Alrighty, picture this—I just dove headfirst into this game, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on my Switch. The original? Never played it. Might be criminal to some. But hey, two things jumped out at me: First, those sprites—wow. Never seen anything quite like it. Second, the grind is real, folks. I’m talking mega grindy. I ended up switching to the “Dracky Mode” because, honestly, who’s got time for that?
This little adventure started after messing around with a 25-minute demo of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake on the PlayStation 5 at PAX East. Needed some basis before scribbling down my messy thoughts. Got to admit, this isn’t the usual write-up—because, mechanics-wise? Eh, not much to yap about. What really got me were the vibes they’re aiming for—something kind of unique.
Picture this: In Dragon Quest I, started off in this quaint town, wandered into the fields, hit a cave. Did the usual fighting, exploring bit. Not too much of the new stuff was in my face. But man, it looked like a dream. That extra detail like fighting more than one monster? Slick way to up the game complexity without messing too much with the OG feel.
Speaking of II—she’s a stunner too, like its III sibling with those low camera angles and, surprise, voiced cutscenes. If you know Dragon Quest II, you know it’s kind of a hit or miss. It’s sitting awkwardly between the grind of Dragon Quest and the bigger world of III. So yeah, if they’ve polished II like they did III with those handy difficulty settings and quicker battles, it could be epic for loyal fans who’ve got a love-hate thing with it.
What really got my noodle going was this—I & II are supposed to flow seamlessly after III. Imagine, III is like the great Erdrick starter, and I & II continue that family saga. Visual vibes are right on with III, plus there’s supposedly fresh content to tie it all neatly.
One Square Enix guy told me these new remakes together clock around the same runtime as Dragon Quest III HD. If you went the standard difficulty route back then, it was a good 30-40-hour romp. He was pumped when I suggested maybe they’re making II more accessible. He nodded, “Totally what we’re gunning for.”
Oh, a little side note—on Dragon Quest Day, Square Enix dropped the bomb that I & II HD-2D Remake is hitting the shelves October 30. Even popped in there that it’s landing on Switch 2. Surface level, I’m like, “Yeah, looking solid like III.” But a little deeper dive? You can see Square Enix isn’t just playing around—they’re dreaming big with this one. Keep your eyes peeled.
