Dragon Quest VIII returns in portable form on the Nintendo 3DS

By Kris Wouk Published May 13, 2015

Dragon Quest VIII — Image used with permission by copyright holder

While games in the Final Fantasy series have been changing with each iteration since the franchise left the 16-bit era, the Dragon Quest games have long been a bastion for fans of “traditional” Japanese RPGs. And right on the heels of Dreamcast favorite Grandia II heading to Steam, one of the biggest games in the Dragon Quest series is being revived on the Nintendo 3DS.

Square Enix is bringing Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King to the 3DS in Japan on August 27, Gematsu reports. The game will sell for 5,980 yen or roughly $50 USD.

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The port will add a new scenario as well as new party members: a female thief by the name of Garda, and Morrie, who appeared in Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road. Dragon Quest VIII on the 3DS will also feature full voice-overs, music from the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and StreetPass support.

A number of pre-order bonuses specific to certain retailers were also announced, including the Healie T-Shirt, a “mysterious shirt that recovers HP little by little as you walk,” a spear made of pure gold, and the Lucky Pendant, which makes dodging enemy attacks easier.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was originally released in 2004 on the PlayStation 2. Many PS2 gamers may be familiar with the game, as it included a demo of the then-hotly-anticipated Final Fantasy XII.

This isn’t the first time that Dragon Quest VIII has seen a re-release. The game is currently available for iOS devices, though some are put off by the portrait-only orientation. The game sells for $20 in the App Store.

No North American release date has been announced yet. While Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS made its way to the U.S., the last game in the series, Dragon Quest X, has only been sold in Japan to date.

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Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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