Dragon Quest town and adventure RPG attraction coming to Japanese theme park

Dragon Quest Island sends you and your companion Slime on a quest to defeat the evil Zoma.

Back in October, Japanese theme park Nijigen no Mori opened its latest attraction, in which visitors venture into the mouth of a gigantic 120-meter (393-foot) Godzilla statue. The Hyogo Prefecture park isn’t done with giant reptile-related projects, though, as it’s announced that its next major addition will allow you to step into the world of landmark role-playing video game franchise Dragon Quest.

Dragon Quest Island: Zoma and the Island of Beginning sounds like it’s going to go beyond even the impressive VR Dragon Quest game we played in Tokyo a while back. Nijigen no Mori says it will be using a mix of physical and digital elements to create an “outdoor field RPG attraction” that you travel through on a quest that, judging from the name, will pit you against Zoma, archvillain of Dragon Quest III, one of Japanese fans’ all-time favorite installments in the series.

The exact nature of how the quest will progress is still shrouded in mystery, but the mention of digital effects seems to be hinting at some sort of augmented reality element. You won’t just be looking for clues or treasure, though, as Nijigen no Mori is promising that your path to heroism will include slaying monsters. The designers have even created an all-new character to help you achieve your destiny.

The latest in Dragon Quest’s pantheon of scene-stealing Slimes, Homirotto gets his name from a fusion of Hoimi Slime (“Healslime” in English versions of the games) and Roto, the name of Dragon Quest’s legendary hero of yore (also known as Erdrick in some localizations). Homirotto is a Slime who dreams of being a hero, and he serves as your companion on the quest, offering both advice and combat assistance.

Though Dragon Quest Island was just announced to the general public, it’s secretly been in the works for quite some time, with Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii taking to Twitter to help break the news.

▼ “I’ve wanted to tell people about this for so long, and it was so hard keeping it a secret, but finally I can talk about it! A Dragon Quest town will be created at [Nigigen no Mori]! I hope you all enjoy it!”

ずっと言いたくて内緒にしておくのが辛かったです。やっと言えます。なんと、淡路島にドラクエの街が誕生します！　皆さん、お楽しみにです。https://t.co/zcyqDb64CX

— 堀井雄二 (@YujiHorii) December 10, 2020

Judging from Horii’s tweet, it sounds like the attraction will consist of both wilderness and town themed-areas, and thankfully the wait for Dragon Quest Island to open won’t be too long, as it’s scheduled to start receiving adventurers in spring 2021.

Source: Nijigen no Mori via Jin, PR Times
Images: PR Times
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