Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Is Exactly What I Hoped It Would Be - Gamescom 2024

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Ever since Octopath Traveler, Square Enix’s HD-2D style has wowed me. The way the artists were able to combine 3D environments with 2D sprites is fantastic, but the way every scene is lit easily takes the cake for me. I’ve wanted to see Square continue to use this style to bring back other older series, and the original Dragon Quest titles were high up on that list. Now, we have Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake coming up first, with 1 and 2 to follow, and I had a chance to try it out at Gamescom. Just like I had hoped, I was blown away by what Square has done with the game, and I can't wait for the release.

In my demo, I got to experience the Monster Arena and try out the new vocation, Monster Wrangler, while also running around the town. Instead of just trying out everything, I wanted to spend the bulk of my time focused on how it feels to be playing the game and the improvements made overall compared to both Dragon Quest 3's original release and other HD-2D releases. There are new improvements like the vocation and arena, as well as new ways to save and new options to adjust battle speed and such, but I wanted to make sure I still got that same feeling I got when I played other HD-2D games and Dragon Quest 11.

Overall, the answer to all of that is a resounding yes. Visually, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is extremely pleasing, and it's hard not to want to explore every nook and cranny the game has to offer. It helps that there is a solid amount of items to find littered around each of the maps, making it rewarding on multiple fronts, but there were so many spots that I felt I could stop and take a picture of that would look amazing as wallpaper. It's all so beautiful, especially the way the lighting hits and the colors just pop.

Mechanically, it feels very familiar to the Dragon Quest series. There are some new animations here and there from battling, but it overall feels like it has a fresh coat of paint on it. The new animations do make a difference in how it feels to be in battle and the weight of the actions you take, which I liked more, and I do appreciate being able to speed the battle up since it can go quite slow otherwise. It still feels like the classic Dragon Quest, but with some modern mechanics added and a huge visual overhaul.

After playing the demo, I felt the remake was exactly what I had been hoping it would be. It took the source material, gave it a fresh and gorgeous coat of paint, added in some new content with new options to enhance the source material without breaking it, and put it all into one very playable package. Since it has a Nintendo Switch version as well, I would be shocked if this wasn't running on the Steam Deck, and I can't wait to find out. This is an easy Day 1 purchase for me and one I can happily recommend to anyone who is remotely interested in the series.

I also appreciate that Square Enix is releasing number 3 first since that is technically the beginning of the Erdrick Trilogy, which spans the first three games in the series. There was a Q&A session at the event that I unfortunately had to miss, but after my time with it, I see no reason why the game won't be everything fans are hoping it will be.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake will be available on November 14th, but you can pre-purchase it on Steam now for $59.99.

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