In celebration of Dragon Quest's 30th anniversary, NHK General TV aired a special program dedicated to the video game. The program did not really reveal a lot but it carried some interesting tidbits about what players should expect of the upcoming video game, Dragon Quest XI: In Search of Departed Time.

One of the most interesting was the protagonist riding the Blue Dragon. This means that the upcoming game will feature dragon-riding which was not seen in the previous Dragon Quest titles.

Although Dragon Quest XI features mounts, it does not include dragons because the game's goal is for the character to fight dragons. Not use them for their advantage; thus, the clip showing the protagonist mounting a dragon hints that there could be some changes in the game mechanics.

Aside from the dragon-riding feature, camping is also added allowing players to rest and heal their HPs and MPs. While camping, players can also patrol the area, pray to the goddess, or do dome smithing.

Speaking of smithing, players can use this feature to craft their weapons which they can use during their adventure. The 'Smithing' menu displays the set of requirements in order to create the item as well as their description and difficulty level. Some of the interesting weapons the players can craft include Zombie Killer, Inferno Sword, Miracle Sword Modified, and Hayabusa Sword Modified.

Dragon Quest XI: In Search of Departed Time has been confirmed that it will be released in the United States as well. This is good news for those who were not able to play Dragon Quest X because it skipped a US release.

It will be released in Japan first sometime in 2017 on the PS4 and 3DS platforms. The team behind the game is also developing a version that will be released on the Nintendo Switch.