Aleks Franiczek
The original NES/Famicom version of Dragon Quest III is such a legendary game that I decided it’s the version I would spin for this podcast. To ground myself in historical context, I also dabbled in the original versions of its two predecessors beforehand. This turned out to be a good move for appreciating just how meticulously designed and polished this game is for a 1988 RPG. The world design, character progression, and challenging-yet-fair dungeon crawls match, if not surpass, many of the quality JRPGs in the following decade that tinkered with the formula Dragon Quest III confidently handed them. Sure, I became a bit exhausted by the high encounter rate and endurance-testing dungeon gauntlets in the latter half of the game, but my frustrations were alleviated by surprisingly creative dungeon designs and the sweet, steady thrill of leveling.
Some aspects of the game considered antiquated even ended up being highlights of my playthrough. The lack of in-game map made the exploration upon getting the boat have an enthralling sense of uncharted discovery; no journal for tracking NPC quest hints made me pay greater attention to the way information is cleverly fragmented throughout the world; and the fact that your party members don’t redirect their attacks to another enemy if the target you selected for them is defeated called for strategic calculations that could make random encounters more involving and exciting. Or grating, depending on how many you already fought in the last hour.
With that said, there are still too many caveats to make the NES version an easy recommendation for a general audience. But, fortunately for everyone else, there’s a beautiful new remake that balances traditionalist charm with modern accessibility.
Michael Sollosi
Dragon Quest III is a great 1988 RPG, and Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake doesn’t lose any of its original spirit. The new version delivers a more beautiful and feature-rich experience to suit modern video games, and that is more than enough.
I don’t want to give a mini-review as I am wont to do in Final Thoughts featurettes because Dragon Quest III needs no introduction or explanation. It catapulted Dragon Quest to “national obsession” levels of acclaim when it first landed, and is a shining star of a NES RPG. The new version adds some new moves and tricks for each class (including a new one!) and and looks and plays beautifully. Whether you’re a series veteran or merely Dragon Quest-curious, Dragon Quest III is a must-play, and the HD-2D Remake is the new best way to try it.
Wes Iliff
Dragon Quest III is nostalgia incarnate. The story is not particularly complicated, but the little bit of extra depth added to the HD-2D version gives some nice layers to the experience. The twists in the original still hold up today, though it will be intriguing to see how they play out in chronological order. And the job system makes each playthrough feel fresh and exciting in the same way Final Fantasy does.
But that’s not all that makes the game sing, even in 2024; it’s the emotional attachment to the game for longtime fans. It’s the magic of the fairy tale to new fans. It’s the days I spent learning to read with Erdrick, and it’s the dopamine hit of buying your first copper sword. Dragon Quest has an ineffable magic that few other series can replicate, and few entries make it sing quite like Dragon Quest III.
Zach Wilkerson
At this point, I don’t know what else I can say about Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. So, instead I’ll just point out how much of a delight it was to chat about this game with my colleagues. Our varying experiences with the game, whether we were playing the NES original, or diving into the brand new remake, all lead us to the same place: this game is a stone-cold classic, worthy of playing in any iteration, even today. For a game that came out over 35 years ago that’s pretty special, and that’s all you need to know.
