Shopping Guide
Square Enix's incredibly popular Dragon Quest series celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, so what better time for an adventurous Real Escape Game x Dragon Quest event! SCRAP Corporation (based in Shibuya, Tokyo; founded by Takao Kato) collaborated with Square Enix (based in Shinjuku, Tokyo; CEO: Yosuke Matsuda) to create the thrilling Escape from the Dragonlord's Labyrinth, the opening event for which took place on Thursday, May 12 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba.
In this Real Escape Game, participants form adventuring parties of four people, and each player takes on a different role: warrior, mage, cleric, or jester. Japanese comedy duo NON STYLE's Yusuke Inoue is a passionate Real Escape Game fan, with a successful escape rate of 20%! He recruited Onishi Lion, Atsushi Tsutsumishita, and Toshiyuki Itakura, all fellow comedians and escape game-loving members of Yoshimoto Nazobu (the unofficial Real Escape Game fan club) to join him in his escape attempt.
Inoue happens to be a fully-fledged member of the Dragon Quest generation, so his group was designated as a support party in the Escape from the Dragonlord's Labyrinth, and as proof of this vital role Inoue received a Slime cap from SCRAP's founder, Takao Kato. Gleefully putting it on his head, he declared, "We've been out for dinner so many times, maybe this finally makes it official!"
The Vocation Checker on the Escape from the Dragonlord's Labyrinth website designated Inoue as the warrior, Tsutsumishita chose the mage, Itakura chose the cleric, and on account of his golf habit (he plays seven times a week!), Onishi Lion took on the role of jester.
While they were busy deciding which roles to take, the princess (said to be the most beautiful woman in the world) was stolen away by the thievish Robbin'Ood, and the game was afoot! Inoue immediately solved the puzzle and valiantly rescued the princess. The true identity of this unimaginably beautiful princess turned out to be none other than Ladybeard!
Naturally, Princess Ladybeard wanted to give Inoue a kiss as thanks for his gallant efforts. However, as he leaned in for a smooch, Inoue frantically resisted, exclaiming, "You smell incredible! But your stubble really hurts..." Tsutsumishita tried to sneak in a kiss too, but was swiftly rebuffed by Ladybeard.
In response to Inoue's comment that he was getting worried they weren't going to manage to escape, Onishi Lion seized the opportunity to bring the event to a close with his standard catch-phrase "Shinpai nai sa! (Hakuna matata!)." (This joke is probably much funnier if you follow Japanese comedy!)
Real Escape Game x Dragon Quest
**Escape from the Dragonlord's Labyrinth**
**The Legend Begins**
A long, long time ago, the town of Alefgard lived in terror of the Dragonlord. The land on which Alefgard stood was once overrun by evil creatures led by the Dragonlord. A young boy descended from the great hero Erdrick began a desperate attempt to save Alefgard. The terrible Dragonlord was defeated by his hand. However, the Dragonlord is attempting to resurrect himself. Deep within a labyrinth, in an abyss known to only a handful of people, the Dragonlord awaits the time of his revival - which draws closer by the minute. Brave warriors, mages, clerics, and jesters - will you join forces and enter the Dragonlord's Labyrinth, and put a stop to the resurrection of this terrifying evil?
■ Times
May 13, 2016 (Friday) - 13:00 to 23:00
May 14, 2016 (Saturday) - 10:00 to 23:00
May 15, 2016 (Sunday) - 10:00 to 23:00
*Last admission is at 19:00
■ Location
Makuhari Messe Exhibition Halls 4 to 7 (2-1 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba, 261-8550 Japan)
■ Ticket Price
Advance Tickets: ￥3,900
At the Door: ￥4,400
*Tickets are only valid for the day and time specified.
*Tickets are on sale at hourly intervals until the time of last admission.
*Please make sure to check ticket details before purchasing tickets, either in the instructions for this event or at your ticket agency.
Tickets are on sale now, so don't delay!
■ Sponsored by: Escape from the Dragonlord's Labyrinth Production Committee
■ Planning/Production: SCRAP
■ Project Supervision: Dragon Quest 30th Anniversary Executive Committee
■ Support: Square Enix, Shueisha
What is a Real Escape Game?
Starting with the free online game Crimson Room in 2004, escape games have become wildly popular. Real Escape Games bring the blood-tingling experience of the escape game format into the real world. Real Escape Game events are held in all kinds of places, from single apartment rooms to abandoned schools, abandoned hospitals, and even Tokyo Dome and Tokyo's swanky Roppongi Hills area. From its launch in 2007 until now, over 2.4 million people have experienced the thrill of Real Escape Games. And it's not just in Japan - Real Escape Games are taking the world by storm, from Shanghai to Taiwan, Singapore, San Francisco and more. For men and women both young and old, Real Escape Games are the latest sensation in interactive entertainment.
*Real Escape Game is a registered trademark of SCRAP Corporation.
What is Dragon Quest?
*Dragon Quest* is one of Japan's most famous role-playing games, in which the player takes on the role of the main character and sets off on a magnificent adventure in order to defeat the evil ruler who threatens the world.
Game designer Yuji Horii created Dragon Quest in 1986, and by using funny messages and character lines that wouldn't look out of place in a manga, plus a game system in which characters level up through repeated battles, he made it into a role-playing game that anyone can enjoy.
Throughout the series, the world-famous mangaka and creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, has been in charge of character and monster design (Slimes, anyone?). The popular Japanese composer, Koichi Sugiyama, created the music for Dragon Quest. The orchestral music that Sugiyama composed was unusual for games at the time, and it added depth to the fantasy world of Dragon Quest.
While the classic RPG style of Dragon Quest has remained faithfully unchanged from the original Nintendo Entertainment System software, Dragon Quest released in 1986, to 2012's Dragon Quest X, Dragon Quest titles have continued to innovatively keep up with the times and create new ways of playing through functions like 3D maps, making use of the wireless connectivity of StreetPass, online play, CloudPlay, and more!
Plus, in addition to the games of Dragon Quest I to X, fans have also been treated to the monster-rearing and monster-battling Dragon Quest Monster series, as well as the action role-playing game Dragon Quest Heroes, in which players can control their characters more freely. The Dragon Quest series boasts over 70 titles, and over 66 million copies have been sold worldwide.
Source: @Press
