Dragon Quest series has been a major franchise in Japan. So big that players from school and work would call-in sick just to get their hands on the game on release date. The game released July 29, 2017 in Japan and up to this point only acknowledgment of the game would come West. Now, there’s a date set for Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age to arrive in western countries, September 4, 2018. It’ll be over a year since its release in Japan but that’s the norm for many Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs).

The JRPG will be coming to the PlayStation 4 and Steam, however no mentioned of the Nintendo Switch or Nintendo 3DS, despite that the Nintendo Switch version is still in development. Dragon Quest XI started the initial development for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 3DS in 2013, years before the Nintendo Switch was released. The game was built using Unreal Engine 4 and Dragon Quest Builders (originally released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita) was ported over to Nintendo’s latest console. However, IF there’s a chance for a Switch release date announcement, we could hear it at either e3 or Tokyo Game Show this year. Some hope but no promises. Dragon Quest XI was also originally released on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan and based on the announcement, it doesn’t sound like western countries will get that version. This maybe based that the game may not sell well on the handheld device with the Switch being a hot product.

So what is Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age all about? Here’s the official release from Square Enix about the game and its features:

DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age tells a captivating tale of a hunted hero and is the long-awaited role-playing game from series creator Yuji Horii, character designer Akira Toriyama, and series composer Koichi Sugiyama. As the eleventh mainline entry in the critically acclaimed series, DRAGON QUEST XI is a completely standalone experience that features entirely new characters, a beautifully detailed world, finely tuned turn-based combat, and an immersive story that will appeal to longtime fans and franchise newcomers alike.  After its release in Japan, DRAGON QUEST XI won multiple gaming awards and received critical praise, including PlayStation’s Platinum Prize and a perfect 40/40 score from Famitsu (Japanese publication).

In addition to delivering over 100 hours of content, the Western release of DRAGON QUEST XI will also feature several upgrades and enhancements that were not included in the Japanese release, including:

• English Voiceover
• Draconian Quest, a hard mode that offers additional challenges for more experienced players.
• Overhauled Menus & UI, with graphical enhancements and more intuitive navigation.
• Camera Mode, allowing players to take in views of the beautiful landscape, character renders and ferocious monsters in detail.
• A New Dash Function and many other system enhancements such as improved character and camera movement

The game will have English voice overs along with a more “challenging” mode called Draconian Quest and other unique features. Square Enix has released a few footages when the game was announced this morning: opening movie and gameplay action.