Review: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Gives a Modern Sheen to a Classic RPG
For gamers young and old, returning to games made decades ago presents a unique challenge: appreciating outdated graphics and ancient gameplay through modern eyes. Square Enix has risen to the challenge, resurrecting the classic RPG Dragon Quest II for today’s gamers – although it retains mechanics that may turn off some players accustomed to traditional RPGs.
It’s not for lack of trying. I played Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remastered ahead of its release on November 14th for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. Its name is spot on, with a refreshingly rich visual style that evokes nostalgia without limiting gamers to flat pixels. The depth effect created by the tilt-camera style subtly conveys the size and width of towns and dungeons, with trees and buildings blending into the foreground and background while the player’s hero (drawn as a 2D-looking sprite) wanders among them.
Combining evocative lighting and shadows that allow sunlight to dapple through the trees and torchlight to flicker through misty caves, the game effectively walks a tightrope in reshaping the experience in the same way that players remember the original from decades ago, while also Enabling new players to discover the story of Dragon Quest III as it’s told for the first time.
While some quality-of-life improvements have been added to smooth out the original’s difficulty, the same core mechanics of combat and leveling may deter players accustomed to precise controls and detail. Not changing the core systems of the Dragon Quest III experience is a polarizing but understandable choice.
Players who enjoy the mechanics of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remastered will find that this is a beautifully streamlined RPG adventure by today’s standards that captures the best of yesterday’s games and combines them with a delightful visual style and gorgeous music.
The Best and Worst of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remastered Edition
The HD-2D remaster is a fresh take on an old adventure – chronologically, Dragon Quest III is the first game in the series and a prequel to the first two entries. It tells the story of the player’s self-proclaimed hero, Ortega, the child of the world-famous legendary champion Ortega, who fell while trying to defeat the greatest villain of his era, the Archdemon Baramos.
The classic setting of a role-playing game is that the player receives the blessing of the local king, follows in his father’s footsteps, and assembles a team. At a nearby tavern, I summoned followers, which I could customize by choosing from eight classes (ranging from the standard warrior, mage, and cleric to the more esoteric merchant and fool options) and starting stats . I also had a say in their personalities, another unique quirk of the game that defines how their stats grow as they level up, though this can be changed later via items. I chose three companions and started the adventure.
When I stepped out of the starting town of Aryahan, the exaggerated soundtrack heralded the beginning of my journey. These versions of the original game’s music, originally composed by Koichi Sugiyama and performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, elevate a simple adventure into a joyous romp, as do the rich graphics. Soon enough, I encountered my first group of monsters, which kicked off the combat theme and game-specific fighting style, which is exactly the same as Dragon Quest III.
By default, companions automatically fight according to broad instructions – attack head-on, focus on healing, use no mana, and so on. This can be changed in the Tactics menu at the start of each battle, which I did immediately, but some players may appreciate not having to micromanage their party.
And then there’s the game’s other unique combat style: groups. If I’m fighting two slimes and three crows, I can only tell my teammates to attack or cast spells on the slimes or crows, and sometimes they’ll inefficiently spread the damage instead of focusing on one enemy to destroy. Even more annoyingly, later encounters will scatter similar enemies so that they don’t clump together, making your area-of-effect spells (which mostly target groups) less effective. It’s annoying, but it adds to the charm and randomness of the combat – overall, it’s a unique aspect of the game that begrudgingly carries over from the original.
In addition, “Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remastered Edition” also has all the characteristics of a classic role-playing game. I outfitted my party with new weapons and armor to increase their damage and defense, picked up unique items in the dungeon, and despite the risk of random encounters with monsters, the branching tunnels were worth the risk. Later, I discovered character-altering accessories and books, and after consulting the menu appendix for different character types, I could customize my team to effectively boost their stats.
Players who, like me, have never experienced the original will find interesting and surprisingly mature side stories tucked into the corners of the game. I discovered a small town in the far north where every villager was sleeping. I discovered that the town was cursed by the queen of a nearby fairy village, who was furious that her daughter had eloped with a human – before delving into a nearby grotto. The couple said their goodbyes tearfully as they noted that they had taken their own lives because they had never been accepted. Just like that, the queen lifted the curse.
There’s even a monster arena – again carried over from the original – where you can take friendly monsters you encounter in the world into Pokemon-style tournaments to win gear and gold. It’s fun optional content, and you might even meet collectors from the royal family who also enjoy fighting monsters on the side.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remastered is a refreshing take on the old-school game
After last year’s grim-toned Final Fantasy XVI and the complex politics of Metaphor ReFantazio, it’s a blast to pick up Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remastered and dive into a simple adventure in a simpler time. Fresh air.
It’s clear that Square Enix put a lot of thought into choosing what to keep and what to update. Veterans who played the original will appreciate the graphical updates, while newbies will discover how easy the game once was – although there’s still plenty of challenge in some of the more difficult areas and bosses. The game scales well, with your strong party taking on longer dungeons, like the Pyramid of the Ibis, which threw traps and puzzles at me and wore out my fellow adventurers.
I never played the original Dragon Quest III, but I still find the remake takes me back to the days of Chrono Trigger and other RPGs. Like the Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Square Enix chose a successful visual style that laid the foundation for its creation. Feel It’s like I’m playing an old-school game with just the right visuals. Although the game’s environments are 3D, they are designed to ensure that the 2D sprite-style humans and monsters are the focus of the player.
As my band of 2D sprites roamed the hills and mountains, invisible clouds cast shadows on the ground, the ocean shimmered in the distance, and a carefully planned theme played, the game’s objectives were clear. It may not be for everyone, but those who want to travel back in time will find a less complex adventure remade for modern eyes that still carries the pure spirit of the original. Sometimes it’s fun to go there just to save the world.
