80
With beautiful visuals and new scenes in its story, this remake successfully translates the original’s charm and storytelling that allows the player to imagine the world and story in their own way. However, the essence of this adventure is diluted by the many modern quality of life improvements, resulting in a remake that takes a direction that can be questionable for fans of the original.
80
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a remarkably fresh and modern title despite the age of its original. It provides numerous ways to appeal to contemporary gaming audiences while keeping pathways open for traditionalists who cherish the classic experience. Its greatest strength lies in its atmosphere and stunning audiovisual presentation. Beyond that, it’s "just" an excellent JRPG.
85
The Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake beautifully reimagines the original with great visuals. While its traditional gameplay mechanics might deter newer players, fans of classic JRPGs, particularly those with nostalgia for Dragon Quest, will thoroughly enjoy the experience.
8
An outstanding game - the perfect use of the HD-2D graphic style to reimagine a classic. It retains all the elements that make the Dragon Quest formula such an addictive experience - the lovable characters, the grindy yet satisfying gameplay loop, the weird monsters and impeccable world building - and emphasises all these positives with a beautiful new coat of paint. It's not perfect, solely because the source material obviously shows its age. But what it promised it largely delivers in spades, and it is an easy recommendation as a result.
5
This game is pretty, but visuals don't matter to me when gameplay feels boring. There is no incentive to grind, the monster encounters are easy (even on draconian quest), there is no resource management. Enemy encounters feel like an annoying obstacle rather than a meaningful experience you actually need to pay attention to. It feels more like an adventure game than a turn based RPG. I somehow enjoy the original Dragon Quest on NES more than this game and I don't understand how because games are supposed to be better these days???
10
This game really catch the soul of the original game and make it even better. I always wonder how they will remake the city, dungeon, etc, and after playing, I can say that they did a great job! QoS are great, really great, if you compare it to the original which you have no clue where to go next. I enjoy my time playing this game and planning to start over in couple of year in the future.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
Released On:
Nov 14, 2024
Metascore
Generally Favorable
84
User score
Mixed or Average
7.2
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
92% Positive
45 Reviews
45 Reviews
8% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Nov 13, 2024
100
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a captivating JRPG with a rich story, stunning world, and challenging gameplay, enhanced by welcome QoL upgrades. Whether you're a fan or newcomer, it’s a must-play, and with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D on the way, the trilogy is shaping up to be unmissable.
Nov 13, 2024
90
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake manages to bring together the best of both worlds: the charm and freedom of old-school games with the comfort and fluidity of modern titles. This starts from a visual point of view with a more successful HD-2D style than ever that looks like an achievement for Team Asano. Controller in hand, the adventure benefits from so many comfort options that it becomes more fluid than ever and modular to satisfy all audiences. Thanks to all this, we find with great pleasure the feeling of freedom typical of Famicom games with gameplay that shines as much by its simplicity as by the combinations offered. And if we can criticize it for the structure of its dungeons, some less beautiful environments and its technique on Switch, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake still succeeds in its bet to bring back to taste a timeless classic in the best possible conditions.
User score
Mixed or Average
67% Positive
200 Ratings
200 Ratings
12% Mixed
36 Ratings
36 Ratings
21% Negative
63 Ratings
63 Ratings
Dec 19, 2025
10
This game really catch the soul of the original game and make it even better. I always wonder how they will remake the city, dungeon, etc, and after playing, I can say that they did a great job! QoS are great, really great, if you compare it to the original which you have no clue where to go next. I enjoy my time playing this game and planning to start over in couple of year in the future.
Oct 26, 2025
10
The best version of this game to play. Keeps everything that was great about the classic. While also bringing in great additions to the story and character customization
Nov 13, 2024
90
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a timeless classic with simple gameplay and narrative that engages and captivates the player. The title delivers a polished experience from start to finish thanks to its myriad of welcome improvements, stunning graphics, and delightful soundtrack.
Nov 18, 2024
85
The remake brings several good quality of life improvements, new content, a newly recorded soundtrack and more. The visual style chosen also fits perfectly, making the experience feel timeless. So for fans and newcomers alike, this game is excellent to get in on, although it is a bit curious that a 4K at 60fps option is missing. Also, the encounter rate is just a bit too high, which can be a bit annoying.
Dec 2, 2024
80
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a constant blur in my brain. What I see, and what I hear, is not felt in my hands, which return to the late '80s and embark on a pixel art adventure, but now more HD than ever. This is not bad, on the contrary, it is a dichotomy that no other remake or remastering has made me feel until now.
Nov 13, 2024
80
Although not perfect, DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake modernizes the decades-old classic while setting the stage for the sequel, ultimately making it an essential game for JRPG enthusiasts and DQ die-hards alike.
Nov 13, 2024
65
Graphically polished and therefore visually attractive gem for genre and series fans. However, a lack of depth in the story and characters quickly leads to monotony.
Dec 11, 2024
10
One of the best games of all time. The story of a son that had to live in the shadow of his legendary father and make a name for himself in the world still grabs you. And the remake expands the story in that regard. the individual stories of each city/nation, is still some of the best in the series. The battles are a true challenge, even ones that were easy in the **** only problem I have with the game is that the maps/your next objective text always tell you where to go, and the maps in the dungeons make the exploration of them too easy. But no one forces you to use those, and I just did because I already played the game in the past.
Apr 30, 2025
7
Very fun and nostalgic. Had a blast, but it's too dated to keep me inspired to play. Haven't finished it, although i am very. But isee the charm. Art style is **** Mr. Toriyama
Aug 25, 2025
6
The main game is alright. The game itself is nice to look at, but it does feel a bit soulless or lacking in essence. Some quality-of-life features are missing. The post-game is really bad and does not make fun. Overall, the game isn’t well balanced unless you grind, then it’s okay. I hope the Part 1-2 remake turns out better.
Jun 15, 2025
4
barely an update all you seem to do is grind and search for keys. dq 11 still remains king.
Jan 9, 2025
4
I found this game to be pretty boring compared to Dragon Quest 8. Without any interesting characters to interact or travel with, I stopped playing after defeating Robbin' 'Ood. I really wish the remake added some more personality to the story. Granted, this was my first time playing an RPG like this, so if I return to the game someday and up really enjoying the rest of the adventure, I'll give this game a much higher score.
SummaryIn this latest visual iteration of DRAGON QUEST III, long-time fans and newcomers will be invited to experience this HD-2D version of DRAGON QUEST III that provides a unique three-dimensional feel by adding 3D effects to pixel-based backgrounds.
Rated E +10for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X
- PC
Initial Release Date:Nov 14, 2024
Developer:
Publisher:
