The original Dragon Quest 3 was released in 1988 on the NES and was developed by Chunsoft, it quickly topped the charts and was widely considered to be one of the best in the franchise around the time of its release. It did receive two remakes, one for the SNES and then for the Game boy color. The newest revisit to the game is the HD 2D remake released on November 14th for the Switch and PC.
The Visual Overhaul
Square Enix decided to give Dragon Quest 3 the same treatment they gave to their other franchise remakes/reboots such as Octopath traveler. The art style remains faithful to the original game but there is a subtle 3D effect that enhances details and gives it a more nuanced effect.
The style and work put in can really be seen when exploring, when the sun reflects on the water as we travel past beaches or when the water gleams at night due to the moonlight, the forests and deserts have a pop in their color and when climbing high places towns or areas that we visited can be seen in the distance bringing that awe factor.
The Incredible Story
We play as the child of the Ortega, a powerful and legendary warrior and we are tasked with carrying on the legacy of Ortega by taking on the Arch fiend known as Baramos. In terms of the timeline in the series Dragon Quest 3 takes place before 1 and 2 meaning anybody wanting to jump will not have to find prior knowledge.
Even though it is a remake it is taking on the features that were added in the gameboy advance version sort of making this one an ultimate version so to speak. One of the quality of life features added was the ability to fast travel or heal when outside of battle, losing a bit of mana in the process but this streamlines and makes it so that going to an inn for a price is as needed.
Another change they added was the addition of the monster wrangler class, where the characters that are of this class have the ability to use enemies’ own abilities against them.
The Tried And True Style Of Play
In terms of gameplay, the very task we are assigned is to form a team and here is where dragon quest veterans will feel right at home with the class based system. There is the standard preset of warrior, mage, priest, thief etc. We can also design out our own character that we can then include in our party.
On our journey we’ll visit various towns, caves, dungeons etc where we will need to find some item of interest that is ultimately designed to help us when we eventually face Baramos. The combat is what we’ve come to expect from JRPG titles where it is turned based but we can also assign our members certain actions that they can then do independently.
The usage of spells is a must in this game as almost every character has some kind of magic or spells they can cast. It will either be offensive or defensive and a wide range of abilities are also present unique to each character.
A Brilliant Mix Of New And Old
Square Enix are successfully reigniting their old franchises under some new light and this Dragon Quest remake is the perfect example of that. The mix between the new visuals and features but keeping the traditional combat, music and vibe make this game one of the best for fans of the franchise to play through again.
Its ability to keep everything feeling fresh while keeping everything almost the same is something few remakes can achieve so effortlessly, along with that the game is now fully voice acted both in english and japanese, which does a brilliant job in setting the tone as we go through the story or side quests.
The game also keeps its original timeless soundtrack which never feels worn or annoying after a while.Overall this remake manages to stay true to the original but cements itself among its peers as a masterpiece of 2024
