Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii is set to supervise a new sequel to his 1983 debut adventure game, The Portopia Serial Murder Case. The original title, a text-based detective adventure, was first released on personal computers before coming to the NES and became a notable success for Enix, now Square Enix.
A trailer for the new game was revealed during a Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation this week. The sequel appears to retain the core mechanics of the original, featuring text-based detective work and witness interrogations, while introducing a new string of murders. The game is scheduled for a 2027 release window and will be available on Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Information from the game's Steam page indicates that Horii is involved as an executive director for the project.
The upcoming title will transport players to 1980s Kobe, where they will engage in a fresh detective experience. The gameplay involves gathering witness statements and physical evidence through a menu-driven, command-selection interface to uncover the truth behind serial murders. The game will feature a new cast of characters as players navigate the investigation.
Notably, Square Enix previously attempted to revive The Portopia Serial Murder Case three years ago with an "educational demonstration of Natural Language Processing (NLP)." This experimental pseudo-remake was met with a "Very Negative" rating on Steam from players, though the company does not appear to be involved with the development of the upcoming sequel. Hideo Kojima has previously cited the original Portopia Serial Murder Case as an inspiration for his career in game development.