Nintendo and Square Enix have announced that on January 21st Nintendo 3DS owners will be able to set sail for adventure when Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is released.



The story begins when a jester, Dhoulmagus, comes to Castle Trodain and steals the King’s sceptre. He then uses its power to turn his majesty into a troll, the Princess into a horse, and the castle inhabitants into plants. The only one left unscathed from this attack is a castle guard who escaped the curse and must now step up to save the kingdom he’s sworn to protect. Only by travelling the lands, recruiting allies, and following the trail of destruction that Dhoulmagus leaves in his wake will The Hero be able to retrieve the sceptre in order to restore Trodain back to its former glory.


As players dive into the rich story of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, whether they’re visiting for the first time or coming back to relive the adventure all over again, they can enjoy full voice-acting in all plot-important cut-scenes, and new story content that will provide more back-story about The Hero and the villainous Dhoulmagus. Further additions include additional quests to complete and dungeons to explore, and even a new alternative ending.


Returning heroes may also find that elements of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King have been streamlined for this handheld outing. Adventurers in a hurry no longer need to rush to a Church to save thanks to the new Quick-Save function, allowing them to save and exit the game at any time. And for warriors in a hurry, battling foes is also much faster with the introduction of the “Speed Up” feature, allowing heroes to cut their way through each encounter with much greater haste.

Players also have the option of taking photos of the game and sharing them via streetpass, which in turn allows players to earn in game goodies for all the good photos they share.