Dragon Quest creator believes AI can make JRPG characters "feel even more human" and "listen to people's concerns with empathy," hopes to add it to "other series too"

Square Enix is working with Google on a chatbot themed around the Dragon Quest series that'll deploy as a feature in the tenth mainline installment, and the JRPG franchise's creator is optimistic about the possibilities of AI altogether.

Yuji Horii, father and longtime developer of the Dragon Quest games, spoke about the technology during this year's Google Cloud Next conference. As reported by Toyo Keizai, and translated by Automaton, he said AI is "not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player."

The tool in question in this case is called Oshaberi Slimey, or Chatty Slimey, and will apparently be a supportive presence to you in the MMORPG Dragon Quest 10. The notion is it'll be like a built-in guide players can use to bounce whatever's on their mind while playing.

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"With regular AI, people can feel embarrassed about treating it like a friend, but if it’s a game character, the barrier is lower, and people may find it easier to talk to about various topics," Horii explains.

"I think it’s wonderful that [Slimey] can also listen to people’s concerns with empathy and even talk about things unrelated to the game itself," he continues. "I’d like to explore ways for AI characters to accompany players as supporting companions while they play, which could then expand into other series too."

Being honest, this would be something I turn off as soon as I'm able, not only because of my dislike of chatbots, but because it sounds like it might be intrusive and a little creepy? Although it'll apparently wait for your prompt, will it be monitoring how I play and making suggestions? Gemini Live integration will allow for voice chat too. And last I checked, language pattern recognition wasn't capable of empathy. It almost seems like a more intricate Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and we all know the general feelings on them.

"AI characters could become an entry point that teaches beginners how to play, and even after leaving the game, players might come to consider them as friends," Horii concludes. There's no release date yet, but the bot is in beta at the moment.

Former Dragon Quest director says JRPG icon Yuji Horii taught him the series is "not about the storyline, the experience is what matters"