Dragon Quest VIII: latest screens and details for the new characters and monsters; battle speed option

Today, Square-Enix revealed some new screenshots for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King on the Nintendo 3DS. They showcase some of the new elements of this 3DS version, starting with the new characters:

– Morrie (who owns the Monster Arena): he can use weapons such as hammers. Two of his skills are showcased in the screenshots below: Tiger Claws (Claw Skill, which is brand new) and Morrie Burning (Unarmed Skill).
– Red (a thief): she can use daggers and whips. Two of her skills are showcased in the screenshots below: Fan Dance (Fan Skill) and Twin Wave (Whip Skill).

Then, Square-Enix introduces some of the monsters (from other Dragon Quest games) that will appear in Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for the first time:

– Jailcat
– Heligator
– Dancing Devil
– Satyr
– Mori Satan
– Pudding Slime

Square-Enix also gives some details about the gameplay, such as the Skill System.

When you level up, you get the usual experience points, but also some Skill Points. Each character has five Skill values (3 for their favored weapon, 1 for unarmed combat, and one for their special ability), and you can chose to distribute your SP between any of those. When one of the values reaches a certain level, the character will get new powers and/or stats bonuses.

Finally, we get details on a feature that fans who played the original game will love. One of the biggest criticisms about Dragon Quest VIII is about the battles, which can be painfully slow. Not only have they been sped up on Nintendo 3DS, but Square-Enix also added an option to speed up battles even more: you will see “Fast” at the top left corner of the screen when it’s activated.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (3DS) comes out on August 27th in Japan.

Source: 4Gamer.net