Yuji Horii, the creator of Dragon Quest, is making a sequel to his 1983 murder mystery game The Portopia Serial Murder Case — 43 years after the original launched.
The announcement came quietly during the Japanese version of this week’s Nintendo Direct. While Western viewers got Kirby and the World Beyond, Metroid Ravenous, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Japanese viewers saw a trailer for a brand-new Portopia sequel. The game is set for a 2027 release on Switch 2 and PC.
The original Portopia Serial Murder Case first appeared on personal computers before arriving on the NES. It became a major hit for Enix, now Square Enix. Hideo Kojima has credited it as one of the reasons he wanted to make games.
The new game keeps the old format
The sequel appears to stay close to the original’s structure. The Steam page describes it as “a menu-driven, command-selection text adventure game.” Players use commands to investigate, gather witness statements and physical evidence, and uncover the truth behind a new string of murders.
The Steam description sets the scene: “Set in 1980s Kobe, players can enjoy a completely new detective experience – investigating alongside a new cast of characters to uncover the secrets hidden behind the original murders.”
Horii is supervising the project as executive director. There is no sign of English-language support yet.
“This title is a menu-driven, command-selection text adventure game. Players utilize a variety of commands to navigate the investigation.”
The original game’s text-based detective work and witness interrogations appear to be intact in the sequel, alongside fresh characters and a new case.
Square Enix is not involved this time
Three years ago, Square Enix tried to revive the original with an unusual experiment. The company released a version described as an “educational demonstration of Natural Language Processing (NLP), an AI technology.”
Players did not take to it. Steam reviewers gave that release a ‘Very Negative’ rating.
Square Enix does not seem to be involved in the new sequel.
What the sequel needs to deliver
The original Portopia Serial Murder Case was a text adventure that required players to interrogate witnesses, examine evidence, and piece together a solution. The sequel has a clear advantage: Horii’s direct involvement.
His work on Dragon Quest speaks for itself. The text adventure format suits his strengths, and his return to the genre after more than four decades gives the project a sense of continuity that few sequels can claim.
The 2027 release on Switch 2 and PC gives the game a wide potential audience. The lack of English-language support is a concern for Western players, though that could change before launch. The Steam page currently lists the game without mention of localization, but publishers often add language options as development continues.
For now, fans of the original have a reason to be hopeful. A sequel, 43 years in the making, supervised by the man who started it all. The trailer offered a glimpse of what is to come, and the Steam description confirms the core loop remains true to the original.
| Game | Platform | Release |
|---|---|---|
| The Portopia Serial Murder Case sequel | Switch 2, PC | 2027 |
Horii is not starting from scratch. He is returning to a world he built, with tools and experience he did not have in 1983. The original game’s influence is visible in the work of developers who came after him, and that legacy now carries forward into this new chapter.
The wait until 2027 will be long for fans. But after 43 years, they have waited this long already. The mystery, the format, and the creator are all in place. What remains is the story itself — and that, for now, is the secret hidden behind the original murders.
Source: eurogamer.net