Bless him, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii says "warmth" and "accessibility" are key to the almost-40-year-old JRPG series' enduring success

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"Older computer games didn't really have a sense of warmth"

A header for Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined showing Aishe in a martial arts pose
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Yuji Horii, creator of the Dragon Quest series, believes that the games' long-running success is thanks to its "warmth" and "accessibility." Further, the producer of the Dragon Quest 7 remake, Takeshi Ichikawa, believes that entries need "Horii-esque elements" in order to succeed.

Dragon Quest turns 40 next year, making it one of the longest-running video game series in the world. Originally launching in Japan in 1986, it later became a global success after proving itself on its home turf. You know Dragon Quest has reached unimaginable levels of popularity when Square Enix changes the series' release days to Saturdays so that children won't stay home from school to play.

Speaking to Game Informer, Horii claims that his series' secret sauce was how it opened gaming up to more people. "The key concept that I really try to prioritize, or keep important to me, for Dragon Quest is that, you know, older computer games didn't really have a sense of warmth," Horii says. "But [warmth] was something that I really wanted to bring for the Dragon Quest titles. That, and accessibility for the players… I think [warmth and accessibility] are pretty important in terms of what makes Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest."

George Young
George Young
Freelance News Writer

Freelance writer, full-time PlayStation Vita enthusiast, and speaker of some languages. I break up my days by watching people I don't know play Pokemon pretty fast.

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