Review | Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

A short review

At the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary Livestream, a remake of Dragon Quest III was announced in the "HD-2D" style of games like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy. The remake was released on November 14, 2024, on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Series X and Series S.

I'm a big fan of Octopath Traveler and HD-2D games, so this was a must-play title for me, considering I've never played the first three games in the franchise. This is also one of the first JRPG series to ever see the light of day, and many gamers cherish that fact—and Dragon Quest titles. I mean, who wouldn't? They're great, and this one is no exception.

The game comes with three difficulties and many improvements:

• New content involving Ortega, with extended and voiced scenes

• New bosses

• New vocation: Monster Wrangler

• Usable abilities in battle

• New monsters

• Enhanced BGM and SFX

• Monster Arena

You can also speed up battles (which is what I did), and when you die—this time around, you can rematch instead of dying and losing money like is usually the case. I love the improvements; you don't have to cope with frustrations. Normal difficulty is challenging enough, so I recommend that one. I know that his might turn of some gamers, considering the challenge of the original can be avoided in this one—I don't mind.

I love HD-2D remakes. And I love when they don't change much - and this game is yet another example of that practice

Story and the characters

Story was never a strong point of the series. In DQ XI, the story is probably the best, considering you have a great party and whatnot—here, it's quite basic but still solid. You are a hero, of course, the son of the previous hero, and you need to save the world (who would've guessed?). I do love how different the storytelling and overall approach are—you are mostly exploring and trying to progress the story on your own, with little to help you except the quest markers (you create your experience, in a way). The game is paced like most DQ titles: a game, a post-game, a post-post-game (and they all really feel like part of the main game). You can finish it in around 35–40 hours, which is just enough, but you can extend that with the post-game optional dungeon and Monster Arena.

The only real character is you—the hero. The rest of your party are hired guild members, meaning you'll use a party of four where you can meddle with vocations (jobs) and set your party as you see fit. I do love the job system; it's addicting, and you can experiment a bit with changing jobs while transferring what you've learned so far. As for the story, no one except the hero really participates. That can also put of some people, it feels a bit underwhelming for an RPG.

The new expansion of the story is a great feat, and the voiced scenes are awesome. I love this remake—it's faithful while offering a bit of a modern and new approach, yet still feels intact. For everyone out there who loves the original game, this one is great in that regard.

The art style and the music really fits the game. There is a lot of love pured into this remake and it both shows and feels.

Game design, exploration

I love them world maps! There’s just something about exploring the world like we did 30+ years ago. Although much is the same, much isn’t. There are treasures to be found, monsters to capture, and secret spots with secrets! Exploring the world map feels fresh and interesting, but random encounters mess with the pace a bit.

You can’t really turn off the encounters. Sometimes that gets on your nerves, but you can learn different skills and use them to prevent that. I think DQ games were way ahead of their time in terms of such perks, and it feels really good to experience and remind myself of that. I love the Zoom (fast-travel) in this one—you can’t bump into ceilings anymore (that was so funny in previous games), because they say we’re in modern times, so enjoy free fast-travel from anywhere.

Everything else is much the same—and that’s a good thing! I love stealing from vases, house cabinets, and such! The game feels like a real JRPG from ancient times, but made in a beautiful HD-2D remake style. You need to explore to get better equipment, collect money, and find all the other things scattered around the world. Everything helps, so take your time to set your party properly. Maybe what I miss are more side quests, but with the extra dungeon, it feels just enough.

Find the secret spots, capture monster, fight in the arena... The regular JRPG stuff

Combat

Combat is fun. What makes it fun are the hilarious, varied skills—like puffing into a dragon or simply thrusting enemies into oblivion. I love Twack, which can instantly kill enemies, but I hate Twack when enemies use it against you. It’s all part of the DQ series’ charm, and I love that aspect. Some fights feel challenging, especially boss fights—and that’s a good thing (from times also frustrating). Even random fights can get rough, so you can’t really just mindlessly wander around.

The problem might be the frequent random encounters all over the place, and some archaic elements like the inventory system. You need to manually move items from your bag to the party inventory—I’ve always hated that. The whole inventory could use an overhaul and some improvements. The healing system too—minor stuff, but it gets on your nerves after a while.

I love the job system here, and how you can change from one job to another when you reach level 20. For example, when you're a Priest and transfer to Warrior, you carry over skills and the basic stat direction. The new job starts at level 1, but you keep what you've learned and get stronger each time. It’s a nice way to keep things interesting and experiment a bit. The new Monster Wrangler job is cool—I used it throughout the whole game.

The game has a lot of skills and combinations to explore, which makes it fun and interesting. I do hate the status ailments, though—they were just awful.

Good luck on finding all 110 mini-medals and all the secrets! This is one hardcore game.

Side Content

Side content is mostly about exploring—collecting hidden medals and such. There are a few side quests, but they're short. The rest involves the Monster Arena (which is also quite simple—the only real goal is finding 100 monsters around the world) and the post-game dungeons.

I don’t really mind. I don’t like fetch quests and mindless grinding, so the approach here fits the overall pacing of the main story. Honestly, the whole game feels like a side quest—but not in a bad way. Some gamers might find a game with less emphasis on story a bit lacking, but to me it feels good. You can discover lore and meet cool NPCs with interesting conversations that really capture the role-playing experience.

Good luck with the post-game dungeons—they’re no joke. And if you plan to level up all jobs, good luck with that too!

I love the whole game and how they've captured the essence of the older games, while presenting them to modern audience and losing nothing in the process.

Conclusion

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a faithful and charming remake of a classic that many probably never experienced (including myself). While it sticks closely to its old-school roots—complete with random encounters and some dated inventory quirks—it also brings enough modern polish, visual flair, and quality-of-life improvements to make the experience feel fresh and less frustrating. Veterans might feel this version a bit too easy, but I just love that I don't have to cope with some frustrating parts.

The job system is addictive, exploration is rewarding, and the post-game content offers a real challenge. It may not have a deep story or loads of side quests, but it makes up for that with personality, nostalgia, and solid gameplay. For fans of Dragon Quest, HD-2D titles, or classic JRPGs, this one is well worth the journey.