Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, the seventh installment in the popular role-playing game franchise, has sold over 1 million copies worldwide, making it a remarkable achievement. This milestone proves the continuing popularity of the Dragon Quest series, especially in its home country, Japan.
Developed by Tose and published by Square Enix for Nintendo Switch, the game is the first in the series to be released outside of Japan since 2011’s Joker 2. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince follows the release of Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3.
The game has seen a massive increase in sales, especially in Japan, where it sold an impressive 525,000 physical units. The high demand for digital copies in Japan, which is in part due to the limited stock of boxed units, suggests that the game may have reached the 1 million unit sales milestone in Japan alone.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is unique in that it features Psaro, the main antagonist from Dragon Quest IV, as the protagonist. The game’s story is set before the events of Dragon Quest IV, where Psaro embarks on a mission to defeat his father, who has cursed him. In his journey, he becomes a ‘monster wrangler,’ a central theme of the game.
The gameplay of The Dark Prince remains true to the series’ roots, offering turn-based menu selection combat and 3D overworld exploration. Players must capture monsters by demonstrating strength, enticing them with meat, or hatching them from eggs. A key feature of the game is the “synthesis” mechanic, where players combine captured monsters to create a team potent enough to tackle increasingly challenging foes.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince was released worldwide on December 1, 2023. It is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.