Dragon Quest Walk

Dragon Quest Walk[1] is an augmented reality role-playing video game developed by COLOPL and published by Square Enix. It is a free-to-play entry in the Dragon Quest series and was released in Japan on 12 September 2019.

Dragon Quest Walk
Developer(s)COLOPL
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Yuji Horii
Artist(s)Akira Toriyama
Composer(s)Koichi Sugiyama
SeriesDragon Quest
Platform(s)Android, iOS
Release
  • JP: 12 September 2019
Genre(s)Augmented reality, role-playing game

Gameplay

The gameplay of Dragon Quest Walk is centered around interaction with various real-world locations in-game, with various monsters and characters from the Dragon Quest series being in the game. Players could battle monsters in order to improve their character and obtain items, or in order to advance quests. The quests system in the game require players to walk towards certain destinations in real life, which would unlock enemies or interactions with in-game characters. Various locations in the game would also restore the player character's hit points.[2] The battles with monsters involve the player character, or their party with other players, engaging with one or more monsters. Once the battle is completed, players may receive items which could be equipped on their characters in order to improve their skills.[3][4] As with other games in the JRPG genre or in the Dragon Quest series, players may opt to automatically resolve the battle without additional input.[5] Occasionally, more powerful monsters may appear in the in-game map, which could be fought by up to 12 players simultaneously.[6]

Within the game, players could also establish "home" locations wherever they would like.[3] These homes could be customized with various decorations, similar to the MMO Dragon Quest X.[7]

Development

Walk was developed by Japanese mobile studio COLOPL, with planning and production being done by Square Enix. Its development was first announced in June 2019, and a beta registration was opened to enroll 20,000 beta testers (10,000 for Android and iOS each). Walk had Yuji Horii as General director, Akira Toriyama as character and monster designer and Koichi Sugiyama as composer.[8] Dragon Quest Walk was released on 12 September 2019 in Japan for Android and iOS.

Reception

Within the first week of its release, the game had been downloaded over five million times.[9] Analytics company Sensor Tower estimated that the game received US$86 million in revenue during in first month,[10] while throughout 2019, Walk generated US$201 million in revenue, making it the second-highest grossing location-based mobile game after Pokémon Go and ahead of the China-exclusive Let's Hunt Monsters in third place.[11] In January 2020, a partnership with Suntory was established, where 14,000 of their vending machines across Japan would act as in-game locations to restore health and receive special missions.[12]

References
  1. ドラゴンクエスト ウォーク
  2. "「ドラゴンクエストウォーク」，ゲーム要素を紹介する企画「おさらい冒険記」がスタート。第1回は「スマホをもって、ぼうけんにでかけよう編」". 4gamer.net (in Japanese). 25 July 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. "『ドラゴンクエストウォーク』クエスト形式で進むゲームの流れを紹介。目的地を決めて歩んでいくのは、自分自身！". Famitsu (in Japanese). 25 July 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  4. "『ドラゴンクエストウォーク』冒険者の強化には欠かせない、モンスターを倒すとドロップする"モンスターのこころ"とは？". Famitsu (in Japanese). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  5. "Dragon Quest Walk: Square Enix challenges Pokemon Go with new AR". Japan Today. 15 June 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  6. "「ドラゴンクエストウォーク」，「おさらい冒険記」第3回「メガモンスター襲来！編」が公開。巨大なゴーレムを最大12人の仲間と共に倒そう". 4gamer.net (in Japanese). 8 August 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  7. McWhertor, Michael (3 June 2019). "Dragon Quest Walk is like Pokémon Go, but with slimes". Polygon. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  8. "「ドラゴンクエストウォーク」を一足先に楽しめるβ版体験会が関東圏で6月11日より開催決定。参加申込みを受け付け中". 4gamer.net (in Japanese). 3 June 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  9. "Mobile AR game Dragon Quest Walk passes 5 million downloads in Japan". Gamasutra. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  10. "Sensor Tower: Dragon Quest Walk has second-best AR game launch". VentureBeat. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  11. Phillips, Tom (10 January 2020). "Pokémon Go's 2019 haul reveals just how much better it's doing than Harry Potter: Wizards Unite". Eurogamer. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  12. Forde, Matthew (28 January 2020). "Square Enix and Suntory partner for Dragon Quest Walk missions via Japanese vending machines". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
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