Although an official release date hasn't been set yet, Enix has released a bunch of new screenshots of its highly anticipated RPG, Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshitachi (Warriors of Eden). The company has also revealed a few more details regarding the gameplay.

　　Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshitachi will begin on an island. In the DQ7 world, that island is the only land (at least, as far as its inhabitants know). The island is very peaceful, but for some reason the main character (a son of a fisherman) feels inclined to explore the world.

　　He finds that there are other lands, but they are sealed. So players will have to find Stone Panels and set them on pedestals. Doing this will open up the new lands, and once they are open they can be revisited as many times as one wishes.

　　A typical quest would work like this:

　　1) In the present: Find the stone panels and set them on a pedestal. Then travel to the past.

　　2) In the past: Explore the world while combating monsters and unseal the land. Then return to the present.

　　3) In the present again: Because of what you accomplished in the past you can traverse the land.

　　We also got our first look at Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshitachi's battle system. As you'll see in these pictures, the game has retained the traditional Dragon Quest style of battle scenes. This time around, though, expect better animation for monsters and magical effects.

　　Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshitachi for the PlayStation is expected for a Japanese release by the end of this year.