Yuji Horii, the mastermind behind Dragon Quest, recently revealed that he has crafted a new game using AI in just 30 minutes.
Horii introduced the game, a text-based police interrogation simulation, in a post on X/Twitter. He mentioned that it only took half an hour to create and advised players to avoid using the boost button.
According to him, AI now enables individuals to develop a respectable game independently by providing it with instructions, even if they lack drawing or programming skills. He drew a parallel to his experience creating The Portopia Serial Murder Case in 1983: “I conceived the storyline, illustrated the graphics, wrote the code, and constructed the game entirely on my own.”
In this game, players interrogate a 72-year-old suspect named Komiya, a retired locksmith, regarding a burglary at a pawnshop’s safe. Players must extract statements before a lawyer arrives at 11pm, then expose the suspect’s falsehoods with evidence. The higher his agitation level, the more susceptible he is to cracking, but if his resistance hits 100, he remains silent.
Horii has previous experience working with AI in games, and earlier this year, Square Enix teamed up with Google to introduce a Gemini-driven chatbot named Chatty Slimey to Dragon Quest X.
In an interview with Famitsu, also from this year, Horii defended the decision, stating that the chatbot simplifies interactions with AI for users.
He is currently involved in the development of Dragon Quest 12 and Next: The Portopia Serial Murder Case, scheduled for release in 2027.
Unity recently introduced Unity Spark, a web-based tool for constructing 3D games with text prompts, set to launch in beta later this year on Google’s Playground.