I wasn’t playing many RPGs back in March of 1992; I don’t know many four-year-olds who were, to be fair. But when Dragon Quest III was released on the Game Boy Color in 2001, I dove in and soaked it up. I fell in love with the exciting world and its connections to previous entries, the flexibility in my party choices, and the pure RPG experience it offered. It made me fall in love with the series even more than I already had by that point. When it was announced back in May 2021 that the game would be getting a brand-new remake in Square Enix’s glorious HD-2D style, it quickly became one of my most anticipated titles. Now that it has finally arrived and I’ve played it, I can confidently say the game has been worth the anticipation. Mostly.
This latest rendition of Dragon Quest III retains much of the charm and feel of an RPG first created in the late ’80s while smoothing over some of its earlier versions’ more archaic design decisions. Compared to its more modern siblings, DQIII’s gameplay feels relatively simple and basic, with a story that is classic fantasy goodness—the hero, following in his father’s footsteps, travels with a party to rid the world of a great evil and save everyone—and gameplay with random encounters and turn-based combat. For fans of grinding in RPGs, DQIII feels like a warm hug you can snuggle into and enjoy, thanks to the nature of how your party works in this game.
Instead of opting for a defined party of characters with distinct personalities and backstories, the rest of your forces—apart from the main Hero—are composed of mercenaries you create from one of the game’s nine classes (eight available from the start). These characters don’t impact the story, react to events, or serve as anything more than troops on the battlefield—an approach common in the early days of RPGs. Out of the selectable vocations, new to this version of DQIII is the Monster Wrangler, which uses monsters to help in combat. It’s a fun class, but I preferred the old classics. I love that you can now customize the look of the party, selecting different body types, head options, and hair colors before assigning bonus skill points to their stats upon creation. To create your ideal party, with all the skills and stats necessary to tackle the toughest challenges (including the new Draconian Quest difficulty), you can expect to be grinding a lot and re-specing your characters into new jobs at the Alltrades Abbey to ensure you have everything you need.
For longtime fans of Dragon Quest III, there is more new content to experience than just the Monster Wrangler. The monster arena, which was present in earlier versions, has been revamped and expanded, allowing you now to recruit friendly monsters worldwide and place them into teams to duke it out in battles. I spent a lot of time in these arenas as they were a great way to earn money (if there’s one thing the Dragon Quest series is known for, money is vastly more important than in many other RPGs, as gear gets expensive quickly). The arena and outfitting your team also incentivize one of the HD-2D remake’s new features: special spots on the map you can discover that earn you great loot or new monster friends. Though I usually avoid the world map for long periods in most RPGs, tracking these spots and other loot spots had me searching off the beaten path and exploring every nook and cranny I could find. New post-game bosses and trials await players looking for extra challenges in addition to the hard mode (Draconian Quest difficulty). While I won’t spoil specifics, know that these will satisfy anyone looking for a tough fight. Both new and returning players get a lot of value from this release.
Given that this game is releasing nearly 40 years after the original Famicom game, expectations and systems have evolved somewhat, and this remake adopts modern conveniences to align the gameplay with the times. For example, the transportation spell, Zoom, can now be used indoors, where previously it would cause the party to hit their heads on the ceiling (a fact that the game cleverly addresses). Having a marker pointing to the next story location is also a welcome addition. Other quality-of-life improvements include access to a world map and local map whenever you want, a forgiving auto-save, an adjustable battle speed setting, and difficulty options that make the game more approachable. These additions make this by far the easiest entry point to classic Dragon Quest, even compared to the first three games available on the Nintendo Switch.
However, there are some quality-of-life omissions that I wish had been included, as I’ve come to expect them from other Square Enix titles and remakes. I quickly became frustrated that I couldn’t repeat previous actions during combat or instruct my party to continue using the same orders each turn. Automating combat this way is something Square Enix has incorporated in most of their recent remasters, including the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, and in a series as grind-heavy as Dragon Quest, it baffles me to see it omitted here. Another helpful feature from the Pixel Remaster titles is seeing how many chests or items are in a given location. While the Thief’s “Nose for Treasure” ability exists, being able to check the map for missed items is a pleasant convenience I missed. Do these omissions ruin the game for me? Not even close. But seeing what does and doesn’t get tweaked when Square remakes a classic game is interesting.
Now for my most divisive critique: while this is a lovely remake capturing much of what has made the game beloved for so long, it’s the most disappointing “HD-2D” release Square Enix has made since introducing the style with the original Octopath Traveler. My issue is less with the monster or character sprites (though I was disappointed that the most detailed sprites are only shown from the back, without even seeing them perform their actions) and more with the backgrounds and environments. In other HD-2D titles, the characters and worlds feel like an evolution of 2D-pixel art masterpieces, with environments extended into the third dimension. However, this release, which even includes “HD-2D” in its title, uses a more standard art style and textures for its world and buildings. This makes the only “HD-2D” part of DQIII the monster, character, and NPC sprites, and honestly, if it hadn’t touted the “HD-2D” style and simply called itself a “remake,” my critique would disappear. It’s not that the game looks bad or that the team hasn’t put out something they should be proud of; it’s just that as someone who loves the aesthetic Square Enix has crafted with Octopath Traveler, Live A Live, and Triangle Strategy, Dragon Quest III doesn’t live up to the standards set by its predecessors.
As the fourth iteration of this legendary RPG, Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake is a lovely tribute to a long-beloved game. Dragon Quest fans will no doubt pick it up, and thanks to its improvements, it also makes a great entry point for newcomers. Those who have only played later games like Dragon Quest XI may be taken aback by the more aged mechanics and story, but Dragon Quest III remains a worthwhile quest. If you’re at all interested in the HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest I and II, releasing next year, this is a must-play first. While it may not hit all the marks I hoped for, Dragon Quest III: HD-2D Remake is a lovely remake of a legendary game, despite being a somewhat disappointing HD-2D game. Even so, I have enjoyed revisiting this world and eagerly await next year’s games.
Thank you to Square Enix for providing us a Nintendo Switch review code.
