DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake: Everything you need to know
The legend returns! DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam on November 14, 2024.
As the name suggests, this new game’s a full remake of DRAGON QUEST III, widely considered one of the greatest RPGs of all time. The timeless adventure has been reimagined in the beautiful HD-2D visual style made famous by titles such as OCTOPATH TRAVELER I and II, LIVE A LIVE and TRIANGLE STRATEGY. It also has new and updated features, including additional content, a new vocation and even voice acting.
It’s a comprehensive package, and a must for RPG fans. To give you an idea of what to expect, we’re going to tell you all about the game, story, characters and much more.
Don’t worry – we’re not going to get into story spoilers, but here’s everything else you need to know.
The story of DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake
The game starts in the quaint kingdom of Aliahan, home of the great hero Ortega and his child – the protagonist of the game, and your primary player character.
On your 16th birthday, you receive an order from the king: to do what your late father could not and defeat the Archfiend Baramos. Thus begins your journey to save the world.
But what surprises does fate have in store for you?
New story episodes – Ortega’s Adventure
While DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake features the same tale as the original game, you can expect some new stuff too! You can play through new episodes featuring Ortega – the great hero (and your pa).
The game contains several new scenes which shine a spotlight on the protagonist’s father, Ortega, and give you a better understanding of the man himself and his quest.
This story also features new, formidable foes which will give fans an even deeper experience of the DRAGON QUEST III narrative.
The world of DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake
On your journey, you and your allies will explore all corners of a vast world. What mysteries await in the towns, castles, caves and towers you’ll discover? Here’s just a preview of the many sights that lie in store:
Meadows, forests, deserts, tundra and rocky escarpments dot the landscape.
As you explore the world, day turns to evening and then to night time.
Caves, towers, and other dungeons may conceal treasure chests that contain important items required to progress the story.
With a ship in your possession, the seas and waterways open up new avenues of adventure.
Need some guidance? The residents of towns and castles can provide hints to help you on your journey.
But what’s this? Monsters in town? What is the world coming to?!
That’s a very broad overview of the world, but what about specific locations? Let’s showcase a few:
Portoga
Portoga is a seafaring nation home to a bustling port that’s filled with the finest shipbuilders.
Due to its status as one of the world’s key trading spots, there are few better places to be if you need to learn more about the state of the world at any given time.
Travel slightly south of its shores and you’ll be greeted by a lighthouse where travelers are known to gather to trade tales.
Jipang
This small island nation is known by many names: the Land of the Rising Sun, the Golden Country to name a few.
It’s filled with countless cherry blossom trees and rice paddies. Venture under its mammoth shrine gate and eventually you will be greeted by a resplendent manor.
The area is ruled over by a character named Pimiko who possesses strange powers.
Ibis
Ibis is a kingdom surrounded by miles of desert.
It has much flora that could only be found in a clime of its ilk, and the well within its borders is one of its people’s few, precious supplies of water.
The nation was originally founded by King Faro and is now ruled by a queen famed for her beauty.
And so much more…
Those were just a few of the many, many locations in DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake. This world is full of amazing things to discover. For example:
Word has it there’s a village out there populated by faeries.
Sometimes you’ll come across puzzles which need solving too. Maybe these boulders will move if you push hard enough…
This dungeon will make a tightrope walker out of you. Nothing ventured, nothing gained indeed…
Battles
One thing that you’ll discover when exploring the world and its dungeons is that monsters are never far away.
In classic DRAGON QUEST fashion, battles are tense and turn-based, with you dishing out orders to your party members. You can attack with weapons, use powerful spells and abilities and much more. Defeating monsters rewards you with experience points which will level up your party, as well as gold coins, which you can use to buy more powerful gear.
Whether you’re traversing the overworld or exploring a dungeon, monsters will attack without warning. In this game, you can adjust the speed of battle to your liking.
You command your party in turn-based battles. There’s no time limit to choose your next move, so you have the space to think through your actions as much as you like!
There’s no need to hold back! Break out your strongest spells and abilities and enjoy each fight to the fullest.
Powerful enemies lurk in the deepest recesses of many a dungeon. The key to taking these foes down? Teamwork!
Party time
In DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake, you can form a party of up to four characters, including the protagonist, by paying a visit to Patty’s Party Planning Place at the start of your adventure.
Simply have a word with Patty and you’ll be able to add any adventurers registered with her to your party. If you’ve registered any adventurers yourself, then you’ll also be able to recruit them to join your ranks here.
This remake also boasts a new feature which allows you to sign up party members to be volunteers. Volunteers can help out parties on other adventure logs (save files) that are tied to the same account!
Here’s how you register new recruits. First, you’ll head upstairs where you’ll be asked to choose your new ally’s name, vocation (more on that shortly), appearance, and how they look from four presets.
Next, you get to pick one of fourteen different hair colors for them. After that, you’ll receive a few stat-boosting seeds which you can allocate as you see fit.
Last but not least, you get to select what kind of voice they’ll have. Don’t worry – their appearance won’t limit the voice types you can give them. It’s also worth noting that the protagonist and all their companions have their own personalities too!
Helping Hands
Here’s something new for the remake: DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake lets you share party members between adventure logs attached to the same account. If you’re interested, talk to Patty and select the “Helping Hands” option. This will let you sign up volunteers to aid parties on other adventure logs.
You’ll then be able to add a maximum of one volunteer, with the attributes, level, and equipment they had when registered, to your party on another adventure log!
Personalities
Everyone in your party comes with their own personality, and this will change how quickly certain attributes increase when they level up. If you’re not a fan of a personality, you can always change it with a book or accessory later on.
