Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake review

If, like me, you were never much of a Nintendo fan when you were growing up, you’ll have undoubtedly missed out on playing a number of games that are considered classics. Dragon Quest 3 is one of those, a JRPG released in 1988. Remade and re-released on numerous Nintendo systems since, Dragon Quest 3 is now set for its biggest glow up yet: available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and PC, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake gives the game new life via a hefty visual upgrade and some new features.

In typical JRPG fashion, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake invites you to a world under threat. A terrible fiend called Baramos intends to destroy everything you hold dear but, following in the footsteps of your father, you could be the one powerful enough to stop him. You have some companions to back you up, of course, but they’re not dictated by or fit into the story in any real way. And so, while a trio of battle buddies are thrust upon you at the start of the quest, you’re free to create your own accompanying characters and switch them out at pretty much any point.

The character system is perhaps the first sign that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake sticks to its old-fashioned roots. Its light approach to storytelling is a second. You’re gently guided on your way via the conversations you have, and if enabled, a handy marker appears on your world map that indicates where you need to go to progress the story. What you should really do when playing Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D, however, is simply view the world as your oyster and explore however you see fit. It’s much more rewarding that way.

You’ll also need to earn experience in order to level up your characters, because Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is tough. It’s understandable that venturing too far afield can find you encountering enemies that can quickly decimate your party, but sometimes just pushing on with the main story too eagerly can also find you at the mercy of a powerful adversary.

And so, if grinding is something you don’t enjoy doing, you might want to give this title a second thought. The introduction of difficulty levels does give you a lifeline, though opting for the easiest difficulty level that effectively makes you invincible isn’t the most fun or rewarding way to play.

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There are other issues that may alienate some players, too. Save points are few and far between, for example, which may particularly aggravate you when you’re making progress in a dungeon. Thankfully an autosave system has been introduced, which alleviates the problem a little, but you won’t want to rely on it.

The turn-based combat system also somewhat penalises you if you chose to micromanage the actions of all of your party: leave your priest to their free will, for example, and they might heal a character that’s just taken substantial damage. That’s not possible if you’re issuing direct commands yourself at the start of each turn, unless you’re psychic. Oh, and random battles are way too frequent, with no way to adjust them.

If you’re not put off by Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake’s old-school nature, though, there’s a lot to like about it. For a start, just look at the screenshots: this is perhaps the best-looking HD-2D game by Square Enix yet, with brilliant character and enemy designs and loads of colour. It’s also a sizable adventure, with plenty of side-quests to discover and complete including a new Monster Arena. A new Monster Wrangler character class has even been added to make collecting monsters a little bit easier and more rewarding. It’s also nice to be given so much freedom in a JRPG; from the characters that accompany you, to where you go.

Ultimately, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake isn’t for everyone: it remains staunchly authentic to the original game in many ways, which means it can be uncompromising at times and lacks some of the quality of life features that modern players might expect. For those up for a challenge, however, and existing fans of the game, this is no doubt a grand remake of a JRPG classic that will provide tens of hours of entertaining and rewarding adventuring. And perhaps even a few laughs along the way.