After 43 Years, Dragon Quest’s Yuji Horii Drops a Shocking Sequel to His Iconic NES Murder Mystery—What’s the Big Reveal?

Nintendo Announces Sequel to The Portopia Serial Murder Case in Latest Direct

This week’s dual-pronged Nintendo Direct showcased major titles such as Kirby and the World Beyond, Metroid Ravenous, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, the Japanese version of the presentation featured a surprise announcement: a sequel to Yuji Horii’s 1983 adventure game, The Portopia Serial Murder Case.

Originally released 43 years ago on personal computers and later on the NES, The Portopia Serial Murder Case became a significant success for Enix (now known as Square Enix). It has been noted that renowned game designer Hideo Kojima cited it as one of the inspirations for his career in game development.

During the Nintendo Direct, a new trailer was unveiled for the sequel to The Portopia Serial Murder Case, retaining the text-based detective work and witness interrogations from the original, along with an entirely new murder mystery plot.

The Steam page for the upcoming game states that Yuji Horii will serve as the executive director. However, there is currently no indication of English-language support. More details are expected to emerge as the game approaches its 2027 release for Switch 2 and PC.

According to the Steam description, the game is set in 1980s Kobe and promises a fresh detective experience, featuring a new cast of characters. “Players utilize a variety of commands to navigate the investigation. By gathering witness statements and physical evidence, you will gradually uncover the truth behind the serial murders,” it explains.

In 2020, Square Enix attempted to reboot the original game with an “educational demonstration” of Natural Language Processing (NLP), but this hybrid remake faced backlash and received a ‘Very Negative’ rating from Steam reviewers. Notably, Square Enix is not involved in this new sequel.

News Courtesy of Eurogamer