Dragon Quest VIII: latest trailer details the new features and elements

Yesterday, Nintendo of America shared not one, but two trailers for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, showcasing the two new playable characters (Red and Morrie). And today, Nintendo of Europe uploaded another trailer, this time showcasing the new features and elements to be found in this Nintendo 3DS version of the PS2 classic.

First, the trailer briefly introduces the two new playable characters (Red and Morrie), before moving on to one of the most noticeable changes: the lack of random encounters. Indeed, you can now see enemies in the field, and avoid them if your party is in trouble or if you simply want to be left alone.

In battle, you can now speed things up, which is great news as the PlayStation 2 was known for being rather… sluggish. Speaking of battles, you now recover HP and MP when you level up: a welcome change that should help players deep in dungeon!

Next, there’s the camera feature, that lets you take pictures. Here’s what we wrote about it a few weeks ago:

There’s also a new feature that lets you take pictures at any time (outside battles and cutscenes). You can even customise them by having the characters perform special poses, but also by using stickers, filters, and frames.

Once you’re done, you can save the pictures to your SD Card, and even share them with other players via StreetPass (who can then give them a thumbs up. The more of those you earn, the higher the chance of receiving a new item as reward).

If you really like taking pictures, you should definitely go see Cameron Obscura in Port Prospect: he gives you the Cameron’s Index. If you complete it by taking pictures of specific subjects, monsters, or situation, you will receive some rewards.

Finally, the trailer briefly mentions other new features/improvements: you can now craft items instantly, there’s new story content to discover, and there’s a brand new dungeon for you to explore. Have to stop playing right away, but there’s no save spot nearby? No problem: you can now quick save anywhere in the game!

Here’s the latest trailer for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King on Nintendo 3DS:

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (3DS) comes out on January 20th in Europe and North America.