We got a big update on Dragon Quest 12 yesterday, and it wasn’t exactly a happy one. Apparently the game has been rebooted “from scratch” after some developmental difficulties, and we still have no idea when it’s coming. It’s even got a new subtitle, changing from The Flames of Fate to Beyond Dreams. On the bright side, we did get our first real trailer for 12. And it looks mostly gorgeous, populated with an interesting cast of silly fellas in Akira Toriyama’s signature style, including a lizard guy.
Except, uh, what’s this guy’s deal?
This is the main protagonist of Dragon Quest 12, as revealed in the trailer, and fans have rightfully been pointing out since his unveiling that he looks…kinda not great? Something about his eyes. And his hair. Like he’s really sleepy, or ill, or bored, or…a stoner? I don’t know. But there are a lot of posts calling attention to it.
Of course, the new design does have some fans. After the negative/amused response to the hero’s reveal, a number of Dragon Quest fans emerged to announce that they actually like the new dude, and don’t see what all the fuss is about:
More interesting than japes about the new hero’s appearance are suggestions about what his appearance might suggest. Remember that lizard guy I mentioned earlier? Well, some fans have a theory that the lizard guy is actually the same person as the hero, just in a “dream” world.
Same hairstyle, same sword, similar armor? Sure. This suggestion could have some merit, too, as Dragon Quest 12 follows a hero who is “beset by strange visions in their sleep.” We don’t know much more about Dragon Quest 12’s story than that, but I can kind of see the resemblance in the two guys above, and we don’t actually see both of them together in the same place during the trailer. Personally, I like the lizard guy better.
There are other theories abounding, such as suggestions that Dragon Quest 12 could have ties with Dragon Quest 9. Many have pointed out that key locations shown in the world of Dragon Quest 12 bear a lot of resemblance to places in Dragon Quest 9, such as Stornway Castle, Angel Falls, and others. Again, there’s no hard evidence for this being the case just yet, and it may just be wishful thinking from fans who really want a remake of Dragon Quest 9.
Fans have a long, long time to speculate given that DQ12 seems to have been rebooted fairly recently, and there wasn’t even a sniff of a release window in that presentation. Some older Dragon Quest games got nice remakes recently (I’ve been meaning to try the remake of 7) but unless that wished-for 9 remake is real, we might be Dragon Questless for months or even years to come.