The Dragon Quest series has always been known for its expansive cast of whimsical monsters, and in Dragon Quest Treasures Review - Going For The Gold
New Monsters In Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
The new monsters thus far announced for Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince include:
- Goomulonimbus
- Vegandragora
- Ronin Raccoon
- Unnamed white lion monster
For his signature monster, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince protagonist Psaro appears to travel with a glowing white lion companion never before seen in the series. While it resembles many of the big cat-type enemies that have previously appeared as Dragon Quest enemies, its color and body type set it apart. This will likely be some kind of beast of legend, a one-of-a-kind creature that Psaro will come to rely on over the course of the game. While the unnamed lion looks powerful enough to defeat the Dark Prince himself, there are many other monsters worth collecting.
One of the new monsters Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince introduces to the series is yet another variation on the classic Slime: the Goomulonimbus. This is a pun on the classification "cumulonimbus," which designates ominous, towering clouds that usually appear when a thunderstorm is about to roll in. However, the Goomulonimbus looks more endearing than menacing, with winning smiles and bright, wide eyes. Goomulonimbus Slimes sit atop their namesake clouds, and their horns appear to function as electricity conductors.
Another new monster coming to Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is the Vegandragora. Playing on the mythology surrounding the mandrake plant (Mandragora officinarum), which is often said to contain a demon within its roots, this plant-based beast is against animal cruelty - except when it comes to fighting other monsters, of course. With a ruffled collar of feather-like leaves, a bright red flower atop its head, and a pair of sharp fangs that look like they're good for chewing more than just plants, the Vegandragora looks like a cross between a shrub and a reptile.
The Ronin Raccoon is the final new monster confirmed to appear in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. As its name implies, it's a raccoon that also happens to be a wandering, masterless samurai. Ronin Raccoon bears a calm smile, and carries a worn staff.
Returning Monsters In Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
Naturally, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince also includes a wide variety of classic Dragon Quest monsters. The ones that have appeared so far in the trailer are:
- Slime
- She-Slime
- Snail Slime
- Wing Slime
- Fright Bulb
- Dark Slime
- Dracky
- Platypunk
- Bunicorn
- Jailcat
- Sham Hatwitch
- Great Sabrecub
- Toady
- Khalamari Kid
- Briny Bronco
- Puffpoise
- Pteranadon
- Raptile
- Capsichum
- Cruelcumber
- Stump Chump
- Leafy Larrikin
- Drooling Ghoul
- Cutterfly
- Elysium Bird
- Firebird
- Prism Peacock
- Bantamweight
- Shadow
- Dancing Flame
- Iron Maiden
- Mud Mannequin
- Restless Armour
- Dragonlord
It's a long list already, including enemies from the Dragon Quest series both old and new. Of course, there are a wide variety of Slimes appearing in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, including the classic blue Slime, She-Slime, and Dark Slime. This new release also marks the return of the Wing Slime, which resembles a Healslime with its tentacles, but uniquely has large, elephant ear-shaped wings. The Wing Slime is exclusive to the Dragon Quest Monsters subseries, having debuted in Dragon Quest Monsters for the Game Boy Color.
Although many of these are classic Dragon Quest monsters, a couple of them actually have their origins in newer series entries too. The Sham Hatwitch first appeared in the Japan-only MMO Dragon Quest X, before making its worldwide premiere in Dragon Quest 11. The Iron Maiden, an unusually menacing monster for the Dragon Quest series, also debuted in the MMO before coming to the west in DQ11 and recurring in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince.
Another old-school Dragon Quest enemy has something of a cameo in The Dark Prince. One of its antagonists resembles the Prince of Darkness monster that first appeared in Dragon Quest 4. Both have two sets of horns, muscular frames, and two-sided scythes. The only difference is that the Prince of Darkness is red, and the antagonist of The Dark Prince is blue. While this may be a recurring monster, its new color scheme means that it's more likely to be a variation on an old design. Plus, since the trailer sets up Psaro as the titular Dark Prince, it'd be confusing to have the final showdown come down to the Dark Prince vs. the Prince of Darkness.
How Fusing Monsters Works In Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
Monster fusion is a major part of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince’s gameplay, allowing players to transform their early game team into formidable fighters. This can help players keep up with increasingly powerful enemies without constantly swapping out party and training new monsters. However, this doesn’t seem to create entirely new, unique monsters that are the sum of their component parts. Instead, fusing existing monsters of a certain type appears to result in more powerful monsters from the same category. For example, the trailer shows a Firebird and Elysium Bird combining into a Prism Peacock, a more powerful flying enemy. What happens when players combine monsters of different types remains to be seen.
A DQM sequel finally releasing in the west is an exciting prospect. That's especially true considering that there are so many more monsters in the series now than they were when Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 came out in 2011. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince will provide players a brand-new, more expansive opportunity to explore and round up friendly foes.
Source: Dragon Quest/Twitter
