Dragon Quest trilogy announced for DS

Square Enix has announced not just one new Dragon Quest game for DS but a whole trilogy – one that will begin with the game Dragon Quest: The Chapter of the Chosen this September, then continue with the games The Hand of the Heavenly Bride and Realms of the Reverie. That's a lot of dragon slaying.

The series, called the Zenithia Trilogy, marks the first time these classic Dragon Quest titles have been released in Europe (previously they only came out in Japan, where they're massively popular, with some spilling over into the US).

While the first game is based on the classic NES game Dragon Quest IV, Square promises the releases will breathe plenty of new life into the classic games, too, with 3D graphics, newly animated monsters and a complete audio overhaul of the games' orchestral music.

The Chapters of the Chosen, the first game in the series that's been announced, will also feature a pretty lengthy story, spread over five distinct chapters. Each chapter is named after a new character and has you solving a sort of mystery about them, from tracking down a missing knight to finding out if two sisters ever found their father's murderer. The final chapter focuses on your own character, at which point we sense a twist in the plot coming on.

As well as this epic-sounding single-player adventure, wireless play will be supported by the game and enable players to meet through chance encounters in the real world.

To date, the Dragon Quest series has shipped over 43 million units, which gives it a pretty sizeable fan base. No doubt it's going to be huge when released across European territories starting this autumn. You can see the first screenshots of the game above and if you click 'Track It!' to be informed when further news on it emerges.