During today’s Nintendo Direct, Dragon Quest fans were finally rewarded for their patience. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was announced about three years ago with no real updates since then. This changed today, as Nintendo brought the Sunstone out from Tantegel Castle to take the Dragon Quest fans out of the dark. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake finally has a release date, which is November 14 of this year. If this wasn’t cause enough for rejoicing, the announcement also confirmed a rumor that had been floating around for a few weeks:Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remakehas been announced for 2025, giving the whole Erdrick trilogy a modern remake for current hardware. The trilogy had previously been released for the Switch, but those were basically ports of the mobile versions. These upcoming remakes breathe new life into the games by giving them full HD-2D treatment, making them look more contemporary. The announcement trailer can beviewed here.
Review: Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation (Switch)
Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation shows its age even with the modernization but it also holds up very well.
Erdrick Trilogy?
The first three Dragon Quest games are a trilogy that is based around the legendary hero Erdrick. The original Dragon Quest was first released in 1986 and is very simple by modern RPG standards but still has a certain charm to it. The player assumes the role of the descendant of Erdrick, who is tasked with defeating the Dragonlord and restoring peace to Alefgard. Unlike most RPGs that followed, this is a task that must be carried out solo. The follow-up, Dragon Quest II, features the descendants of the Dragon Quest protagonist. A new threat, Hargon, has made their evil prescence known and the three new heroes, the Prince of Midenhall, the Prince of Cannock and the Princess of Moonbrooke must join together and put an end to the evil that plagues their land.
Dragon Quest III is where the franchise really hit its stride, and is regarded by many fans as one of the best Dragon Quest games. Dragon Quest III takes place before the original. The party size has been increased to four party members and it introduced the job system. The player is assigned the Hero class, and may recruit up to three other party members with different vocations, such as Mage, Martial Artist or Merchant. The size and scope of the world is much greater than the previous two games, and also includes a richer narrative. Out of the three games, this one holds up the best by modern standards.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is scheduled for release on November 14 for PC, PlayStation 5, Switch and Xbox Series X|S. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is scheduled for release in 2025. Switch is all we have confirmed for now, but one could speculate that it will be on the same platforms as Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake.