The protagonist’s personality is decided at the start of the game, and their companions’ personalities are set whenever they’re registered.
Vocations
Everyone in your party has a vocation, the protagonist included. These determine what spells and abilities they are capable of learning, how their attributes will increase, and what equipment they can use. DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake even features a new vocation not in the original release – more on that in a bit.
First though, let’s take a look at some of the classic vocations in the game.
Hero
Only the protagonist can possess this vocation. They’ll learn sword-specific abilities, Zap-family spells, healing magic, and even incantations that revive fallen allies. This versatility allows heroes to switch between attack and defense at a moment’s notice.
The spell pictured above is Kazap: a fearsome spell unique to heroes that rains down powerful thunderbolts on the enemy!
Warrior
Warriors are excellent damage dealers who can arm themselves with all sorts of powerful equipment. Their high HP allows them to protect their companions during fights too, making them mainstays in most parties.
The Sword Dance ability (pictured above) unleashes a series of slashes which will damage even the toughest of foes.
Martial Artist
Martial Artists are formidable combatants who are not only strong, but speedy to boot. They favor fighting with their fists or claws and land lots of critical hits in battle.
As you can see above, the Multifists ability allows martial artists to pummel their enemies with four punches in a row!
Mage
Mages are capable conjurers who boast ample wisdom and equally ample MP. Not only can they hold their own against enemies with a myriad of offensive spells, they can also support their allies with incantations like Kabuff and Oomph.
Also pictured is Kafrizz: a spell that incinerates an enemy with an enormous fireball. In fact, Mages can cast a whole host of elemental spells.
Priest
Priests are helpful healers who can recover allies’ HP and cure them of any nasty status ailments such as poison or paralysis. They can even resurrect fallen companions too!
The Multiheal pictured is particularly useful whenever you need to help the whole party recover some much-needed HP.
Merchant
Merchants are money makers who are experts at collecting gold coins and appraising items. Their unique skill set will come in handy both in battles and as you explore the world. They even occasionally pick up some extra gold coins post-battle.
If you use their Dig ability while out and about and you might happen upon some gold coins or an item. If you’re lucky, they might even find an extra-rare item!
Gadabout
A Gadabout heals and supports their allies with a range of abilities in battle. However, be warned: they’re prone to acting out on their own – although this can sometimes have unexpected, positive results.
While they occasionally ignore orders, their antics can benefit the party in unexpected ways.
Thief
Thieves are experts at sneaking past enemies and finding treasure in the darkest of dungeons. They have an array of spells and abilities that aid the party during exploration and can also unleash attacks which inflict status ailments. Post-battle they might surprise you by stealing something from a defeated enemy too!
The Nose for Treasure ability allows thieves to work out how many sparkly spots are nearby on the world map, and how many treasure chests are nearby in towns and dungeons.
New Vocation: Monster Wrangler
DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake adds a brand new vocation: Monster Wrangler!
Allies with this unconventional vocation do battle with an array of monstrous abilities. Not only can they learn attacks which deal damage to multiple enemies at once, they are also capable of using abilities which heal their companions.
For example, you can hit several enemies at once with some rather-large rocks…
Or use the War Cry ability to stun enemies, causing them to miss their next turn.
Changing Vocations
Eventually on your adventure you will reach Alltrades Abbey, where you can give any character over level 20, except the protagonist, a new vocation of your choosing.
Party members will revert to level 1 post-vocation change, but they’ll still retain all the spells and abilities they had in their arsenal, and attributes will only drop by around 50%.
In short, the more vocations a character takes on, the more things they’ll be able to do!
This is Healizah – a self-styled “fashion gooru.” Healizah can change how characters look, their hair color, and even their voice for a fee.
Special Vocation: Sage
Sage is a special vocation that can only be achieved by meeting certain conditions. No one starts out as a sage and the path to becoming one is shrouded in mystery.
Only those who have undergone intense training and attained true enlightenment are ready to take on the sage vocation. They are famed for their abundant MP, and can wield both priest- and mage-specific spells.
The end of your adventure will be fraught with peril, but having a sage at your side will put you in good stead. Their offensive, healing, and support spells can help guide your party to victory.
New feature: Monster Arena
Here’s something else that’s new to DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake: Monster Arenas!
The world is home to several monster arenas, where friendly creatures you’ve rescued on your travels can test their might in combat! Keep your eyes peeled for any monsters of a kinder disposition when exploring towns, dungeons, and other areas.
Any monsters you rescue will head off to see Monty the Monster Monitor in a nearby monster arena.
Some of the world’s towns have their own monster arenas, where you can take on different tournaments. Each tournament has its own rank, and you can take part in one as long as you pay your entry fee and have enough monsters to form a team.
Teams are comprised of a maximum of three monsters, and you can set your monsters’ tactics during battles.
You’ll earn money for each bout you are triumphant in. What’s more, you also get extra gold coins and prizes if it’s your first time winning a tournament!
Secret Spots
There are hidden areas in the world that you won’t find on your map. They’re often marked by a conspicuous tree or some boulders. If you enter one of these spots, you might find some items, gold coins, or even a friendly monster.
Make a point of searching for these areas on your adventure, you won’t regret it!
That was a whistlestop tour through some of the incredible things you’ll see and do in DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake – coming November 14, 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam.
Preorder the game to get some nifty in-game items when the game releases:
- Elevating Shoes x1
- Seed of Strength x3
- Seed of Defence x3
- Seed of Agility x3
- Seed of Life x3
- Seed of Magic x3
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