Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate is in development Square Enix recently announced the latest installment in its long-running Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) franchise, claiming it will tell a more "adult" story and put player choice above all else.

If you're worried that Dragon Quest XII is too much of a departure from the series' bright, family-friendly roots, fear not. Square Enix also announced Dragon Quest III HD-2D, a gorgeous remake of fan favorite Dragon Quest III.

We learned more about these games and other Dragon Quest titles during a live stream of the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary Special on May 26. This was the first Dragon Quest livestream to have official English subtitles, which was a big deal for fans of the series in the West. Those who missed the live stream can re-watch the entire hour-long presentation on YouTube.

First, the big news: Dragon Quest XII: Dragon Quest XII: The Flame of Fate is in production. This will be the first full-length series since Dragon Quest XI: Dragon Quest XI: The Search for a Time Past in 2017. According to Square Enix, the game will feature a "new" battle system and a storyline that takes into account player choices. The series has never attempted such a system before. He also said that the game will be older, in contrast to the bright, happy games in the series so far. (But to be fair, many Dragon Quest stories start out that way and end up quite dark.) Otherwise, all we have now is the logo.

There is more substantial information about Dragon Quest III HD-2D. The game is a remake of Dragon Quest III, which debuted in 1988 and has since been re-released many times by Square Enix. Currently, an updated version is available on both smartphones and Nintendo Switch.

In contrast, Dragon Quest III HD-2D appears to have been rebuilt from the ground up, especially when it comes to graphics. High-resolution sprites, multi-level environments, and soft-focus filters give the entire game a picture-book angle, similar to Octopath Traveler. The combat system seems to be the same turn-based as before, but this time you can actually see your character as well as your enemies.

Square Enix also mentioned several other titles, including "Dragon Quest Treasures" and "Dragon Quest X Offline". The former is a spin-off starring the supporting characters from "Dragon Quest XI". The latter is an offline MMO version of "Dragon Quest X" and is currently only playable in Japan. Once the offline version is released worldwide, Western fans will finally have the opportunity to play "Dragon Quest X."

However, there is one drawback to this news: Square Enix did not announce the platforms or release dates for these games. Dragon Quest XI was released on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Switch, so hopefully the next series of games will follow suit.