Games of the Year

RPGFan Games of the Year 2024: Best Remake or Re-Release

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake - Best Remake or Re-Release of 2024

Winner: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

Writeup by Wes Iliff

In the modern era, we are spoiled for choice with remakes, remasters, and rereleases. They range from upscaled ports to complete reimaginings, but none have towed the line of being true to the original while completely reimagining the experience quite like Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

The core concept and story are the same: Make a party from a variety of classes, go off on an adventure to save the world in the footsteps of your father, and engage in simple turn-based battles as you make decisions to build your party into a refined fighting machine.

But it’s so much more than that. Hidden treasures make exploration a treat, which makes grinding less of a necessity. New areas, activities, and classes give old fans new things to discover. Enriched storytelling offers exciting hooks for new players. There are few better ways to dip your toes into a beloved series.


Runner-Up: Persona 3 Reload

Writeup by Aleks Franiczek

Every videogame remake must walk a fine line between faithfulness and modernization, and which way it should ideally skew depends on the game. Change too much, and existing fans will feel the original vision they fell in love with has been compromised. Stick too close, and newer players might wonder why the game was ever considered a classic in the first place.I’ve seen some understandable criticisms of Persona 3 Reload, but ultimately, I think the changes all lead to a more enjoyable game. The presentation overhaul, rebalanced party kits, expanded character interactions, and sleek playability allow Persona 3’s unique qualities to shine stronger than ever before. This is how you both preserve and expand a design vision.


Readers’ Choice: Best Remake or Re-Release of 2024

Winner: Persona 3 Reload (28.9% of votes)

Runner-Up: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (25.4% of votes)

Wes Iliff

Wes Iliff

Wes learned to read playing Dragon Warrior on the NES and they haven't stopped playing RPGs since. Through a superhero-esque origin story, they started writing like crazy and eventually ended up writing features at a site they'd been reading since high school, which was... some time ago. They love sharing the joy in whatever flawed masterpiece has caught their attention this week, usually to the captive audience of their girlfriend, children, and small menagerie of pets.