Here’s a summary of the Japanese Dragon Quest XI Direct

The Japanese Dragon Quest XI Direct has just ended. As mentioned previously, the Direct focused on special features of Dragon Quest XI on Nintendo 3DS.

The first part of the Direct discusses about the 2 different modes of Dragon Quest XI, which is exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version. What’s special about Dragon Quest XI is it can be played in either 2D mode, 3D mode, or both at the same time (Top screen in 3D, bottom screen in 2D). All scenes, battles, and locations are fully playable in both modes, so you won’t be missing anything important.

In 3D mode, the game has a day/night cycle and weather system. In addition, the camera can be rotated in any direction. In 2D mode, it may be easier to find new villages, routes, or suspicious locations that are harder to find in 3D mode.

The encounter system works slightly different in both modes. In 3D mode, a battle begins when players are close to a monster in the game. However in 2D mode, encounters are completely random, as there are no monsters shown in the overworld.

As scenes and events are re-enacted slightly differently in both 3D and 2D mode, there’s an option for players to re-watch any scenes or events that have unlocked in either 2D or 3D mode.

If players are playing both modes at the same time, 3D mode will be displayed on the top screen, and 2D mode on the bottom screen. The Circle Pad is used to control the characters in 3D mode, while the D-Pad is used to control the characters in 2D mode.

A few new features are also included in Dragon Quest XI. The first is the camp system. A camp is a place where the party is able to rest, plus a shop for players to restock on items. There’s a statue stationed at every camp which lets players save their data or switch between 2D and 3D.

The next new feature is “Zone”. Members of a party will combine forces during a battle to unleash a powerful attack. Lastly, players will be able to ride monsters they have defeated in Dragon Quest XI. This works in both 2D and 3D mode.

The Spell of Restoration password system will be making a return to Dragon Quest XI.

In the second part of the Direct, details of the StreetPass feature were finally revealed. In Dragon Quest XI, players will encounter a new race of characters called Yocchi during some point of the story. There are different colors of Yocchi which can be obtained via the StreetPass feature. Every Yocchi has their own strengths and weaknesses.

Once players have gathered enough Yocchi, a party of up to 8 Yocchi can be formed to enter a special StreetPass dungeon. Strong and weak enemies live inside the dungeon, and Yocchi which are defeated by enemies cannot return back to the base. Various treasures are also found inside the dungeon.

Once Yocchi reach a dead end inside the dungeon, they will start walking in the opposite direction to leave the dungeon. A strong enemy called Tobiranobannin (Gateskeeper) will attempt to stop them from escaping. If the Yocchi succeeds in killing it, a treasure chest which contains an item called “Scroll of Adventure Password” will appear. Using this item will teleport players to a world which resembles one of the old Famicom Dragon Quest games.

You can re-watch the 14 minute long Direct below.

Dragon Quest XI launches on Nintendo 3DS in Japan on July 29th, 2017.