Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride available across Europe in February

London (8th January 2009) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that DRAGON QUEST®: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride™ will be released across PAL territories on 20th February 2009, exclusively on the Nintendo DS™ handheld system.

Following the fun and colourful path set by DRAGON QUEST: The Chapters of the Chosen™, the second instalment in the Zenithia Trilogy, DRAGON QUEST: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride now journeys onto the Nintendo DS as a high quality remake of the classic DRAGON QUEST V, packed with exciting new features and a truly genre defining story.

Considered to be one of the best games in the entire DRAGON QUEST series; DRAGON QUEST: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride will finally make its much awaited debut in Europe. Look out for the next adventure in the trilogy – DRAGON QUEST: Realms of Reverie™ – coming to Nintendo DS soon.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “We are delighted to be bringing another classic DRAGON QUEST adventure to the Nintendo DS in Europe and the PAL territories. With DRAGON QUEST: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride, we hope game players of all ages will enjoy following our hero through his exciting lifetime, full of great adventures and surprises.”

About DRAGON QUEST: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride

Story

An epic story involving three generations of one family. The story begins at childhood, as our hero travels around the world with Papas, his father.
After many exciting encounters he grows into a young man. He is now ready to depart for the greatest adventure, with the courage of his father, beating strong in his heart.
Awaiting him is an amazing world and the biggest choice he will have to make in his entire life…

Features

• The first appearance of a never-before-seen, classic DRAGON QUEST adventure in Europe!
• Exotica Net allows you to swap items with fellow DRAGON QUEST: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride players, even with your console on standby.
• Experience a unique, charming story that follows the life of a young boy on his journey to become a hero. Along the way you will meet various friends, enemies and even find a bride and start a family.
• A vast, beautiful and colourful world to explore – with even more colourful characters to meet, monsters to battle and secret treasures to find.
• Recruit monsters to your party and arm them so they join you in battle.
• A complete audio/visual overhaul breathes new life into a classic with advanced 3D graphics and an arranged orchestral score.

About Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd., with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan’s best-selling franchises – FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 85 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST which has sold over 47 million units worldwide – under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. with offices in London. Square Enix Ltd. handles operations in Europe and other PAL territories including sales, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com

DRAGON QUEST, FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. in the United Kingdom and/or other countries. The Hand of the Heavenly Bride, The Chapters of the Chosen and Realms of Reverie are registered trademarks or trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. in the United Kingdom and/or other countries. NINTENDO DS IS A TRADEMARK OF NINTENDO. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.