At one time Dragon Quest IX was said to have real time battles. Square Enix never demonstrated so this is more like dead hearsay since the final version of Dragon Quest IX stuck with turn based combat.
In a competitive twist Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojyuu will have real time battles and it’s being called a “casual MMORPG”. Like Dragon Quest IX you start the game making a character. You can pick a male or female avatar and also like Dragon Quest IX your outfit changes depending on your equipment. Some of the costumes shown include samurai armor and a full cat suit. Hopefully, Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojuu won’t get leftovers from Akira Toriyama’s batch of rejected Dragon Quest IX costumes. Toriyama is doing art for both games. One feature not found in Dragon Quest IX is you can change the main character’s voice.
Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojyuu might be a Diablo-like MMO, but you can play the game alone. Up to three characters can join your party and when you don’t have anyone around Shu’s crew fills in the gap. Shadows aren’t attached to specific characters anymore either so you can give the main character Shu’s Dragon shadow or Jiro’s Minotaur. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize those characters. You won’t need any previous knowledge of the Blue Dragon franchise to play Blue Dragon: Ikai no Kyojyuu when it comes out in Japan later this year.