Amazingly, I can still rank Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake as one of the best games I have ever played in a year already jam-packed with fantastic remakes like Persona 3 Reload and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This is not because it aims to completely reimagine the 1988 NES original, as Square Enix did with Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, but rather because it achieves an almost flawless balance between staying true to the core elements of Dragon Quest III and incorporating contemporary quality-of-life enhancements and a stunning new look that makes exploring and fighting through its surprisingly intricate overworld more enjoyable than before. This incredibly fulfilling retelling explains why Dragon Quest III is one of the most important games ever. It is truly the godfather of the role-playing game genre.
Dragon Quest III is essentially the same experience as the HD-2D Remake, and it is amazing how well the original design still functions in 2024. This is the epitome of what a classic JRPG should be: action-packed turn-based combat, evocative caves and dungeons teeming with monsters and treasure, and a simple plot of good vs evil that leaves many details up to your imagination. It proves it still has what it takes to compete with the slick, contemporary RPGs while bringing back fond memories of a bygone age of video gaming in the finest ways.
Dragon Quest and the HD-2D style that Octopath Traveler pioneered are a natural match, and even with its blatantly outdated concept, it feels fresh due to its updated graphics. With incredibly intricate sprites and visually appealing movements, the enemy design is incredible. With each enemy’s vibrant attack and defense animations, combat feels more dynamic and the late Akira Toriyama’s distinctive style is masterfully represented here. Beautiful castles, homes, and stores that are fascinating to see from the outside and charming to explore inside due to meticulous attention to detail make towns a pleasure to explore. The dungeons all look fantastic with the dramatic lighting coming from your hero’s lantern. The orchestral soundtrack perfectly complements Dragon Quest’s whimsical, daring tone, and the overworld feels magnificent to march across at last.
In addition to its stunning appearance, HD-2D Remake boasts excellent fighting and class systems. You have complete control over the classes, names, and appearances of the other three spaces in your party, except the Hero, whose class and position are fixed from the beginning. To further encourage exploration, I equipped my party with a Thief, a Priest, and my personal favorite—the brand-new Monster Wrangler—who grew more powerful as I discovered and enlisted friendly monsters throughout the realm.
Building your army of heroes is a lot of fun, and since I missed so many lessons, I am seriously thinking of doing it all over again and trying something completely different. Later on in the narrative, there are additional chances to reclass while keeping all of the skills your characters have already acquired, which presents even more crucial choices.
In addition to having amazing visuals, HD-2D Remake also features amazing combat.
Unfortunately, your party members’ personalities are all blank slates and quiet because of that mechanical flexibility. It is the same as in the original, but it results in an RPG experience that prioritizes character development, fighting, and exploration over friendship, romance, and plot. In comparison, it is difficult not to miss the amazing personalities of my party in Dragon Quest XI or the Party Chat feature found in most of the series’ more recent entries. Understandably, Square Enix would stick with the old style in this case, as it did with practically everything else. However, I still really liked Dragon Quest III’s emphasis on interacting directly with its RPG features, even though I much prefer a simple plot over one that is intrusive.
As a result, the actual conflicts are exciting, fast-paced, and sometimes challenging. To overcome some of Dragon Quest III’s most difficult bosses, you must employ a well-balanced combination of powerful attacks, healing spells, and buffing/debuffing skills. This is still very much a hardcore RPG from the NES period. Particularly later in the campaign, there were some very suspenseful moments, and I enjoyed employing unconventional tactics to narrowly avoid battles that I was not prepared for yet. There are always going to be random encounters in the dungeons and overworld, but they are always fun and drop gold and experience points, which you will need as much of as you can acquire to make it to the end credits.
However, there is no need to fear if you do not enjoy tense turn-based combat. Overall, HD-2D Remake’s versatility has greatly amazed me. There are numerous methods to customize the adventure to fit your unique play style, in addition to the three difficulty settings you can choose from at any time (including the Dracky Quest option, which prevents your characters from dying). You can either view fight animations at normal speed to fully appreciate the intricate enemy movements or speed them up to go through encounters more quickly.
Additionally, you have total authority over how your party acts: In typical Dragon Quest tradition, you can give each of the four party members a specific order or assign them plans to carry out independently, such as concentrating on healing, preserving magic, or going all out against a formidable opponent. Setting the entire group to auto-battle while gaining experience points and then regaining control for yourself before crucial boss combat is very soothing. Even after several grinding sessions, options like this guarantee that the epic battle stays interesting during the approximately 30-hour quest.
This is partly because the Dragon Quest series, and this version as well, does a pretty decent job at making experience point-grinding fun. Fans of the franchise are aware that Metal Slimes—enemies with low spawn rates that drop significantly more experience points than the typical bad guy—are the secret to leveling up quickly. It is thrilling to find out which parts of the map are more likely to have Metal Slimes, and the surge of excitement you receive when one appears in a random encounter is like winning a rare card from a Pokémon booster pack.
Additionally, Dragon Quest III has perfect pacing, except for the occasional level grind period. As you explore new cities and dungeons and face new enemies from the vast array of more than 150 opponent varieties, you are continuously being led from one place to another. Except for one particular reoccurring boss that I will not reveal because it admits to showing up far too frequently, it hardly ever goes back too far.
Additionally, this remake takes great care to guarantee that you will not ever become lost or stuck. While goal indicators make it obvious what you must do next to advance through the occasionally ambiguous and out-of-date main quests, the Zoom spell allows you to leave a difficult situation and relax at an inn pretty much whenever you choose. You can disable these quest marks explore the area and speak with locals to find out for yourself if you like the traditional Dragon Quest III experience. It is a fantastic system that keeps the original style for those who desire it while making this classic RPG more accessible and playable than before. It is the perfect method to relive a favorite adventure.
I adore how this big universe gradually unveils its mysteries to you.
Despite my general admiration for Dragon Quest III’s vintage feel combined with the HD-2D Remake’s contemporary enhancements, there are a few instances when it could have been a bit more ambitious. I spent a lot of time in menus moving stuff from the party’s overall inventory to each member’s pocket since inventory management is cumbersome and each of your four party members can only access their separate item bags in combat. Similar frustrations arise while managing equipment, such as the fact that it is a little more difficult than it should be to discern how adding an item would affect each character’s numbers. It is one area I wish had received more upgrading, but I gradually found a rhythm of tinkering with these antiquated menus. (There are also just a handful of opponent designs that have not held up well over time and would have been better off in the past.)
Verdict
The best example of a faithful remake of a classic roleplaying game is Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, which is also a model for creators looking to rediscover beloved experiences. Along with a gorgeous new paint job that demonstrates how well Dragon Quest and the HD-2D art style mesh, it gives the 36-year-old original a makeover with fantastic quality-of-life enhancements that improve the experience without drastically altering it. It only functions as well as it does because Dragon Quest III is still a fantastic role-playing game in and of itself, complete with fantastic turn-based combat, a very flexible class system, and a fascinating, secret-filled world to explore. Only a few things, like the awkward inventory management and your party’s lack of individuality, make me wish it were a little more contemporary, but I still admire its unwavering commitment to the original’s intent. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is unquestionably one of the best remakes available today, and it serves as a great reminder of why the original is one of the most significant role-playing games in the genre.
