Dragon Quest is widely considered to be one of the most iconic traditional turn-based JRPG franchises of all time. And even though the gaming industry has changed a lot since the first game in the Dragon Quest franchise was released back in 1986, the series has managed to preserve many of the elements people fell in love with in the first place. Of course, there is always room for experimentation, and it seems like Square Enix is aware of it because it’s ready to introduce Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle, which will launch on iOS and Android in 2027.
It has already been confirmed that the traditional turn-based battles will remain an integral part of the experience, along with a large world to explore and dangerous enemies to defeat. So far, this sounds like a classic Dragon Quest adventure, but adapting the exploration, combat, and progression of a lengthy console RPG to a mobile game without sacrificing its depth might be more challenging than it looks.
Bringing Traditional Dragon Quest Exploration and Progression to Mobile
One of the most important things for Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle to get right would be the exploration aspect. Sure, Square Enix has already confirmed that players can expect plenty of that, as the game is expected to have a big world. However, most people would agree that a game with a huge world means nothing if there is nothing to do there. Moreover, even if the devs manage to fill the environments with exciting encounters, they would still have to make sure that there is always something unexpected to discover along the journey, which is no easy task, but it has to be done right if the game has ambitions to stand proud next to the other titles of the franchise.
Balance the critic averages
More often than not, this is where the mobile format runs into a lot of issues because, unlike in traditional console RPGs, exploration gets divided into small expeditions with predetermined objectives. This makes the experience feel more like mindlessly completing a list of activities than going on an actual adventure, which is definitely not something that the Dragon Quest franchise is generally famous for. This is usually done because mobile players often have only about 10 or 20 minutes to play at a time while waiting in line or taking a short break. On the other hand, console games are designed to encourage longer and uninterrupted sessions; also, people don’t carry their consoles everywhere as they do with their phones. Additionally, smaller expeditions with clear objectives are a great way to make sure that people can save their progress and return later without losing track of what they were doing.
Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle will be a great opportunity for the studio to demonstrate once again how great it is at delivering high-quality products.
Hopefully, Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle will find a way to address this without completely eliminating the spontaneous exploration that makes the franchise so great in the first place. It’s also important to mention that Square Enix has confirmed that the game will keep its traditional turn-based combat, which is a great fit for mobile devices because players don’t need to rely on complicated controls to defeat their enemies. In fact, this is one area where the franchise’s traditional approach might work in the game’s favor. However, the studio needs to be careful not to make the encounters too easy in order to accommodate shorter mobile sessions because the battles can quickly become repetitive. Maybe the best approach here would be to rely on meaningful decisions the most, which would allow combat to remain satisfying no matter if we are talking about shorter sessions or long battles.
Players would agree that collecting resources during exploration to develop a base and strengthen allies is one of the most satisfying things about traditional RPGs, and it seems like Square Enix is determined to preserve this in Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle. However, the developers need to be very careful about how they handle the progression system of the game because if the sessions are too short, then it would be difficult not to introduce too many progression restrictions and accidentally overcomplicate everything. For instance, if a player needs to gather materials from a few different expeditions to upgrade their base, but each expedition is limited by daily attempts, they will have to wait hours before continuing their task, which can be pretty frustrating for those who enjoy longer gaming sessions.
Closed Beta Gives Players an Early Look Before the 2027 Release
The good news is that players will not have to wait until 2027 to test Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle. Like many other upcoming RPGs, this one will have a closed beta, which will take place between December 8 and December 15, 2026. Applications will be open until November 23, 2026, and the developer has already confirmed that a total of 25,000 participants will be able to participate.
Moreover, it seems like Square Enix is ready to receive some feedback and make improvements before the official release, which is always encouraging, especially when it comes to transforming a traditional JRPG experience into a mobile adventure. In any case, Square Enix has certainly proven that it has some promising ideas, and Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle will be a great opportunity for the studio to demonstrate once again how great it is at delivering high-quality products.
