Summary
- Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake will delve into the mysterious backstory of the player character's father, Ortega.
- With few answers given about the character over the years despite various re-releases, this is exciting news for longtime fans.
- Fans can anticipate a reimagined gameplay experience with updated mechanics, graphics, and a greater focus on Ortega's story when the game releases on November 14.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake will feature new story content focusing on the player character's father, Ortega. While the game being remade debuted on the NES in 1988 and has seen multiple ports over the decades, Ortega has been an enigmatic key character since its origins, and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake may answer a lot of longtime fans' questions about him.
The new Dragon Quest remake is being developed by the team behind Octopath Traveler and will adopt the signature HD-2D art style made famous by that game, laying 2D pixel sprites in the foreground over highly rendered 3D backgrounds. Square Enix announced the remake in 2021, and die-hard fans of the RPG series have been excited to see it come to fruition.
Dragon Quest Creator Makes Bold Statement About Silent Protagonists
The creator of the famous Dragon Quest series makes a bold statement about how silent protagonists are currently seen by most gamers.
In multiple versions of Dragon Quest 3, Ortega is shown in the opening cinematic battling against The Demon King, Baramos, but the battle is cut short when the defeated hero plummets into the mouth of a fiery volcano. His legacy and death are mentioned by multiple NPCs, but there's not been a lot of in-depth information revealed about his character despite several retellings of the game's lore. However, as originally reported by Japanese-language publication Famitsu on August 8, the remake of the classic Dragon Quest game will feature episodic content that reveals Ortega's "personality and journey." While it's unclear what information will be provided by these episodes, fans will get a better understanding when Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake releases on November 14.
Ortega's Story Will Be Heavily Featured in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake
While finally uncovering the mysteries of Ortega after 36 years is likely an exciting prospect for fans of the series, that's not all that the remake will have to offer. The original Dragon Quest 3 was groundbreaking, as it was the first game in the RPG series to allow a player to assemble a custom-made party, creating multiple characters in the starting town's tavern and assigning them classes and names. Leaks in June have suggested that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake may feature fan-favorite class Monster Master, which allows characters to capture and tame monsters rather than just defeating them.
The potential for a new class isn't the only improvement coming in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. In addition to the obvious graphical overhaul, the game will feature three different difficulty modes, providing players of all skill levels with an experience to enjoy at their own pace. The game will also be updated with modernized quest markers and fast-travel options, taking advantage of the many advancements in the RPG genre since the original game's release. Lastly, the game will include dialogue recall, so players can go back through conversations with NPCs to check for details they may have missed.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- November 14, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Artdink
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
WHERE TO PLAY
DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake is a stunning reimagining of the beloved masterpiece and narrative beginning to The Erdrick Trilogy.
Story:
Years ago, the great hero Ortega bid farewell to his wife and child as he set off on a quest to defeat the villainous Archfiend, Baramos. Ortega failed his quest, and Baramos still threatens the world. Now, on their sixteenth birthday, Ortega’s only child is summoned by the king of Aliahan and entrusted with a mission of the highest import: to take on Ortega’s quest, vanquish Baramos, and save the world.
A fully modernized remake of the original:
Stunning HD-2D visuals fuse pixel art with 3D graphics, bringing players into the world of DRAGON QUEST III like never before, along with an improved and modernized UI, and other quality of life improvements.
Traditional DRAGON QUEST style battles:
A refined take on the classic turn-based battle system, featuring new animations, additional improvements such as an adjustable battle speed, an auto-battle setting, and more.
Immersive world:
Deep exploration of a vast world map with an abundance of rich and captivating locations to discover, challenging players to overcome many unexpected encounters during the journey.
- Franchise
- Dragon Quest
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
