Even though Dragon Quest fans still have a bit of a wait ahead of them before Dragon Quest XII makes its debut, they only need to hold on until November for their next chance to enjoy something new in the series. Hardcore Gamer got hands-on time with this next game,Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, during TGS 2024, and well, it looks like Dragon Quest fans will be pleased with what Square Enix has done here.
Pre-orders Now Open On All Platforms For Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
As Dragon Quest III HD-2D’s release date draws near pre-orders have gone live
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remakehas more than a few great aspects to it, but what players will almost certainly notice first is the music. There are tastes of the newly-reorchestrated soundtrack in its preview trailers and such, but these didnotcapture how much it impacts the experience. Just like that of the original Dragon Quest III, the remake’s music screams “adventure” but takes that feeling even further.
Even on the bustling TGS show floor, this music has no problem drawing the player in and getting them fully immersed in its world. The town shown in the demo felt warm and inviting, the tower dungeon had a mysterious and dangerous quality to it, and the battle theme was just plain exciting. It was a pleasure to hear with unfamiliar ears, and those already familiar with the original will likely enjoy it even more.
Indeed, it seems many lessons were learned from projects likeOctopath Traveler,as the blend between 2D, 3D, old and new works even better here than in most other games that have attempted it in the past, and those already looked good to begin with. Part of it has to do with the music, but also the sound design. Combat actions, scene transitions and other character sounds and actions all sound like they’re right out of the original, albeit with better sound clarity.
Sprites for all characters, NPCs and enemies are detailed and well animated, giving everything a lively feeling to it that helps them to fit into their three-dimensional world. The world itself complements this by being colorful and using skyboxes that look almost handpainted. It’s also simple in construction, so it neither looks too realistic nor too cartoonish. The final piece is that attacks are represented with modern effects rather than pixel renderings, helping to cement the idea that these characters do, in fact, belong in this world.
Gameplay has seen a few tweaks, updates and even additions in places to make the whole experience feel better. Additions include the ability to fast-forward through uninteresting conversations, as well as a “recall” feature that allows players to save conversations and play them back later. This will almost certainly be handy for remembering quest details or even just having them as a backup in case something important accidentally gets skipped.
Fans can now enjoy putting their favorite monsters to the test in monster arenas.
Fans of Dragon Quest’s monsters will probably enjoy the new Monster Arenas as well. In these, players can enter their own monster teams into combat in hopes of winning extra money and items. Monsters cannot be directly controlled, though, so it quickly became clear that teams needed to be well-balanced enough for the player’s tactical choices to make an impact and seize victory. Still, even without the ability to pick and choose in the demo, just watching the fights was entertaining, so why not just pick a bunch of favorites and let them have at it?
A “Super Slime Squad” would be a pretty team for a monster arena tournament, don’t you think?
As for normal combat, it seems to have been preserved for the most part, but with extras like the ability to make characters act independently and adjust their settings turn by turn as desired. For example, if the player knows that their healer is only going to be healing for a while, they can set them to “focus on healing” and let them do it automatically until they decide otherwise. Combat encounters tended to go quickly in the demo, but it seems that bosses won’t be defeated so easily and will require careful party management to take down.
If the player knows that their healer is only going to be healing for a while, they can set them to “focus on healing” and let them do it automatically until they decide otherwise.
Also, character equipment will show up on the sprite rather than existing only as a line of text in the inventory, so players will actually be able to see their party grow in power over the course of their adventure rather than having to imagine it for the most part. Unfortunately, party members’ attacks aren’t animated due to the game shifting to a first-person perspective during actual combat, so there’s no seeing the gear or weapons in action. All players see are the slash marks and such made on enemies.
For a Dragon Quest fan,Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remakeis probably going to be as good a remake as one could ask for. It stays as faithful to the original as possible while adding quality-of-life features, a bit of new content to play with and does both with style and clear respect for the series as a whole. For JRPG fans still outside the fandom, this should make for a great chance to not just jump in but also experience one of the Dragon Quest series’ most legendary entries.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remakelaunches on November 14 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch. Those curious about Dragon Quest as a whole should make sure to check out our review of the most recent mainline entry: Dragon Quest XI.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
Review: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Dragon Quest XI is a beautiful, exemplary RPG that has a strong cast of characters and an addicting combat system.
