Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a reimagining of the beloved masterpiece and narrative beginning to The Erdrick Trilogy – the first three games of the mainline Dragon Quest series. Featuring vibrant HD-2D graphics, new and modernized features, and a refined narrative, players are invited to set out on an epic fantasy adventure to save the world from a dark evil.

Years ago, the great hero Ortega bid farewell to his wife and child as he set off on a quest to defeat the villainous Archfiend, Baramos. Ortega failed his quest, and Baramos still threatens the world. Now, on their sixteenth birthday, Ortega’s only child is summoned by the king of Aliahan and entrusted with a mission of the highest import: to take on Ortega’s quest, vanquish Baramos, and save the world. Accompanied by a band of travelling companions chosen in the beginning of the game, players are immersed in a vast HD-2D world full of towns, dungeons, and caves, meet fascinating characters, and fight ferocious monsters in enhanced turn-based battles.

Rebuilt for modern audiences, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake gives existing fans the chance to re-experience a beloved RPG experience and its expanded offerings like never before, while also being a perfect starting point for newcomers to discover one of the most influential RPG franchises in gaming history.

The sleepy village of Norvik

The world of Dragon Quest III is large and full of things to discover. There’s a real sense of exploration and discovery, and exploring every nook and cranny of these beautiful lands is strongly encouraged. After all, who knows what an inquisitive adventurer might find? 

Naturally, you may discover gear, items, and other valuables, but exploring can also open up new questlines for you to explore. 

An example of this is shown in the new gameplay footage. If you venture north after traveling to Romaria, you may find the sleepy hamlet of Norvik – and when we say ‘sleepy,’ we mean that literally.

Due to events that you’ll discover yourselves (he said, dancing elegantly around spoilers), the village is afflicted by a terrible curse, which has made the residents fall into a deep slumber that they are unable to wake from.

One of the few still active inhabitants begs your intrepid hero to save the settlement by returning an artifact called the Dreamstone to the fairies. Of course, the first step is actually to find the thing.

Underground lake

Another area is shown – the Underground Lake. Here, you’ll uncover the Dreamstone you need to save Norvik from its eternal naptime. 

It’s a treacherous trek into a delightfully dank dungeon full of dangerous monsters and alluring loot. It also showcases how the beautiful HD-2D visual style of the game enhances classic areas from the original game to give them new life and depth.

By combining 3D backgrounds, detailed 2D sprites, and modern lighting techniques, it creates powerful scenes that hearken back to the game’s original pixel art, while feeling fresh and modern. Not to mention breathtakingly beautiful.

Time for battle

As inviting as exploring the world of Dragon Quest III is, it’s not without its risks. Monsters roam these lands, and you’re going to have to face them in battle.

The new gameplay footage gives you an up-close look at how battles play out. In classic Dragon Quest style, combat is turn-based and tactical – you give orders to your party, and then they carry out your strategy.

It’s a simple system, but it offers enormous depth. You have many different abilities and spells, which only grow as the adventure progresses. Understanding how to use them to damage foes, depower threats, and strengthen allies is the key to coming out alive.

Each character in your party is assigned a vocation, which determines their attributes and abilities in battle. For example, in the new footage, you can see Dorothy is a mage. This gives her access to powerful spells like Bang, which damages all foes with a small explosion.

There are multiple vocations in the game, from heavy hitters like Martial Artist and support-focused Priest to more unconventional roles like Gadabout. There’s even an entirely new vocation for this remake – Monster Wrangler!

Power to the player

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has a range of features that let you customize the combat experience. For example, at the top of the screen, you’ll notice the option to change the speed of battles with the press of a button.

You can cycle between normal, fast, and ultra-fast settings. Normal is great for following the flow of combat, particularly during tougher scraps like boss battles. But if you want fights to fly by, such as when taking on weaker enemies, or trying to strengthen your party for the challenges ahead, the faster settings are there to make things more convenient and enjoyable.

You can also set behaviors for your party to allow them to act independently of your orders in battle. You can make them ‘Act Wisely’ for a balanced approach, ‘Conserve MP’ to ensure they don’t throw out wasteful spells, ‘Show No Mercy’ to launch a full-power assault, and more. If you want your allies back under your command, simply switch to ‘Follow Orders’, and they’ll be under your full control once more. These many options mean you can play the game how you like – full control or partial control, or even let the game take care of combat for you. It’s entirely up to you.

Recruiting monsters

One more new feature exclusive to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is shown in the video – recruiting monsters.

Not every monster you meet wants to give you a beating – some are friendly. In these cases, you can recruit them to fight for you in one of the many monster arenas around the world. Many of these monsters are hidden away, so you’ll need to be alert and explore thoroughly to find them.

In the video, you can see the party discover a nervous Spiked Hare. After calming it down, the hero and his party send it on to Monty’s monster menagerie. 

When you visit an arena, you can sign up a party of recruited monsters for a tournament. If they triumph over the opposition, you’ll be rewarded with money and valuable items. 

As you can see, there’s a lot to do in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, from exciting battles to entire optional questlines to discover and undertake.

Key Features:

• A fully modernized remake of the original: Stunning HD-2D visuals fuse pixel art with 3D graphics, bringing players into the world of DRAGON QUEST III like never before, along with an improved and modernized UI, and other quality of life improvements.
• Traditional DRAGON QUEST style battles: A refined take on the classic turn-based battle system, featuring new animations, additional improvements such as an adjustable battle speed, an auto-battle setting, and more.
• Immersive world: Deep exploration of a vast world map with an abundance of rich and captivating locations to discover, challenging players to overcome many unexpected encounters during the journey.
• Experience a timeless musical score: An immersive, authentic, and diverse musical composition that captures the timeless essence and magic of the DRAGON QUEST universe.

Pre-orders* for the standard physical or digital edition of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake will include a free Trouble-Free Travel Kit in the game**. The Trouble-Free Travel Kit contains the following items:

• Elevating Shoes x1
• Seed of Strength x3
• Seed of Defence x3
• Seed of Agility x3
• Seed of Life x3
• Seed of Magic x3

Finally, the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Collector’s Edition* is also revealed and available to pre-order for Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

It contains the following items:

• Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Remake Standard Edition physical game
• Collectible game storage box for both Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
• Dragon Quest III character, monster and logo acrylic blocks complete set
  • Including 20 vocations, 2 boss monsters, and logo
• The Adventurer Accessory Kit (Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake in-game items)
  • Ring of Strength x1
  • Dragon Scale x1
  • Words of Wisdom x1
  • Cat Suit x1
• Exclusive digital wallpapers x2
• The Trouble-Free Travel Kit (as detailed)

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam and Microsoft Store) on November 14, 2024.