The Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has been in the works for a long time, but the wait was well worth it, as the new version of the third entry in the JRPG series by Square Enix, which serves as the beginning of the Erdrick trilogy, is undoubtedly the best rendition of the adventure, which, chronologically, started it all. Everything considered, it was also the easiest game of the trilogy to remake in the HD-2D style, as the gameplay, while definitely a little dated, still held up well, allowing the development team to focus on the new visuals and some choice changes to improve an experience that is still considered among the best in the series.
To make the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake as compelling as its predecessor, however, the development team needed to do much more. The original Dragon Quest is terribly dated, with a single party member who can only face a single enemy, and a vague semblance of a story that is barely there. Dragon Quest II, on the other hand, fares a little better, with a set party and a slightly more developed narrative, but not by much. Both games required a lot more to be enticing for a modern audience who did not experience the original or any of their previous faithful remakes than a new coat of paint and some additional content, but sfter trying both games during last month's Gamescom, I can safely say that the two games are being properly updated with new tweaks and improvements that modernize them without impacting the classic feel the two games still firmly retain.
Having only around one hour to try out both games, I couldn't delve too deep into the many tweaks and changes featured in the upcoming remakes, but the little I experienced was fully convincing. In Dragon Quest I, for example, the Hero continues to fight his way to the Dragonlord alone, but no longer fights single enemies, but groups like in the rest of the series. As such, the experience has been completely rebalanced with this in mind, and the Hero's skillset has been greatly expanded with a Scrolls system that allows players to teach their character a variety of skills. In addition, the game features a lot more story in the vein of the rest of the series, which promises to make the classic game more entertaining than ever before, and even longer, as the development team confirmed it will take around 15 hours to get to the ending, as opposed to around 10 hours required for the original.
Dragon Quest II has been similarly expanded, with the Princess of Cannock joining the party and an increased focus on story to make it feel like more than a fancier way of guiding the player to the next objective. Character customization has also been enhanced with the introduction of a Sigils system that grants special effects in battle, bringing the gameplay closer to that of more recent entries in the series. With the new content added in, the developer expects it will take 35 hours to get to the ending, which is a considerable increase over the around 18 hours needed to complete the original.
For the rest, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake played as one would expect, with the classic top-down view, intricate dungeon design with some simple puzzles to solve, random encounters, classic turn-based combat system, and the iconic music that has always defined the series since its beginnings. With familiar elements and well-thought-out additions meshing together to deliver renewed experiences, I expect Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake to be as successful as last year's release amid newcomers and veterans alike when the game launches on October 30th on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
