Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: Switch, PC, Playstation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 – Available Here
Overview
Dragon Quest III is one of the most special titles in the entire franchise. Acting as a prequel to the original and its follow-up, there is a reason this was the first in line to be remade. Remakes can be a mixed bag though, and not everyone was ready to see such a beloved instalment get a ground-up treatment. Does Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake hit all the right notes, or was this better left in history? Let’s find out.
Story
It’s more than you think, but more complex than you can explain in a summary. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake brings the same story but with minor changes added to modernize and even flesh out the original just a bit. Players take the role of their named “hero”, who is out to do what their father could not – defeat the evil Baramos. In order to do this, the player must acquire a party and travel the world to find keys that eventually lead them to their destination. That’s really all there is to the plot, but the world itself is where this shines.
Every NPC has a bit of a story, warmth, and a sense of character. This is a living, breathing world and each town has lore in it that runs deep if you go digging. Sure, Baramos is the big bad, but that really plays second fiddle to the game’s ultimate sense of adventure. There are goofy bosses, dastardly foes, and humble shopkeepers all throughout this journey, providing some gripping moments that are just as memorable as they are entertaining. It feels like a real place at times, and each area having its own identity makes it feel as if you are in an episodic marathon that culminates in the over-arching story. Sure, most of this has been seen before by those who have played it, but this is really a game to sit down and take in. Exploration is enchanting here, making escapism the forefront of your experience.
Gameplay
If you know Dragon Quest, you know what to expect here. This is a classic, turn-based RPG, featuring all of the tropes. An overworld, class system, party members, monsters, and so on. It’s as Dragon Quest as it comes as this entry would really go on to define most of the mechanics going forward. In fact, most never need much updating afterwards to please fans. That said, there is still a lot to detail and appreciate with this entry.
Players start out by building their party. There are several ways to do this as you can rent pre-built heroes, or you can create your entire team from scratch. The player simply picks a name, gender, class, and then personality to match, and they immediately join your ranks. I guess this came as a bit of a surprise as most Dragon Quest titles in the last couple of decades had pre-made characters that had backstories. Sure, it’s disappointing not to see that added here, but the trade-off of creating your own is perfectly fine. It’s easy to become attached to your own creation as they participate just as much as any other party member, but lack the spirit and personality that a more modern take would have.
This means you could love the party system or find it lacking, all depending on how much your imagination will do the work. I grew to instantly love it, as it just feels different and is easy to adjust to. As mentioned, the world tells the story here, so having these helpers in my party just build to the battle system was fine. If your party member isn’t working out, you can swap them out and test various strategies. Speaking of that, let’s talk about battles, which is a huge part of the experience.
This is Dragon Quest, so you are going to have to have a lot of battles. Almost all battles come at random, where encounters can bring “groups” of foes. Your attacks interact with this as the player can choose to utilize more powerful attacks that hit one enemy, or lesser attacks that hit groups of foes at once. This means you have to strategize a bit and select the party that will achieve a balanced system. For instance, if your team doesn’t have a healer or at least one magic user, you’re going to get stuck a lot. That is because Dragon Quest III makes you put in the work. You will grind, and that is not ever a problem.
In fact, grinding kind of makes the game. I can’t tell you how many times I had to re-calculate or think about my party, update equipment, and go back to farm for coins and experience in random battles just to build. It sounds tedious, but it’s rewarding here and not ever a chore as it never feels excessive. The game maintains a balance with the monster levels that usually stay on par with the player. Devices like the “handy heal all” assist those who take a clobbering to recover quickly and go right back at it. As you level, more techniques become available and this grind becomes more of just a primary function that feels second nature.
Bosses are made to feel larger than life and come with that difficulty climb, but thankfully you can evac and zoom out and grind more if your party is not up to par. Speaking of that, a lot of the fun is the exploration as well. These towns are all quite lovely to poke around in, with secrets all over that may give you a bit of an edge later. There are of course mini-medals to collect, new equipment found in every town, and secret grottos that can be truly memorising. Monster battles are also a thing, which is a fun way to kill time and make coins. This basically has the player find monsters, fulfil a requirement to recruit, and then utilize them in battle in a ranked tournament. It’s fun enough, and nearly required if you want to maximize your overall potential before a big dungeon.
Audio
I hate to keep saying this, but it’s Dragon Quest. The music is what would expect, and there is not a thing wrong with that. These melodies are classic and really set the mood for adventure. Each town has a theme for both day and night, with stunning re-recorded tunes that are sure to be a delight for returning players as there is a feeling of freshness to the compilation. All of the basic sound effects are also present and do their job well, but most impressive, there is some voice acting this time around. Not a lot, but enough during moments that matter. These bits are on par with what we got in Dragon Quest XI and do well to bring out a sense of character in the royalty and foes you encounter.
Visuals
This is the icing on this cake. The entire game has been rebuilt in gorgeous 2D. This world has never seen so much detail, right down to the animations on clothing and minor imperfections featured in paint on a wall. The little light particles, shadowing, and so on make it an enchanting sight to behold, and one of the best-looking 2D RPGs ever to release. Yes, it is that good. I think some might have issues with the third-person perspective not being featured for battles as they are in first-person, but I didn’t mind this at all. Our characters are all featured in every other moment, so it’s not a deal-breaker in the slightest for that omission.
Overall
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a love letter not just to Dragon Quest fans, but to the RPG genre as a whole. This franchise is so influential, and this remake actually means something. It’s a definitive way to play a game that needed this modernization. There is no insult here to the original, as instead, it acts as a beautiful tribute, bringing us a fantastic sense of adventure with one of the most technical battle systems of all time. Every time I put down the controller, I still played the game in my head, hearing the tunes, and wanting to jump right back in. That kind of excitement is what makes Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake so admirable for today. It’s a gift of nostalgia for a modern audience, done to perfection.
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