After 43 years, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii is making a surprise sequel to his NES murder mystery game

During a Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation, a surprise sequel was announced for The Portopia Serial Murder Case, the 1983 adventure game created by Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii. The original murder mystery title originally released on personal computers before coming to the NES, eventually becoming a significant hit for Enix, which is now Square Enix. Notably, Hideo Kojima has previously credited the original game as an inspiration for why he began making video games.

According to its Steam page, Yuji Horii is supervising the upcoming project as an executive director. Set in 1980s Kobe, the new game features a menu-driven, command-selection text adventure format. Players utilize a variety of commands to navigate the investigation, gathering witness statements and physical evidence alongside a new cast of characters to uncover secrets hidden behind a new string of murders. At present, there is no sign of English-language support. The title is approaching a release window on PC and the Nintendo Switch 2.

Square Enix is not reported to be involved in this upcoming sequel. Three years prior, Square Enix attempted to revive the original game through an AI-focused natural language processing demonstration that received a 'Very Negative' rating on Steam. However, the new sequel looks to return to traditional menu-driven detective work as it approaches its planned 2027 launch.