Dragon Quest 12was announced recently, and marks a shift in tone that its sister seriesFinal Fantasyhas been treading for years.Final Fantasy 16andDragon Quest 12seem to bringing both franchises into darker territory, especially for theDragon Questfranchise. However, both series are riding high right now, and angling towards a more adult audience for such classic franchises will be interesting if nothing else.
It seems clear based, on the little information fans have as of now, thatDragon Quest 12may be radically differentfrom previous mainline games. Series creator Yuji Horii has given some vague but pointed remarks about the game’s departure from its predecessors. It’s title reveal trailer is also ambiguous but feels like strong evidence.Dragon Questhas historically featured vibrant visuals designed byDragon Ballcreator Akira Toriyama, but the new trailer showed off grim colors and violent flames etching out the new logo. This likely represents a shift in tone for series.
Dragon Quest 12 and Final Fantasy 16 Moving Into Darker Places
Final Fantasyon the other hand is much more familiar with treading murkier waters and heavier plotlines. The deaths of main characters, world-shattering events, and villains with serial killer levels of depravity are all placesFinal Fantasyhas gone before. But often those heavier tones are offset by bright color schemes, whimsical characters, and mini-games that sometimes even feel at odds with the tone of its overall stories.Final Fantasy 16seems to heading to a much darker place, however.
Contrary toDragon Quest,Final Fantasyhas had a trend of darker stories for a while now. The immediate predecessor,Final Fantasy 15, dealt with themes of loss and inevitable sacrifice. That game featured some of the same more colorful distractions along the way, like fishing and other mini-games.Final Fantasy 16may end up a big departure from older gamesin more than a few ways. While there hasn’t been much revealed about the game since its initial announcement trailer, that debut and information added to the official site about its world all carry a very heavy atmosphere with them.
ForFinalFantasy,this is a notable but expected move towards more adult themes. The surprise ofDragon Questmoving in that direction is likely more shocking to fans.Dragon Questhas long been marked by its brightly colored visuals and stories that are generally more lighthearted. Its heroes still need to save the world, but they often don’t see the kinds of horrors that manyFinal Fantasyones have. Especially after the success of theincredibly traditionalDragon Quest 11, it seems surprising to bring the series into heavier territory, although that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
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Dragon Quest 12 Moving Towards Darker Territory is More Surprising
Since theannouncement ofDragon Quest 12many are probably pondering the development decision to move towards darker territory. The series hasn’t exactly been geared towards children specifically, but its lighter tone and colorful aesthetics have continued to draw in new fans with each entry. Deciding to move the franchise into a more adult-oriented place may be a reflection of Square Enix recognizing its dedicated fanbase that has aged alongside the franchise. Giving something more geared towards those older fans could prove a good move on its part.
The darker direction for bothFinal Fantasyand nowDragon Questalso speaks to their growing appeal in the West. Moving combat into real-time for theFinal Fantasyfranchise has largely been an effective decision thus far, and may prove likewise forDragon Quest. It’s not confirmed but Horii has also stated there would be changes to the turn-based combat as well. Now thatDragon Questis approaching its 35th anniversarythe series has established a very powerful foothold in Japan, but this darker direction might be an attempt to swing even more of the West. It’s worth keeping in mind that with so little known aboutDragon Quest 12, this is entirely speculative.
While bringingFinal FantasyandDragon Questinto more adult areas, it seems Square Enix may be using its spin-off games from each franchise to maintain a more traditional and lighthearted approach. Despite being heavily influenced byFinal Fantasy,Kingdom Heartshas largely spun out into its own entity.Dragon Questmay be doing much the same with games likeDragon Quest Builders 2and the newly announcedDragon Quest Treasures.Keeping two distinct tones could work well forFinal FantasyandDragon Quest, as they theoretically seek to capture newer fans while keeping a segment of their respective brands more lighthearted.
Dragon Questgamesare among some of the most beloved in the medium. It’s likely that there are going to be fans apprehensive about a change in the series' trajectory. While longtimeFinal Fantasyfans are used to grim stories, it could be a big departure forDragon Questfans. But each franchise will still need to be careful about just how far that change goes. WhileFinal Fantasyplayers are likely less averse to adult themes or dark tone, there’s still a certain charm that many will want to see preserved. Part of what makes the heaviest stories inFinal Fantasy’s history are the moments of rest and reprieve.Dragon Questwill be walking an even tighter rope in that regard.
So much of what has madeDragon Questgames across its historyhas been that lighthearted and charming tone. It’s not to say that gravitating towards more adult themes will be a bad thing for the series, but it’ll need to be handled with care. Not just for the sake of fans but for the plot ofDragon Quest 12itself. It could be jarring for players to find themselves racing to stop some violent or apocalyptic event to then get wrapped up in fighting slack-faced Slimes and Cruelcumbers. While it’s unlikely to be that radical of a change, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see howDragon Quest 12andFinal Fantasy 16handle their moves toward darker themes.
Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fateis currently in development.
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