 So Dragon Quest 12 is on its way and we still haven't seen any gameplay at all, not a thing. We don't know how the main character or world looks like either. All we have to go off of right now is the flaming logo and subtitle, The Flames of Fate. There's a lot we could talk about regarding DQ12 but the topic for today is the combat system. When the game was announced at the Dragon Quest 35th anniversary event, obviously we wanted to know more than just the logo and the hosts relayed this by asking Yuji Hori if there was anything else he could tell us about the game. Hori revealed that the combat battle system that everyone is familiar with would be changed. Now upon hearing this, it seems like all of a sudden everyone seems to think that this means Dragon Quest 12 will not be turn based anymore. Even some highly reputable websites are reporting that Dragon Quest 12 will be an action oriented game despite him not saying this. I don't think that Dragon Quest 12 will be an action game. There's a lot of reason to believe that Dragon Quest 12 will still be turn based. Yuji Hori even went as far as to go onto Twitter to clarify that yes the game is still using the command system but it's going to be different somehow and to stay tuned. He elaborated during the show that they're not going to get rid of the command battle system but that they will be making some changes with some prototypes for the combat already being developed. Now a lot of questions arose because of all of this. A lot of people seem to think that despite Hori saying that it will still be turn based he's going to make Dragon Quest 12 into an action RPG kind of like every other RPG series these days. As if Hori in an attempt to appeal more to western markets will go back on his word and make Dragon Quest a hack and slash style game like Final Fantasy. After all the new game is clearly somewhat targeted towards western gamers with a new darker tone and a simultaneous worldwide release. So will Dragon Quest 12 be a fast action RPG? Well I seriously doubt it. There's a lot of reason for me to doubt that a mainline game in a series will switch to this kind of combat. Dragon Quest at least the mainline entries will always be composed of turn based RPGs. Always. It's part of the series' identity and one of the main reasons the games have such wide appeal. Dragon Quest being a turn based RPG means that the emphasis in the game is on skill rather than reaction speed and that any player of any age can enjoy the games. Making Dragon Quest a hack and slash game would go against everything that makes a series special. And that's not to mention that I'm personally getting really tired of every single turn based RPG series switching to action combat. Like seriously name all of the classic turn based RPGs that are still going on. It's not a very long list. There's really only a few franchises that still do this today and people really think Dragon Quest is going to abandon turn based combat? One of the few games keeping turn based alive? Not a chance. Now it kind of sounds like I'm knocking on action RPGs but really I'm not. I enjoy those too but I think there's room for both kinds of games in the gaming ecosystem and I'm making DQ not turn based would be a huge blow to the genre as it has long been a shiny example of turn based RPGs still being relevant and alive today. And furthermore Yuji Hori has even been asked in the past about his opinion on change in the combat and he has typically held a firm stance on keeping everything turn based. In a 2010 interview between series creator Yuji Hori and former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, Iwata asks, with role playing games back then most of them were turn based games. But that's not really the case these days. Not that I agree but there are some people out there who think turn based games are outdated. Hori sensei responds, I think that play time is something that belongs to the player. I didn't want there to be a waiting time for them or to have them feel rushed, Hori explained. Until you yourself push that button the world is on hold. For that reason the turn based system based on entering commands was a good choice in the sense of operability and also fundamentally all you have to do is push the A button. Also Ryotaro Uchimura adds, that's why you can play even when you're watching TV. And even during battles if you need to take a bathroom break there's nothing to worry about. The pace really does belong to the user. The way I interpret this is Dragon Quest is not meant to be the kind of game with fast paced action keeping you on the edge of your seat. It's something you take your time with and is meant to be accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. People who have slower reaction speed can enjoy just as much as anyone else. You can play it leisurely, it's not an overly stressful game and you can even eat your lunch while playing and any game where you can eat while doing battle is great to me. They also revisited this question in 2018 at the Crunchyroll Expo where Hori says, Action games in essence really choose the player. There are certain people who are great at action games and there are certain people who are not. We feel turn based systems are something anyone can really master. What's so great about turn based games is that the computer or device waits for you to input a command in order to do something. In that sense, Dragon Quest is built on the notion that the time is the player's time and the player has control of that time. Hori also points out that turn based battling is great for grinding and leveling up while doing other things like watching TV, which is something that a lot of Japanese players do. Director Takeshi Uchikawa and producer Hokuto Okamoto laugh upon hearing this and Uchikawa adds, It's not like we're saying one excels over the other, it's not about which is more interesting or which is better because they both have great qualities and great facets to them. But it all really comes down to the concept of each of the games and the titles and finding what system is most appropriate and most fitting for that title and concept. And I of course agree. Action games and turn based games can both coexist in the gaming industry. This fear people have that Dragon Quest is going to become some hack and slash game like Ninja Gaiden is very much unfounded. The development team behind DQ has never made any indication that they intend to go in this direction and as seen in these interviews with Hori himself, making Dragon Quest an action game would go against everything that makes Dragon Quest unique. In an industry where almost every game is switching to real time combat, Dragon Quest is one of the few unique ones sticking close to its roots. Do you really want one of the few turn based franchises remaining to adopt action gameplay? I personally would rather DQ always remain turn based. To me this is one of the most important parts of the series and something that should be refined and improved but not outright abandoned. While I'm very interested in knowing what Hori plans in doing with the command system and what kind of spin he will put on it, maybe there will be some kind of real time element to it and I'm hoping new ideas. However, you can all be rest assured that the game will still have a command system and will still be a turn based RPG at its core. I hope this cleared things up. Now I want to know what you think, where do you stand on this debate? Are you happy with the way things are or do you want to see more of a change in the Dragon Quest series? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.