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In 2003, Square Enix released a toy in Japan called Kenshin Dragon Quest.
The toy, consisting of both a sword and a shield, functioned as a
television peripheral. By plugging it into television sets directly, it
enabled individuals to play a Dragon Quest game where the
player struck and slashed at enemies by moving the sword around.
Despite the fact that the game featured an unusual and unique control
scheme and lacked the processing or graphical power of a home console
system, the toy was a success. Kenshin Dragon Quest went on to sell over half a million units in Japan.
Flash forward three years, and suddenly the idea of playing a game
by wielding a sword and using hand gestures to attack enemies isn't
quite so unusual or unique anymore. Enter the Revolution, Nintendo's
still-codenamed next generation home console. By now it's common
knowledge that the system distinguishes itself through its controller,
a motion sensitive device that reacts to movement in 3D space. When
Nintendo first premiered its controller, it did so via a video montage
showing off gamers using the controller in a wide assortment of ways.
One of those was, of course, manipulating the controller as a sword and
shield. At the time, everyone assumed that the video highlighted
Nintendo's plans for future installments in The Legend of Zelda franchise.
But what if it wasn't? What if that video was instead teasing the possibilities for a new Dragon Quest
game. It may sound a bit far-fetched at first, but the idea isn't
really so unreasonable at all. Square Enix recently filed a US
trademark for a game called "Dragon Quest Swords." A simple logical
look exposes the very real possibility that this is a new Square Enix
Revolution game in the making.
But maybe the trademark just indicates Square Enix's plans to
release the toy in North America? It's possible, but highly unlikely.
After all, at this point that toy is three years old. There is no
market for that sort of product in North America when it comes to video
gamers, and Square Enix is an unknown commodity in the toy business.
It's doubtful that Square Enix would be preparing to launch such a toy
operation with a three-year old game right on the outset of the next
home console generation.
It's a much more likely possibility that the trademark represents a
new game in development. After all, given that the first game achieved
a surprising level of success -- it has sold comparably in Japan to
much more costly Square Enix efforts such as Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
-- why wouldn't the company seek to replicate that success on a
platform which naturally lends itself to a similar play style, all
without the costly toy manufacturing costs? Kenshin Dragon Quest was limited in its potential success by the fact that it was essentially bound to a single gaming market. While Dirge of Cerberus will go on to achieve greater sales through North American and European releases, Kenshin Dragon Quest
would've been a difficult sell outside of Japan, owing to the limited
appeal of a non-console television peripheral game, as well as the weak
cachet of the Dragon Quest name outside of Japan.
Since then, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King has gone on to prove that
games most certainly can sell in North America, clearing one of the two
hurdles. A game on the Revolution platform would also not be hurt by
the idea of attempting to sell console gamers on a toy that hooks up to
a television. There would be no sacrifice necessary in gameplay or
controls, however, as the Revolution's controller should be easily able
to surpass what was achievable with a television peripheral.
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii seems to agree about its
possibilities. The venerated developer has spoken on several occasions
about the system, offering glowing praise for it and hinting at a
desire to design for the console. Horii first spoke about the
controller during a video played by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata
during the controller's unveiling. In it, Horii stated, "At first
introduction to the controller, I was surprised. There should have been
a controller like this before, but surprisingly, there was not. I
believe people will not hesitate to use this controller. Just like a
remote control for your TV, people touch it without understanding how
to use it. Starting with DS, I believe Nintendo has made game machines
that are for the feeling of touch. The Revolution controller has
evolved this feeling of touch even farther."
It's worth noting that most of the other developers who were either
present or featured during Nintendo's conference have since confirmed
that they do have Revolution titles in development. Yuji Horii has not
made such a confirmation, but he did speak about the Revolution again
when he visited Europe to prepare for the launch of Dragon Quest VIII. This time, his words on the system were even more positive.
Horii said, "When I was making Manga, I met up with the technology
of computer games. I loved the fact that it was interactive, that you
do something and you get feedback. I thought that an interactive story
where you get feedback and rewards from everything that you do would be
interesting. I like the idea of interactivity with the hardware, so
there, where you mention the Nintendo controller, it's a new interface,
and it's exciting to have that reaction. You do something, and it
reacts to you. It's human nature that to have some feedback from your
actions it rewarding."
In his comments on the controller, Horii stresses the immersiveness
that this form of control can bring to the gamer, which makes it
unsurprising that his team has made exactly such a game in the past. He
certainly seems to be excited by the possibilities of doing it again
with an even better controller.
The trademark for Dragon Quest Swords has been filed, and
only time (or E3) will tell what it may bring. But with the key
developer seemingly fully behind such an idea and with the business
executives no doubt eager to replicate the success of the game, it's
easy to speculate about what that trademark may mean.
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