Square Enix is set to launch Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World in December.
We got a pretty great minute-and-a-half look at the latest spinoff entry in the four-decade-old series during this week’s Nintendo Direct + Nintendo Treehouse.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World’s protagonists — Bianca and Nera — are no strangers, as they come from Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. These characters are voiced by Eva Fuller and Kimberley Capero, respectively.
Bianca is an upbeat and reliable girl who likes to take care of her companions, while Nera is a caring girl from Mostroferrato, a compassionate soul who loves to help others.
They’re joined by Debora (Rebecca Hanssen), a young woman who “marches to the beat of her own drum” and voices her opinion, Fluffy (Caius Nicholas), a strange creature advising Bianca and Nera on monster wrangling, and Fizzy (Harriet Carmichael), Deborah’s friend who rarely leaves her side.
The pair are set to lead a journey through a rich and varied world, in search of the fabled Leaves of Light, supposedly a tool to heal their sick fathers. Over the course of their adventure, the girls will set aside their differences and push each other on as they overcome all manner of obstacles.
As a game in the “Monsters” spinoff, Bianca and Nera are joined by many trusted monsters-turned-allies, including the passionate Debora, the strange but loyal Fluffy, and the oddball Fizzy.
The Witherwood serves as your base of operations, and you can set out from here to explore the world, which includes tropical beaches, overgrown vegetable fields, and more, all filled with monsters and dungeons.
Many monsters have special abilities, and you can recruit monsters you meet in different areas, send them into battle, and use them to synthesize new monsters. There are over 500 creatures to collect, many of which are familiar to the series, with some new ones sprinkled throughout.
Square Enix has four DLC packs arriving post-launch: The Mega Mole Hole, special dungeons you can tackle featuring monsters you’ve befriended before. You select a rank or a family of monsters to increase your chances of capturing them.
Then, there’s the Metallic Ring, which transforms nearby enemies into metal slimes, liquid metal slimes, metal king slimes or hunter mechs. It has a 30-minute in-game time between uses.
Monster Marathons is a minigame where you send a party out and give them orders to run while you finish each stage. You can craft items and earn experience points and gold coins based on how far you travel.
The Scout Run VIP Card gives you special perks to get the most out of Scout Run, including extra scouty snacks, more spawns, and shorter wait time between uses.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World releases for Switch 2 and Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC on Thursday, December 3, 2026.
