PAX West Hands-On: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

During PAX West 2024, Square Enix had a lot to show and I had an opportunity to play Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and experience a small sampling of what players can look forward to when it launches on November 11th, 2024.

What is DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake?

originally released in 1988 as Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation., Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a reimagining of the classic third installment in the Dragon Quest series and the narrative beginning of The Erdrick Trilogy.

You play as The Protagonist, a child of Ortega, known as the Hero of Aliahan in this JRPG. On your 16th birthday, you head out on your adventure to fulfill your father’s dying wish to overthrow the wicked King Baramos.

What did I play?

During my demo time, I had the opportunity to explore the Monster Arena and Skyfell Tower. At the top of the tower, I faced the boss fight against Robbin ‘Ood. The Monster Arena had you pick a trio of monsters to face off enemy monster teams in waves. If your team can successfully beat the competition, you would be rewarded with a prize. After I finished with the Monster Arena, we were able to access the fast travel to the Skyfell Tower region of the map which served as a dungeon with a boss fight at the end. There were several floors of random encounters, item chests, and other goodies to discover. Once I made it to the top, I confronted Robbin ‘Ood and his Merry Men in a turn-based fight.

What did I think?

My time with Skyfell Tower was what really shined for me. I loved the beautiful HD-2D rendering of the pixel art. The battle with Robbin’ was fun and engaging, and was challenging in all the right ways. I had to plan my actions accordingly for myself and assign the playstyles for the rest of my party so there would be healing support and focused attacks.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake launches on all major platforms on November 11th, 2024.

Will you be playing this game later this year? Is it one of your most anticipated games for 2024? Where there any questions this raised for you? Let us know!

 

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