Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince — Everything We Know

Dragon Quest Monsters, the Dragon Quest spin-off series, is back. With the first game released in 1998, we still have our hearts full eleven games later. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3, the most recent installment, was released in 2016. Now we can't wait until December 1st, 2023, to get our hands on Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. 

This time, the game will be released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. We also got to see a teaser trailer at the 2023 Nintendo Direct live-stream event that revealed details on the gameplay, release date, and more. December is fast approaching, so let’s get to our Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince – Everything We Know article, shall we?

What is Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince?

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is an upcoming RPG in the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series. It’s a spin-off with great influence from Pokemon, where players recruit and train monsters to fight for them. The monsters are drawn from iconic characters from the main series, Dragon Quest. You’ll find Slimes and Drackys in place of Pikachus, as well as new monsters never seen before. 

Story

At the center of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a boy named Psaro. Players control Psaro, tagging along on his journey. He suffers a curse that won’t allow him to harm any monsters. Which is just great because he’s in danger of becoming a monster himself. Fortunately, he can recruit and train monsters. There’s a whole array of them to choose from, each with a diverse range of powers. So, you need to strategize them well to rise up the ranks. 

The hunt for more powerful monsters never stops. Which leads you to explore serene places like towers of sweets, streams of flowing lava, and mysterious ruins. Pyaro won’t have to rely on monsters alone. He can form friendships with other characters, including Rose, a kind elf. Together, they forge forward to build a monster army and fight against dangerous foes in battle.

In the trailer, you can catch a glimpse of the story where Pyaro is cursed and stripped of his power to harm monsters. He embarks on a quest for revenge with the help of his newfound power as a Monster Wrangler. So, now, his new motivation is to build the most powerful monster army that can take on an unnamed dangerous foe, likely the very same one that cursed him at the start.

Gameplay

Pyaro’s journey from a young boy to becoming a Master of Monsterkind isn’t an easy one. He’ll need to explore and interact with the environment. Take advantage of the variety of creatures he runs into. While also making use of “Synthesis”. Synthesis is a skill Psaro can use to combine two monsters to create a superior and unique one. No two monsters are the same. Meaning that finding the monsters with the most powerful skills pay off. And so, the hunt begins to scout for the most dangerous monsters around the world. 

Once you build an army you’re proud of; you’ll need to test their skills in battle. You can either command them to do your bidding or allow them to do as they please. In the trailer, the demon realm of Nadiria looks tantalizing. The landscapes vary. Seasons change, too. According to Square Enix’s official game description, some areas previously inaccessible will open up depending on the current season. Thus, creating more room to explore. 

Additionally, you can only find certain monsters during specific seasons. So, keeping a close eye on the game will come in handy. Some creatures will look familiar to fans of Dragon Quest. Others are entirely new. You’re free to customize your monster army to your liking. Ultimately, becoming a seasoned Monster Wrangler sounds like a fun time.

Development

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is one of the games that were announced at the June 2023 Nintendo Direct event. The announcement revealed that the game will launch on Nintendo Switch platforms on December 1st, 2023. Alongside the announcement was a 1.31-minute gameplay trailer that shows Psaro, the Dark Prince, and his companion, Rose, amassing the strongest monsters on their team and combining their newfound allies’ power to take on enemies. Previously, we knew a Dragon Quest Monsters sequel was in the works. All we had was a teaser of it. Now, we can put a solid release date on the name. And, no less, later this year.

Trailer

We do have a trailer that was released alongside the announcement at Nintendo Direct. It’s a pretty detailed gameplay reveal that shows a dark prince gradually transitioning to become the hero of the game. He's been stripped of his power. So, he has to rely on recruiting and training monsters to fight for him, Pokemon-style. It doesn’t quite show who the dark prince is preparing to go up against. But it sure looks like one powerful villain you won’t want to mess with. Feel free to check out the Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince gameplay reveal trailer here. 

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

It’s official. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince will hit stores worldwide on December 1st, 2023. The game will release as a Switch exclusive for the first time in the series. You can pre-order a physical copy of the game via the Square Enix Games Official Store as early as now to get the Standard Edition for $59.99 or add it to your Christmas wishlist on the Nintendo eShop page. However, the pre-ordering of digital copies will go live at a later date. Meanwhile, feel free to check out the official Twitter handle here for new updates, and we’ll also continue to let you know of any new information that comes up.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince when it drops on the Switch? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.