Dragon Quest Treasures is the latest series spinoff with a new flair: mashing together treasure hunting and monster collecting that features Dragon Quest XI‘s siblings Erik and Mia into a starring role. Delving into their youthful travails, Treasures will transport the pair to the floating isles of Draconia.

Along with mystical Dragon’s Daggers and their spirits to guide them, Erik and Mia will not only battle monsters, but rival gangs vying for the spoils. Monsters will have special abilities to help you travel through the isles, and will even bestow Visions that will help you locate treasure chests. Once you’ve pilfered your plunder, you’ll need to get it back to your base safely to claim the reward.

Below, Square Enix shared an update detailing these key systems including the story, characters, and gameplay loop.

Dragon Quest Treasures will release on December 9, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.

Story

Erik and his sister Mia live on a Viking longship, dreaming of the day they can explore the world in search of grand treasure.

One night they encounter a pair of otherworldly creatures, Porcus and Purrsula, and are whisked away to a mysterious place known as Draconia – a legendary land full of monsters and treasures just waiting to be discovered.

The adventure Erik and Mia have always dreamed of is finally underway!

Having fled the Viking longship, Erik and Mia are guided by a pair of curious creatures to a mysterious ruin. In the ruin they come across a pair of Dragon Daggers, which triggers a chain of events that sees them sucked into a whole different world…

The world in which they find themselves is called Draconia – a floating island where monsters roam free!

With their trusty Dragon Daggers to aid them, our heroes commence their search for the seven mythical Dragonstones!

Characters

“DRAGON QUEST TREASURES puts you in control of two main protagonists: Erik and Mia. Whichever you choose to play as is entirely up to you. Progress and character development are shared between them, which means nothing is lost when you decide to switch.

If you’re a fan of DRAGON QUEST, you may also already recognize this plucky pair. They originally appeared in DRAGON QUEST XI, where Erik joined the protagonist on his journey to save the world.

Let’s take a look at them as they appear in DRAGON QUEST TREASURES… and their spirit guides!”

Erik

“Erik is an inquisitive and mischievous young man who lives on the Viking longship with his little sister. He dreams of finding incredible treasures and becoming rich beyond his wildest dreams!”

VA: Mack Keith Roach

Erik’s Spirit Guide: Purrsula

“A curious creature rescued by our heroes, Purrsula looks like a cat and acts as Erik’s sidekick.”

VA: Laura Aikman

Mia

“Mia is a determined and energetic young woman who lives on the Viking longship with her brother Erik. She loves nothing more than hunting for treasure and would like to get her hands on a real haul one day.”

VA: Freya Skye

Mia’s Spirit Guide: Porcus

“Porcus looks like a pig. He takes a shine to Mia and accompanies her wherever she goes.”

VA: Adam Diggle

Gameplay

“Next, we’ll take a look at some of the things you’ll be doing in DRAGON QUEST TREASURES!

The world of Draconia is made up of numerous islands, all of which have their own unique characteristics. The monsters that inhabit each island are different too!

Fortunately, the Dragon Daggers allow Erik and Mia to communicate and cooperate with these monsters! The islands of Draconia are diverse and feature everything from volcanoes to glaciers. Use your monsters’ special skills to search for treasure wherever you go! Your monster pals will come to your aid on the battlefield, and fight alongside Erik or Mia to take down pesky enemies.

In DRAGON QUEST TREASURES, you’ll work with your monster pals to find hidden treasures. Here’s how it works! The Fortune Finder is your first port of call when looking for treasure. Head in the direction indicated by the arrow. If your monsters start getting overexcited, activate the Fortune Finder to trigger their Treasure Visions. You’ll see the location of buried treasure through your monsters’ eyes. Use the information provided by the Treasure Visions to track down the treasure. If you see the ground begin to glow brightly, that means you’ve found the loot and it’s time to start digging. Congratulations! You found some treasure! However, you won’t know how much it’s worth until you get back to base.

Formidable rivals will make life difficult for our intrepid heroes! Rival gangs will target your treasure and come to take it for themselves. Don’t let them! Any treasure you collect should be taken back to base so that it can be appraised. Only then will you learn exactly how much it’s worth! Collect loot to grow your base and develop into ever more talented treasure hunters! Some of the treasures you find may even feature legendary figures from the DRAGON QUEST series!”