Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake shows 7 minutes of new gameplay

Square Enix has promised to release new Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake videos over the next five days. The game is set to launch worldwide next month, so the company is boosting its marketing. The first of these has been revealed, showing seven minutes of gameplay in which the player embarks on a sidequest to save the village of Norvik from a sleep curse.

The trailer showcases how Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake fully uses Square Enix's proprietary HD-2D engine, previously seen in titles like Octopath Traveler and Live A Live. The graphics stay true to the classic game's traditional look but modernize the environments, characters, monsters, and battle direction. Even the overworld map stands out, with 2D characters traveling through a 3D world.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 7-minute Trailer Footage

One of the most interesting things in the video is that, despite being a contemporary remake, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake retains many RPG features that might be considered outdated today. Random encounters are one such example. Dragon Quest XI, the latest mainline entry in the franchise, displayed enemies on the map, and even during battles, players could see characters executing their actions. In Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, random encounters are back. While characters are visible when a battle begins, every action is shown from a first-person perspective, meaning players only see the effects happening, not the characters performing them.

Another aspect the trailer highlights is the process of acquiring and completing the sidequest. At least in this footage, there wasn't a dedicated sidequest interface with information, markers, and other features typical of modern RPGs. The player talked to an NPC in Norvik, who vaguely described the situation and gave some directions, leaving the rest to the player to figure out through exploration. The trailer ends when the required item for the quest is found, but until then, there wasn't an indicator confirming that the quest was completed.

While this might be fine for longtime Dragon Quest fans, these are creative choices that differ from modern games. Another RPG that opted for this design is Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the spiritual successor to Suikoden. In Eiyuden Chronicle, there's no dedicated interface for tracking quests or markers on the map. The lack of an activity log can make things tricky for players who take a break and return to the game, as they might forget what they were doing. However, since this is just a demo trailer, the final version of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake may include such an interface.

It won't be long before players worldwide can experience the remake of one of the most classic JRPGs. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake will be released on November 14 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. If you want to know how the Erdrick trilogy begins, check out our comparator for the cheapest Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake deals and get ready for a classic journey.