There have been a few queries surrounding the Dragon Quest franchise over the years, especially following the breakout success of Dragon Quest 11 in 2018. The most pertinent is when the next mainline title (The Flames of Fate, announced in 2021) would finally launch. Ever since the reveal of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, there’s been some questioning over the developer’s desire to revisit the classic.

Originally launched in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan, Dragon Quest 3: The Seeds of Salvation is often considered a pivotal title for the franchise and the role-playing game genre. Its class system was unlike anything at the time, especially with the ability to multiclass, the exploration opens much further than previous titles, granting a ton of freedom in how you explore, and several story-telling tropes and mechanics are still apparent in titles today.

Some titles can become overinflated in importance with nostalgia, but that’s not the case with Dragon Quest 3. As such, the HD-2D Remake does everything you would expect. It retains the core of the original, down to its story-telling and combat, while adding new quality-of-life features, gorgeous visuals, and re-recorded music. Not only is it an excellent primer into what makes Dragon Quest so endearing, but it’s also a well-made role-playing game in its own right.

"From the outset, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake provides this sense of adventure, even when engaged in some straightforward tasks."

By now, many of you may know the story of Dragon Quest 3. It starts with Erdrick, son of Ortega, on their way to meet the king of Aliahan. They’re setting out on a journey to defeat the Archfiend Baramos and avenge their father, the great hero Ortega, who disappeared while attempting the same. Erdrick is the only proper “character”; other members must be recruited, depending on the desired skills. You can select their Vocations and personalities (which affects the growth of certain stats) while also adjusting their looks. Outside of four pre-made visuals and changing the hair color, there aren’t many options, but it still works well, especially with the sprites fitting well with the original’s aesthetic.

From the outset, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake provides this sense of adventure, even when engaged in some straightforward tasks. It makes quests like obtaining the Thief’s Key – necessary to access the Path of Promise and the teleportal that Ortega took – into an epic journey. Each NPC throughout the towns is brimming with personality (even if they don’t have too many lines), and the voice acting in several places is pretty good.

There is a bigger framework which makes the story one of the best in the series (no spoilers, of course), though it can take some time to get there. Though Erdrick and their companions don’t have much by way of personalities, the overall plot does a good job of making them feel important – cementing their status as heroes while presenting an intriguing journey of growth for the protagonist.

The other appeal to Dragon Quest 3 is exploring the world, unsure of what you may find. The remake provides tools to ensure you don’t end up dazed and confused about your next objective, like a helpful marker indicating it at all times on the map. However, nothing stops you from running through the Promontory Passage instead of the Dreamer’s Tower and looting its various goodies. Depending on how you play, perhaps the former is how you enter the latter. For something that may not seem like a big deal compared to contemporary RPGs, it’s still kind of incredible.

"As secret-filled as the starting continent may feel, that moment when the map properly opens up and its full expanse is laid out feels wondrous."

The game also does a great job of rewarding your exploration. Maybe you’ll be encouraged to return home sometimes to keep tabs on Erdrick’s mother and discover the ability to rest without spending money. You’ll also find some gold coins if you snoop around the upstairs rooms. This sense carries over into other areas, including “secret” locations on the world map, which can reward money and weapons like a sorcerer’s staff to equip on my Mage, something I couldn’t find at other vendors till that point.

As secret-filled as the starting continent may feel, that moment when the map properly opens up and its full expanse is laid out feels wondrous. Whether it impresses some form of nostalgia or not, I was excited to see what the rest of the world has to offer. What discoveries and secrets each location had to offer.

The final component of any Dragon Quest title is the combat and if you’ve played any of the more recent titles, it will look very familiar. Purely turn-based, it lines up your party in a single row while enemies occupy different positions on the opposite side, depending on their types. Perhaps you can employ an area spell like Whoosh to annihilate an entire line of the same enemies in one go.

If the other side features a wider variety of threats, then it’s key to take their respective weaknesses (and abilities) into account. The overall combat system is solid, encouraging a decent mix of strategies without getting too bogged down in your average encounters.

"My other complaint is with the new Monster Wrangler Vocation, which doesn’t gain nearly as many abilities in the early going as the others, which meant lots of missed Tongue Lashing in the opening hours."

One new aspect of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is Tactics, which allow you to change the behaviors of party members to fight recklessly, use a careful mix of offense and defense, or let you handle their actions. While you can take control of Erdrick and unleash physical or magical damage, maybe some healing at the right moments, the rest of the party is controlled by the AI.

Combined with the new combat speeds, it ensures the less significant battles pass in a pinch, which certainly helps the overall pacing while exploring. That’s because encounters against enemies are random, meaning you have no control over whether to fight them.

I’m not opposed to this – after all, this is part of the main gameplay loop of the original (though I never really found myself having to grind). However, it would have been nice if the remake offered a way to filter out enemies of a particular range to cut down on the lower-level trash that doesn’t provide much XP or Gold.

It would have further improved the overall pacing when traveling back and forth while also better indicating when you’re fighting more competent opponents and should thus be on guard. The current setup isn’t a deal-breaker, but the option would have been nice. My other complaint is with the new Monster Wrangler Vocation, which doesn’t gain nearly as many abilities in the early going as the others, which meant lots of missed Tongue Lashing in the opening hours.

"Whether you’ve played a Dragon Quest title before, want to revisit one of the best games in the series, or experience an incredible RPG, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is an essential experience."

Aside from the quality-of-life features and improvements, the other significant change is in the visuals. I’m a big fan of the art style and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake looks simply stunning. The sprite work looks sharp (the enemies especially look fantastic) and mixes with the 3D environments, which are rife with details like real-time shadows and detailed textures, quite well.

Perhaps my only real complaint is that the depth of field effect doesn’t look as good in some places, resulting in a bit more background blurriness than intended (on PS5, at least). I also found some jittery shadows at one point, but otherwise, the performance is solid throughout.

Whether you’ve played a Dragon Quest title before, want to revisit one of the best games in the series, or experience an incredible RPG, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is an essential experience. Minor issues aside, it accentuates everything that made the original so good while adding new features that improve the combat and exploration. Regardless of whether it was essential for the developer to deliver or not, it’s an immaculate remake for one of the best games ever made.

This game was reviewed on PS5.