Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I must say that the upcoming remake of Dragon Quest 3 has caught my attention like a rare dragon egg in the midst of a bustling marketplace. The addition of Party Tactics and Combat Speed Options promises to breathe new life into a classic experience, making it more accessible yet challenging for modern gamers.


In recent times, Dragon Quest has seen several spin-offs, but fans have been eagerly awaiting the next major installment. The wait continues, but good news for gamers: Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake will be released on November 14th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Developed by Artdink, this remake is based on the original 1988 version and offers stunning graphics, along with quality-of-life improvements and new content. Here’s a list of 15 things you should be aware of before diving in.

Story

In the initial installment of a three-part series, originally crafted by Chunsoft for the NES, the game titled Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, follows the journey of the protagonist, Erdrick, who assumes the role of a hero. His mission is to vanquish Baramos, the archfiend, a task that his father, Ortega, couldn’t complete. The King of Aliahan has requested Erdrick to fulfill this duty. Although the narrative seems straightforward, it hides deeper layers of heroism.

Visual Revamps

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

The main transformation in the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is evident in its title. Though it’s built on Unreal Engine 4, the defining feature is the HD-2D visual style. Characters and adversaries still sport a traditional sprite appearance, whereas the settings are fully three-dimensional with realistic lighting and shadows. The juxtaposition gives off a modern vibe while preserving the timeless look and feel cherished by fans.

Side Quests

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

Absolutely, there’s a lot more to this game than just the main storyline. Alongside the main quest, players can embark on various side missions for extra rewards and experience points in the traditional RPG style. For instance, one of these side quests, demonstrated in recent gameplay, revolves around returning the Dreamstone to the fairies to break a sleeping curse afflicting Norvik village. The challenge lies in locating it, so players delve into the Underground Lake. There are also other side quests offering even greater rewards, but there’s plenty more optional activities to explore, which we’ll delve into later.

Customizing Party Members’ Appearances

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

If you’ve experienced some of the newer Dragon Quest games, it might shock you to know that only Erdrick has a plot-related role among your playable characters. You can enlist others for various tasks and they’ll help in battles (you can have up to four at a time). The roles of these companions aren’t set in stone – new members can join the team, and you can even change them out whenever you wish.

In the remake of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D, they’ve kept the same core features, but added a new layer of personalization for your team members. At Patty’s Party Planning Place, you have the freedom to adjust their looks, names, and voices. It might not be the most expansive customizer, but the extra options definitely add a nice touch.

Vocations

Each participant in the game features a Role or specialization, similar to what you’d call classes. For instance, Mages excel in casting spells; Warriors concentrate on dealing physical damage and defense but may lack agility; Martial Artists focus on unarmed combat; and so forth. However, it’s worth noting that roles can be changed, except for Erdrick, who has the Hero Role. The Hero Role is unique because it not only uses spells effectively but also boasts high attack and defense capabilities, along with exclusive gear that other roles don’t have access to.

Monster Wrangler Vocation

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

In the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, the Monster Wrangler is making its debut, although it’s previously been seen in Dragon Quest 10 and other spin-offs. Equipped with a variety of abilities, this character can learn monster skills and offers useful functions. For instance, they can throw rocks to attack multiple enemies simultaneously, shout a War Cry to stun and force them to skip their turns, or heal your party. Furthermore, Monster Wranglers are particularly useful during rescue missions because friendly monsters won’t run away from them initially.

Monster Arenas

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

In contrast to the original version, Monster Arenas have become more interactive, allowing players to employ rescued monsters in forming teams to participate in competitions. These tournaments consist of consecutive battles without any recovery periods between them, although you don’t have direct control over the monsters; rather, you decide on the strategies they should follow. Rescuing monsters of the same kind also grants access to new abilities and enhances their attributes.

Episodes Focused on Ortega

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

An exciting new feature is the playable narrative focusing on Ortega, father of Aliahan’s Hero and Erdrick. If you’ve ever pondered about his adventures as he sought to vanquish the Archfiend Baramos, these fresh episodes should provide some insights. We’ll witness his confrontation with Simão, fight new adversaries, and discover how his tale concludes at the legendary volcano.

Combat

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

In this game, much like others in the series, combat follows a turn-based format. This means that both players and opponents take turns. Players can employ spells, weapon attacks, items, and various actions during their turn to secure victory. The viewpoint switches to first-person whenever commands are given, just as it does in classic games.

Party Tactics

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

In this remake, you directly manage your party members, and it includes a feature called Party Tactics. Based on the tactic you choose, they’ll modify their strategy. For instance, “Show No Mercy” encourages them to attack aggressively without restraint. On the other hand, “Conserve MP” limits their use of spells, while “Fight Wisely” strikes a balance between offense and defense. It’s up to you whether you prefer micro-managing every action or relying on your character’s own judgement.

Combat Speed Options

For some players, the thrill of combat might not be enough; they might yearn for a more accelerated gameplay experience. Luckily, in the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, there are three battle speeds available – Normal, Fast, and Super-Fast. Although Super-Fast may appear unnecessary at first glance, when coupled with the revamped Party Tactics system, it enables swifter experience points (XP) and gold accumulation.

Difficulty Options

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

Speaking about its level of difficulty, the original Dragon Quest 3 stands out as being somewhat tougher than most. For players seeking an even more demanding adventure, the remake provides three different challenge levels: Dracky Quest, Dragon Quest, and Draconian Quest. In Dracky Quest, your party members will inflict greater damage and bosses won’t recover HP. The default setting is Dragon Quest, while the Draconian Quest offers a significantly tougher experience by increasing the health pools of bosses and even reducing the amount of gold and XP you receive.

PC Requirements

The Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has relatively modest PC requirements, requiring just 20 gigabytes of storage space. To run the game at a resolution of 720p/60 frames per second on the lowest graphical settings, you’ll need a Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i3-6100 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and a graphics card like the Radeon RX 460, Intel Arc A380, or GeForce GTX 750. If you want to play at the highest graphical settings at 1080p/60 FPS, you’ll need the same CPU and RAM, but a slightly more powerful graphics card such as the Radeon RX 470, Arc A580, or GeForce GTX 1060. Users of Intel GPUs are specifically advised to have at least 16 GB of VRAM.

Graphical modes

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake – Everything You Need to Know

As reported by the developer in discussions with Game*Spark, players using Xbox Series X/S and PS5 consoles will have two graphic settings to select: Graphics Mode or Performance Mode. The Graphics Mode emphasizes resolution and visual quality, while the Performance Mode prioritizes frame rate, although specific details about both options are still unclear. It’s uncertain how the game will perform on the Nintendo Switch, but considering the lowest PC requirements, it might run smoothly at 720p/60 FPS.

Playtime

Originally, Dragon Quest 3 is a substantial role-playing game; if you focus solely on the Main Plot, it typically takes around 28 hours to finish, based on HowLongToBeat data. For those who aim for completion, this can stretch up to approximately 33.5 hours. However, the developer hasn’t specified the total time for the remake yet. The playtime will likely increase, given the inclusion of Ortega’s episodes and the new Monster Arenas.

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2024-11-05 19:11