Dragon Quest returns to Nintendo, IX on the DS

The main Dragon Quest games have usually been on consoles, while spin offs like Dragon Quest Monsters have appeared on portable systems. Dragon Quest IX is going to be the first game in the linage to be designed for a handheld. Dragon Quest IX: Protector of the Starry Sky is scheduled to come out in 2007 and it is being designed by Level 5, who made Dragon Quest VIII. While Dragon Quest has never been a major hit in North America, it’s a mega franchise in Japan. Certainly this is a benefit to the DS’ strong line up, but this also suggests that Square-Enix is uncertain on which console to support. The DS has millions of owners, which will make it easy for Dragon Quest IX to sell a millions of copies. It’s a safe bet instead of backing a new console that might not have support. Since Dragon Quest IX is heading to the DS we can probably expect the game to have new features to compliment the tried and true formula that I-VIII had. One of the new features is wireless co-op play where you can adventure with a friend. Dragon Quest IX also sticks to the cel shaded style Level 5 introduced and the first screenshots look rather impressive for the DS.