Square Enix has introduced a new AI companion for Dragon Quest X, bringing Google’s Gemini technology directly into gameplay through a character called Chatty Slimey, and this move shows how the company plans to make its long-running MMO more accessible and interactive for players who need guidance.
The feature focuses on real-time conversation, where players can talk to Slimey using the in-game chat function, and the system then generates voice responses while reacting to gameplay events, so instead of relying only on menus or guides, players now get a companion that responds naturally and offers help as they move through the game.
According to VGC, Square Enix’s head of development Takashi Anzai said that “new players won’t feel lonely wondering where to start playing; it will become their own personal companion,” and this directly explains the purpose behind Chatty Slimey as a support system built into the game experience.
How Chatty Slimey works
The AI does more than respond to text, as it also analyzes what is happening on the game screen, and this allows it to trigger conversations when players defeat strong enemies or find rare items, which adds a layer of feedback that feels closer to playing with another person.
Square Enix confirmed that when a player interacts with Slimey, it “automatically generates voices and engages in conversation,” and this creates a continuous interaction loop where the AI reacts both to player input and game events without breaking immersion.
Square Enix’s broader AI push
This feature fits into a larger strategy, as Square Enix has already said it will be “aggressive in applying AI and other technologies” across its projects, and the company later stated that it plans to use generative AI tools for up to 70 percent of its QA processes by 2027.
Other studios are taking a different path, as Capcom said it “will not” use generative AI for in-game assets but will still use it to improve development efficiency in areas like graphics, sound, and programming, which shows that the industry is still deciding how far AI should go in actual gameplay.
With Chatty Slimey, Dragon Quest X becomes one of the clearest examples of AI moving from backend tools into the player experience, and Square Enix is now testing how far that interaction can go.
