Square Enix just announced that its free-to-play role-playing game Dragon Quest of the Stars will come to the West in early 2020. On top of this announcement, the developer has stated that starting today mobile gamers in select regions can register to participate in a closed beta test for the Android version of the game. Supposedly this is a "critically acclaimed" title in Japan that's racked up over 20-million installs, though, from the looks of it, the game is a casual RPG with a popular brand slapped on top.

The above trailer is a live-action cinematic, so doesn't show any actual gameplay from Dragon Quest of the Stars, a common tactic used by devs and publishers so that potential customers won't know what to expect going in. But since this is a game that has existed in Japan for years, we already know that the title revolves around simple turn-based battles that pit your characters against a bunch of baddies. Primarily you'll use touch controls to activate your character's skills strategically, and powerful attack combos will be possible through management of your skill gauge. Both a solo mode and a multiplayer mode is expected.

Since all of today's info stems from a recent press announcement, details are still light. Supposedly players can start registering today for a beta that will run from October 30th to November 28th, though the pre-registration link is still nowhere to be found on the Play Store listing in the US. We don't yet know how the game will be monetized, or if this monetization will differ from the Japanese release, though we do know the game will be free-to-play and that in-app purchases are expected. It's also clear that the game will arrive sometime in early 2020, though a specific release date has yet to be mentioned.

It has taken Square Enix four years to finally bring Dragon Quest of the Stars to the West, so I have to wonder how the game will hold up in comparison to the plethora of casual RPGs already available on the Play Store that aren't four-years-old. To me, the graphics already look dated, and the description of the gameplay doesn't really sound all that interesting. While I'm a big fan of the Dragon Quest series, a F2P interpretation of classic RPGs is hardly something I'm eager to play. It also strikes me as odd that the Play Store listing still doesn't provide a pre-registration link in the US despite today's announcement, especially when the pre-reg button on the official webpage leads to the Play Store listing. Of course, we don't know which regions will get to participate in the upcoming beta, so maybe other areas will have more luck pre-registering than the US.

PRESS RELEASE

Source: Dragon Quest

UPDATE: 2020/01/20 6:54am PST BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ

Dragon Quest of the Stars is now available for pre-reg, official release expected Feb. 25th

We learned this past September that Dragon Quest of the Stars would come to the West sometime in early 2020, and today Square Enix has revealed that the game is now available for pre-registration on the Google Play Store and that we can expect the official release on February 25th. We already know that the game will land as a free-to-play RPG, though how high its IAPs will range is still a mystery. In a Facebook post made earlier today, the official Dragon Quest of the Stars account has mentioned that there will be pre-reg rewards to earn that are dependant on how many people register. However, these rewards aren't specified anywhere, so it's unknown what people will actually receive. Still, at the very least, we now know when the game should land, so if you'd like to pre-reg so that you'll receive a release notification on February 25th while possible earning a few rewards, you can do so through the Play Store widget linked above.