Dragon Quest Walk: Square Enix challenges Pokemon Go with new AR

No mobile game has garnered an international player base as large as Niantic’s smash-hit Pokemon Go which allows players to walk around the real world and catch pokemon with the swipe of a finger.

But what franchise has been alive and kicking even longer than Pokemon? You guessed it: Dragon Quest.

Renamed as Dragon Warrior for the North American release, Dragon Quest debuted on the original Famicom in Japan in 1986. One of the longest-running JRPG series of all time, new Dragon Quest titles have steadily been released every four to five years resulting in a total of 11 main titles in the franchise.

So if there’s any title capable of challenging Pokemon Go in the augmented reality game market, it’s the new Dragon Quest Walk. Feast your eyes on this.

Built by leading Japanese game developer and publisher Square Enix, Dragon Quest Walk will be released on both Android and iOS this year. Beta testing began Tuesday this week, with 10,000 iOS and 10,000 Android users being lucky enough to try it out. However, there’s still no word of an official release date in Japan or overseas. 

What to expect from the Dragon Quest Walk gameplay

Essentially: Battles. These can be initiated by walking around in the real world and tapping on monsters once you get close enough to their location on the in-game map. Players have the option of simply walking around to battle monsters that pop up on the map or accepting quests to advance the story.

Like in most Dragon Quest games and JRPGs in general, players have the option to attack, use skills/magic, use items, or defend, as well as an auto-battle option. After defeating monsters, they will appear in the monster index, much like the pokédex in Pokémon games. Players also gain experience by defeating monsters which levels-up their character and expands their character’s attributes.

In terms of party size, the revealed gameplay video in a press conference hosted by Square Enix on June 3 showed parties of up to four warriors. While the exact details weren’t explained, it seems that the game can be played by yourself or with a friend.

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