We’re only a few weeks away from the much-anticipated release of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and I’ve been lucky enough to have some hands-on time playing it over the last week. I’m always happy to see another entry in a series as timeless as Dragon Quest, and I’ve been enthralled by so many other HD-2D projects from Square Enix, so jumping at the chance to preview Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was a no-brainer.
Prior to the beginning of the game, the great hero Ortega set off to defeat the Archfiend Baramos and never returned. With the Archfiend still alive and kicking, the time has come for Ortega’s child to set off on their own quest to defeat the Archfiend, and this is where the journey in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake begins.
As you explore the world, you’ll see that this is more than just Dragon Quest III with a HD-2D coat of paint – Team Asano took great care in adapting this classic RPG to their modern engine while keeping the classic Dragon Quest look. Like most other HD-2D games, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has an almost pop-up storybook quality that lends itself well to a fantasy tale of heroes, mages, monsters, and more. As I explored more of the world I couldn’t help but think to myself multiple times that HD-2D is the perfect fit for Dragon Quest. The series’ classic monsters have never looked so good, and thanks to incredibly smooth animation they look incredibly alive as well. Things like Slimes are still simple Slimes, of course, but the gorgeous pixel art here has given them a new depth that makes battles against them a joy to watch as they unfold.
The character sprites, too, look wonderful in battle, though I wish I was able to see my party during the entire encounter rather than having them disappear after I’ve selected all my actions. I understand and appreciate the intended homage to the original Dragon Quest III battle screen by showing only the monsters during the actual combat, but these character sprites look so good that it’s a shame they’re not always visible.
Speaking of the party characters, it was a breath of fresh air to get a full party so early in the game, even if they’re essentially blank slates. Typically I like a lot of party-interaction in my RPGs but recruiting a random cast of characters and being able to customize them allowed me to come up with headcanons and characterizations about these characters I created. I really loved being able to cater my party to exactly what I wanted at Patty’s Party Planning Place. Playing around with the different classes, and customizing their appearances somewhat, was very satisfying, and having a full party so early on in the game made it feel like I could hit the ground running.
The actual adventuring, with a full party in tow, is a blast. The standard “Dragon Quest” difficulty (the easier Dracky Quest and harder Draconian Quest are also available as options) feels perfectly scaled to the pace I’ve been playing at. I haven’t felt the need to grind at all, nor have I felt the need to frequently flee from any battles I didn’t feel were worth my time. As my party leveled up and learned new spells and abilities, the monsters I encountered felt like they kept up with me, strength-wise, and the variety of encounters kept me engaged in the combat thanks to needing to come up with efficient and effective strategy based on my party’s composition.
Speaking of monsters, one of the new additions to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is the addition of a revamped Monster Arena, allowing you to collect monsters and use them in tournaments, pitting them against other monsters in hopes of winning prizes. It’s a fun addition to the classic RPG, and it’s accompanied by a brand-new Monster Wrangler vocation available for your party members. Out in Dragon Quest III’s world, you’ll come across monsters that are friendlier than most, and you’ll be able to recruit them to fight in the Monster Arena.
These recruited monsters also power up the Monster Wrangler, if you have one in your party. Inversely, you can also use the Monster Wranglers Ability “Animal Instinct” to track down nearby friendly monsters to recruit them. I’m a big fan of monster taming games, so I’ve had a blast seeing a dash of monster taming here, and have spent a fair share of my time with Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake just hunting down new monsters to bring to the Monster Arena.
I’ve only spent a few short hours with Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, but what I’ve seen has been very impressive. It seems yet another HD-2D RPG that looks incredible and plays well while doing it is just over the horizon, and I’m very excited to spend a lot more time with this reimagined classic in the near future.
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Written by Jaxson Tapp
As a lover of gaming and the written word, Jaxson currently fills his time not only with playing games, but also writing about them. Ready for anything, Jaxson’s passion for puzzle games, JRPGs, tough platformers, and whimsical indies helps him bring a well-rounded opinion to Nintendo Wire’s reporting.
