At a recent event for Dragon Quest Heroes II: The Twin Kings and the Prophecy's End, Square Enix released a veritable movie marathon of trailers and gameplay footage, along with descriptions of several characters and game features.

Each of these characters should be familiar faces from previous Dragon Quest games. First, from Dragon Quest IV, Torneko is an arms dealer who travels the world in search of legendary weapons but winds up in the Dragon Quest Heroes II universe by accident and joins the protagonist to get back home. He also takes it upon himself to seek out special items for the party. He is worried about his family back home, but relishes the new adventure before him.

Torneko fights with the variety of items that he has gathered throughout his travels, like his giant mace or crossbows. His special move Arakure Yobi is a trumpet call to summon a squad of soldiers to take down his enemies.

Maribel is from Dragon Quest VII, the spoiled daughter of the mayor in a small fishing village. She gets caught up in the war between Gywall and Orenka she a large pack of monsters attacks her for no apparent reason. Figuring that they have been driven crazy by her womanly charms, she jumps into the action.

Normally Maribel attacks with a boomerang and spells from a distance, but when enemies get close she can bust out some special skills that only haughty politician's daughter would use. Her Retaliate (above) knocks back enemies with a giant hand, while Shout Aloud hits them with a flurry of verbal abuse. Her special move is called Flames of Purgetory and does basically what you would expect.

Gabo is also from Dragon Quest VII and finds this world along with Maribel. He is a young wild child who inherited the power of a Legendary White Wolf and as a result, always travels with his wolf companion. His keen sense of smell can pick up enemies and danger from far away. He thrives on the battlefield, but is easily distracted if he senses some good food nearby.

Gabo's special skills utilize his wolf and other uncanny abilities, like breathing fire. His special, Sheep Stampede, calls in a stampede of, you guessed it, sheeps.

Teamwork in Dragon Quest Heroes II is vital to success and manifests in a variety of ways. Characters can learn Party Skills by gaining proficiency with a specific weapon type. When learned, they boost the stats of the entire party, so it is beneficial to acquire them on all your characters. Party Combos call in the rest of your party to your currently controlled member to rain down special attacks. You can call in a combo even if your other party members are far away.

These elements will be particularly relevant when running into Field Missions. In a field mission, large hordes of enemies will attack travelers in the field and it is up to you and your party to save them. Completing them will yield bonus experience, so keep an eye out!

In addition, the Monster Coin system from the first game is back, allowing characters to transform into a monster in battle. The game will also have a Multiplayer Battle Mode in a free update and sub scenarios for Dragonlord and Estark as free DLC.

Original Characters

• Razel (voiced by Mirai Moriyama)
• Tereshia (voiced by Emi Takei)
• Cesare (voiced by Takayuki Yamada)
• Orneze (voiced by Nana Mizuki)

New Dragon Quest Characters

• Meena (voiced by Yoko Hisa)
• Torneko (voiced by Chafurin)
• Carver (voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto)
• Gabo (voiced by Mutsumi Tamura)
• Maribel (voiced by Aoi Yuki)
• Angelo (voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya)

Returning Dragon Quest Characters

• Alena (voiced by Shoko Nakagawa)
• Kiryl (voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa)
• Maya (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro)
• Terry (voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya)
• Jessica (voiced by Ayana Taketatsu)

Dragon Quest Heroes II: The Twin Kings and the Prophecy's End comes out in Japan on May 27 for PS3, PS4, and PS Vita.

UPDATE: We've added over 60 new screen shots to the gallery below, so don't miss them!

• Gematsu

• Dragon Quest Heroes II Gallery