Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has been recognized by the Japanese government with its third-highest state honor, becoming the first video game designer to be recognized in this way.
As spotted by VGC, Horii has received the Order of the Rising Sun, which is only third to the Order of the Chrysanthemum and the Order of the Paulownia Flowers in terms of Japanese state recognition. These two honors are usually reserved for politicians and statespeople.
Despite Japan’s rich and illustrious video game history, Horii is the first designer from his industry to be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun. Let’s hope he serves as a precedent for more designers and developers to be awarded the honor.
In characteristically humble fashion, Horii said that it was «not just [his] own efforts» that created the games in which he’s involved, but also «the staff who helped [him] make it, and the users who have always supported [him]».
The Dragon Quest series began all the way back in 1986, and since then, it has seen eleven mainline entries released, as well as plenty of spinoffs and tie-in media.
The earliest entries in the series are also the most recent thanks to a spate of remakes in Square Enix’s trademark HD-2D visual style, with the latest, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, launching just last week.
Discounting those, however, the latest mainline Dragon Quest game remains 2017’s Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, although Dragon Quest XII is currently in development, along with a newly-revealed remake of the seventh main game in the series.
As well as creating Dragon Quest, Horii is also known for his work on Chrono Trigger, having served as one of the writers and designers on the iconic 1995 RPG.
Horii is also the writer and designer of The Portopia Serial Murder Case, an influential 1983 game that served as one of the first ever visual novel adventure games. It was followed by The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance, which got itself a remake just last year.
