Read update
- Square Enix reveals the release date for Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai in a new trailer
Square Enix revealed Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds last year, but at the time, the game was only slated for a Japanese release. As of this morning, we now know the game is coming to the West with an English translation in tow. It's already listed on the Play Store for pre-registration, and a closed beta will kick off on April 7th, which you can sign up for on the official website.
Above, you can watch the new English trailer for Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai, and as you can see, it's a mobile RPG where you'll tap on cards at the bottom of the screen to pull off your attacks against your opponents in lane-based battles. As you would expect, you'll improve your gear and characters through incremental upgrades, so more or less, this looks to be a gacha game where you'll collect weapons (judging by those star ratings in the video above). And yes, we already know there will be an auto-battle mode.
I suppose the real draw for Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is that it's based on the manga series of the same name. The game will follow along with the story told in those books. So I can see this title appealing to longtime fans thanks to the story-based content and art that's themed around the popular manga series.
As of today, eager fans can pre-register for Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai through the new Play Store listing, and if you'd like to sign up for the upcoming closed beta, you can do so on the official website from March 15th - April 4th. This beta will run from April 7th to April 15th, and you'll need a device that offers 3GB of RAM and is on Android 7 or higher.
While we don't yet know when Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai will be officially released, the fact the game is coming to the West, that pre-registration is already available, and that a closed beta will take place next month, I think it's pretty clear the game will be released sooner this year rather than later.
Source: Dragon Quest
UPDATE: 2021/09/07 5:49am PDT BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ
Square Enix reveals the release date for Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai in a new trailer
You can watch the latest trailer for Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai directly above. The trailer shows some gameplay, along with a few characters, though it's still hard to get a grasp of exactly what the game will offer. Thankfully the title has been available n Japan for some time, so we already know that this is a wave-based casual RPG that will follow the story of the TV show of the same name. So yes, The Adventure of Dai is a gacha game more than likely being used to promote a TV show, and it will be free-to-play, though how bad the monetization will get in the West remains to be seen.
Today's trailer also reveals that the English version of Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai will be released on the Play Store on September 28th. Pre-registration has been available since March, and those who register will earn a chance to unlock a few rewards (such as extra in-game currency) once the game is released, so there's still time to pump up those numbers beyond the 1.5 million pre-registrations currently on record. So if you'd like to see for yourself what Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai will have to offer when it's released at the end of the month, you can pre-register through the Play Store widget placed below for your convenience.
UPDATE: 2021/09/27 9:05am PDT BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ
Square Enix preps Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds for launch
Earlier this month, we learned Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds would land on September 28th, but in classic Square Enix fashion, the game is already available for pre-load on the Play Store and will be launched later today, a day earlier than announced. This means the game isn't playable yet, but there's little to get excited about since we already know what this title offers. DQ Dai: A Hero’s Bonds is a free-to-play wave-based RPG where you control three characters by selecting cards on the screen, and it serves as a complementary product to an anime of the same name. In-app purchases range up to $79.99 per item, and this is an auto-battle RPG, which means you'll primarily play as though this is an idle game since it will require little interaction.
Sadly Square hasn't provided a release time beyond a pop-up in the game that says the servers will go live on 9/27 PDT. So your guess is as good as mine when Square will flip the switch, but at least we know today is the day, which just so happens to be a day early. So if you're eager to take Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai: A Hero's Bonds for a spin, you can at least pre-load right now so that you're prepared for the release.