters that players initiate by walking up to enemies in the field, a-la Dragon Quest 11. Additionally, the game is known to take place in the underworld from Dragon Quest 4 and 5 - Nidiria.
As far as what this could mean for Dragon Quest 12, it's entirely possible that the next entry in the Dragon Quest series will take players back to the world of the Zenithia Trilogy of Dragon Quest 4, 5, and 6. Considering that these titles are some of the most-beloved entries in the long history of the Dragon Quest franchise, this could also partially account for Square Enix's careful handling of Dragon Quest 12's reveal. If The Dark Prince takes place in the same setting of these beloved 16-bit Dragon Quest titles, it could very well be the warm-up round back in the series' iconic celestial castle of Zenithia.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince will be released December 1 for Nintendo Switch.
