Square Enix has released some more tidbits on the most anticipated game of the year in Japan, Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi. The PlayStation 2 title will feature a huge array of widely different environments:

-A huge sand desert, which is home to the large Mad Hand enemies.
-A beautiful snowfield, which is inhabited by the not so beautiful Koori Tsuku Musuko enemies, but also humans.
-A landscape dominated by the colorful leaves of its trees and a mysterious tower.
-An area featuring huge canyon structures.
-A forest area behind a broken gate, which is home to powerful monsters, such as giant slimes.
-A stone desert.
-A vast, green plateau, featuring a river, a treasure chest and a church towering above the otherwise uninhabited land.
-The home of the Killer Panzer.
-Grasslands inhabited by cows.
-The village in the mountains, where the protagonist can listen to rumors told by old men.
-A town full of rowdies.
-The large town of Trapeta, which has been recently hit by a series of fire incidents.
-The village in the snow fields, where a strong man has been knocked out under mysterious circumstances.
-A forted town built beneath a castle.
-A flourishing town, which currently has to deal with a rebellion.

In addition to this huge list of locations, a new feature of the game's battle system as well revealed. Certain enemies will be capable of merging into a huge, more powerful entity.
Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi will be released in Japan on November 27th for 8,800 yen ($84.45 US).

• GameWatch