Dragon Quest 8 3DS remake out January 2017

The Dragon Quest 8 3DS remake comes out on 20th January 2017 in Europe, Nintendo has announced.

The handheld version of the PS2 classic includes two new playable characters, more side quests and the ability to host monsters on the go.

There's full voice-acting in all plot-important cut-scenes, Nintendo said, as well as new story content designed to provide more backstory about The Hero and the game's villain, Dhoulmagus. There's a new alternative ending, too.

Nintendo said some elements of the game have been streamlined. There's a quick save function, so there's no need to rush to a church to save. And there's a speed up feature for battles.

The new photo mode lets you take pictures outside of battles and cut-scenes. The Hero and his companions can perform special poses, and you can add stickers, filters and even put a frame around the image.

When you meet Cameron Obscura in Port Prospect you unlock Cameron's Codex, which rewards you for taking pictures of certain subjects, monsters and situations. You can then save these images to the SD card and share them via StreetPass.

Simon Parkin loved Dragon Quest 8 when he reviewed the PS2 version back in 2005. "So, the most beautiful world in a game?" he asked. "Perhaps. To look at it's cohesive, well-formed, has some of the best, most inventive enemy designs ever conceived, and the shimmering draw distance constantly beckons you into it's hazy good-looking promise."