Review: Dragon Quest III HD-2D makes an absolute classic even more fun

Dragon Quest III is an absolute classic and a game that was already well ahead of other JRPGs when it was originally released in the late 1980s on Nintendo. It even received a remake for the Super Nintendo in the 1990s, which was made available on other more modern platforms over the years, but its dated systems and visuals have always been a major impediment to new players being able to enjoy the work.

Fortunately, the remake Dragon Quest III HD-2D is here exactly to reverse that and make more people aware of one of the most iconic adventures in the franchise. We had the opportunity to test Dragon Quest III HD-2D in recent weeks and we tell you in detail everything we found in the analysis below!

A respectful remake

I think it’s important to emphasize right from the start that this is a very faithful remake of Dragon Quest IIIbut with a renewed look, some interesting new features and some quality of life improvements. So, if you are already a big fan of this game or even the franchise Dragon QuestI would say right away that this remake is very worth it and is, in my opinion, the definitive way to enjoy Dragon Quest III at the moment. Once you know this, you can follow the rest of this analysis to find out more about the details or even to clarify any doubts if you still don’t know if this is the type of game you would like to purchase.

To begin with, it’s worth talking about the HD-2D style, which Square Enix popularized with Octopath Traveler and which really gives a new lease of life to Dragon Quest IIIeven for those who already know him very well. In my opinion, the mix of modern 3D graphics with the 2D sprites of characters and creatures is perfect and makes the game very charming. Reviewing the scenarios and cities in this new model is an incredible experience and one that I think will please even those who will see the game for the first time in their lives directly in this version.

Taking advantage of this, it’s worth saying that I played on the PS5 in quality mode to make the most of the beauty of the visuals, but the performance remained very good and without any crashes for me. I don’t know how the game will fare in this regard on more modest PCs or the Nintendo Switch, but the title doesn’t seem that demanding to me and I imagine it offers a very smooth experience on all platforms.

As was already the case in the original game, the soundtrack remains impeccable at all times, with the advantage of having been re-recorded in an orchestrated way in this remake. Like so many RPGs of the time, the music is loud on several occasions and never becomes repetitive or exhausting. We also have the news that several lines were dubbed, but only in cutscenes and other key moments in the plot.

Modern times

Speaking of news, many players, veterans or not, will be pleased to know that Dragon Quest III HD-2D It has some new content and options that make gameplay even better today. Now you can speed up battle times, for example, something extremely necessary considering the huge number of encounters with enemies throughout the game. When selecting “fast” or “ultra-fast” speeds, all actions and animations are accelerated, which in itself makes the game much more accessible and tolerable nowadays. You can also skip any dialogue or cutscene, something perfect if you’re playing the second time.

The game’s turn-based combat itself hasn’t changed that much, but you can give direct orders to all members of your party. This also makes the experience much more enjoyable, since even in normal mode, the game tends to offer a good challenge for those who are not big fans of grinding to level up faster. If you are finding it too difficult or too easy, depending on your previous experience with Dragon Questyou can change the difficulty at any time.

Another aspect that remains in your hands is the formation of your group, which is not made up of specific companions like in other JRPGs, but rather adventurers that you recruit in your hometown. They can be pre-created by the game or they can be made from scratch by you. The game has always worked like this, but now there are more options for how to customize these companions, as you have more control over their personality and appearance. Even those pre-created by the game can change their vocation, personality and appearance later, something even required if you want to have access to the strongest classes with skills from other vocations.

In terms of new content, you will have everything that the first Super Nintendo remake already had, but with the addition of a new class, the Monster Wrangler, and an important change to the Monster Arena. In the original game, you could only go to the Arena to bet on monster battles, but in this new version, you can find several friendly monsters around the world, recruit them and put them to fight against other monsters. You can’t give them direct orders, but you can direct which tactics they should adopt on the battlefield.

Although they are minor additions, this part of Monster Arena definitely makes you more curious to explore various parts of the continent and meet friendly monsters. It’s also really cool that you need to use different tactics for some types of monsters, which even gives extra functionality to the Monster Wrangler class. Furthermore, fighting in the Monster Arena is a lot of fun and guarantees you extra money and equipment as you win battles.

Some things never change

Even though there are new features and several visual and gameplay improvements, we have to be aware that this is still a game from the Nintendo era. This becomes very obvious due to the extremely simple plot, which consists of a hero going to finish the job that his father started a decade ago, against a great force of evil. Of course, there are some twists, surprising moments and even a cool development in the protagonist’s arc, but you can always tell that this is a game that is over 35 years old.

Even though you need to be strategic in combat, the gameplay is also simpler and the fact that you need to grind or even have to face dozens and dozens of monsters when you’re just trying to cross a cave can be very tedious and reveals a more dated design. To be clear, I expected this and believe that most people interested in purchasing Dragon Quest III HD-2D you know all this too. I just make a point of remembering this fact to make it clear that, despite still being a very fun game, Dragon Quest III still shows its age in several factors that could only have been changed if the game was actually remade from scratch and didn’t have this intention to be completely faithful to the original.

It is worth it?

There’s no denying that I had a lot of fun with Dragon Quest III HD-2Dbut you have to keep in mind that I’m a big fan of the franchise and JRPGs in general, so several of the points that may be tedious or boring for many, bother me very little. In my opinion, the simple plot and gameplay, the turn-based combat and the frequent random encounters with enemies can be big negative points for many people who don’t have as much patience with the style of older JPRGs, so it’s worth taking this into consideration if you are your case.

What I can say is that this is one of those games that is worth giving a chance even on these occasions. I know its price is quite high, so if you’re really in doubt, I would recommend waiting for a promotion or trying a demo before buying, if Square Enix makes one available in the future, of course.

Overall, I think the changes and new features were enough to make the game much more enjoyable today, not to mention the incredible visuals provided by HD-2D and Akira Toriyama’s unforgettable art. Other than that, I think if you give it a chance Dragon Quest III HD-2D, you will be very surprised by how innovative it was and with everything it was able to deliver as a small Nintendo game in 1988 and, now, again in 2024.

Nota do Voxel: 86

Positive points:

• The HD-2D look modernized the game and gave it extra charm;
• Many cutscenes and important moments were dubbed;
• Even with the simple gameplay, the combat remains challenging and fun;
• The improvements and new features are all very good.

Negative points:

• Some aspects highlight how dated the game can be;
• Grinding through levels is necessary and tedious;
• It does not have localization in our language.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D has versions for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, Xbox Series S and X. A copy of the game for the Sony console was provided by Square Enix for review here at Voxel.

What did you think of the analysis? Check out other reviews made by me, Luciana Anselmo, here at Voxel!

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