“Dragon Quest III” is one of the most influential role-playing games (RPGs) of all time.
It shaped the genre in countless ways and inspired many RPG franchises that are widely known today. “Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake” is stunning and enhances an already spectacular game.
The original version was a prequel released in 1998 and sold over 7 million copies worldwide. Since it was only released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the U.S., I was never able to play it. Though, after seeing the announcement for the remake, I was excited to experience such a significant part of video game history.
The storyline begins in the kingdom of Aliahan where the hero is the child of Ortega, a legendary hero who set out on a quest to defeat a menacing enemy named Baramos. Unfortunately, Ortega fell into a volcano in the heat of battle and was unable to defeat him. When Ortega’s child comes of age 16 years later, they are summoned by the king and are entrusted with a monumental task: finish what their father started and defeat Baramos. To prepare for the journey, the hero is able to choose three allies to accompany them and face any threat that comes their way.
The first thing I noticed when I turned on the game was the brilliant visuals. The landscapes and buildings have a detailed 3D style, while the characters and enemies keep the retro 8-bit style from the original. Both styles complement each other beautifully due to refinements on the designs from the old game. Even during fighting scenes, there is a lot of attention to detail; the backgrounds match the locations on the map, and the fighting animations add a fun touch.
The amount of customization in this game makes it so much more enjoyable. From the start, I was able to give my character a name, choose their gender and pick the difficulty level. I had so much fun picking the personality, outfit, hairstyle and name for each of my original characters. Having so many options to choose from made my experience feel all the more personal.
I’ve played action RPGs like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” but never an old-school RPG like this one. The battles are mainly strategy-based, which took a few tries for me to understand and get used to. I was able to choose what attack, spell or item to use, but I was also able to pick a tactic — an AI behavior setting that automatically chooses the decisions my party members make depending on the situation. I found it more fun to use the “follow orders” option, even though I had to put more thought into it, but the tactics were convenient when I needed them.
The old-school style, however, could be a struggle for newcomers to get used to. I found myself having to take breaks multiple times because the battles were repetitive and mentally tiring. I wanted to complete my goals as soon as possible, but the constant battles felt as if they were getting in the way because I’m not used to the style. With more practice, I know I can learn to win fights more efficiently, but some players may not have the patience.
Exploring the world, solving mysteries and fighting villains throughout this game reminded me of times when I was younger playing “Pokémon” on my brother’s Game Boy Color. While “Dragon Quest III” introduced the idea of exploration, expanded the scope of storytelling and helped legitimize RPGs as a mainstream genre, “Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake” creates a modern twist on a classic.
