Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

We finally know what Dragon Quest Treasures is and when its launching

By
Summer Gaming Marathon Feature Image
This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

Featured in today’s Nintendo Direct Mini, Dragon Quest Treasures is set to come to the Nintendo Switch on December 9.

Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase | 6.28.2022

Dragon Quest Treasures is a spinoff of the long-running JRPG series that will be centered around Erik and his sister Mia from Dragon Quest 11 as children treasure hunters exploring the world in search of loot. Originally announced during the series’ 35th anniversary in May of 2021, Dragon Quest Treasures was not confirmed to be coming to Nintendo’s handheld until June’s Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase.

Related

The video showed the siblings exploring by boat, on foot, and even via flying trains. A major difference in this spinoff is the ability to recruit the iconic monsters from the series to your team. They will help in locating treasure, can be ridden as mounts, and used to help traverse the environment.

Loot you pick up can be brought back to your base and evaluated for its worth and exchanged for gold that can be used to purchase upgrades.

The last Dragon Quest game to come to Switch was Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age — Definitive Edition in 2019, one year after it launched on other platforms. This version included more language settings, an improved soundtrack, more Draconian Quest options, and an entire 2D mode that changes the 3D graphics into sprites reminiscent of the classic Dragon Quest games.

Despite being a spinoff, Dragon Quest Treasures coming not only to Switch at launch, but to the West in general, is a major step forward for this series that is one of the few that still staggers its home Japanese release from the rest of the world. Hopefully this is something we can continue to look forward to with future entries in the series.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
Another Crab’s Treasure is the SpongeBob Soulslike I didn’t know I wanted
The crab holds an item in Another Crab's Treasure.

If you're on gaming Twitter, you've probably heard of Another Crab's Treasure. This indie game immediately gained a lot of attention after a May 2022 Indie Showcase because of its hilarious Soulslike-starring-a-crab premise. Aptly named developer Aggro Crab quickly capitalized on that and now has one of the most consistently funny gaming Twitter accounts out there as it promotes Another Crab's Treasure. Still, when developers are that loud and boastful about a game on social media, it needs to live up to the expectations that have been set. All the jokes mean nothing and will feel like a distraction if the game isn't good. Thankfully, Another Crab's Treasure lived up to my expectations when I played it at Summer Game Fest Play Days.

During my half-hour demo, I was able to platform and fight through a preview build-exclusive level and fight two bosses. During that time, it lived up to the Soulslike moniker with tough, fast-paced fights, which are only emboldened by Another Crab's Treasure's unique shell mechanic and moveset that feels like it could work in a more traditional 3D platformer. On top of that, it features a colorful and cute aesthetic that makes it feel like the more masochistic cousin of this year's SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake.
Se(a)kiro
As soon as I hopped into this preview build of the game at Summer Game Fest Play Days, I was able to get a feel for Another Crab's Treasure's controls. It actually feels a bit like a traditional 3D platformer like The Cosmic Shake, which is similarly set underwater, as players can jump, climb, run, roll, and swim-glide around. The level was designed like with platforming challenges in mind too, so fans of 3D platformers may want to check this out. As soon as you get into a fight, you'll be quickly reminded that Another Crab's Treasure is inspired by FromSoftware's games, namely Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Controls are similar to FromSoftware's game, and the pace of fights is fast, like Sekiro or Bloodborne. The game really encourages blocking and parrying, like Sekiro, which plays into the game's unique shell feature. Scattered around the levels and arenas of Another Crab's Treasure, I found lots of trash that I could equip and use as a shell. This not only allows me to take more hits while blocking, but comes with unique special abilities. A soda can let me shoot bubbles at my enemies, while I could eat a piece of sushi I used as a shell to restore health.

Read more
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is so big that it’s coming out on two discs
Cloud and his friends overlook a scenic field.

The grand finale of Summer Game Fest 2023 went out on a high note with brand-new footage of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which is now slated for an early 2024 release date. The game is so big that it'll release on two discs.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is the second of three planned games in the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, starting with 2020's Final Fantasy 7 Remake. That game only covered the initial Midgar section of the game, though it expanded upon and added new content and features to flesh it out. With the conclusion of that title, as well as the Episode: Intermission DLC, we've only had a small glimpse as to how Rebirth will handle the game once going to the open world.

Read more
Dragon Quest Treasures is a great way to introduce your kids to RPGs
Dragon Quest Treasures' heroes high five.

RPGs aren’t always the most kid-friendly experience. They can be filled with complicated combat systems, massive difficulty spikes, and long run-times that can make them feel insurmountably long. While series like Pokémon cracked the code, making the genre more approachable for players of all ages, most young children aren’t likely to pick up something like Tales of Arise.

DRAGON QUEST TREASURES | Gameplay Overview

Read more