With the announcement of Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS late last year, series' fans expressed concern over the fact that IX would be straying too far away from its roots, with a shift from the traditional battle system to a real time battle system ala Secret of Mana.
But news coming in from Japanese mag Shonen Jump reveals that there will be no change at all in regards to the battle system. Dragon Quest IX will feature the typical turn-based battle system we've all grown to love.
However, there will be changes in regards to other aspects of the game. Enemies will appear on-map and you must touch an enemy to initiate a battle sequence, similar to Chrono Trigger. Also, players will be able to completely customize their character in the beginning of the game, ranging from a variety of options - gender, height, weight, hair style, skin color, and face type.
Via IGN