New Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake gameplay focuses on one of the game’s optional quests

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is just a few weeks away.

For those who haven’t been following development, this is a full remake of the classic Dragon Quest III – one of the most beloved and influential RPGs of all time. It includes everything that made that adventure so magical, but enhances it with new features and new content – all created with the eye-catching HD-2D visual style made famous by games like Octopath Traveler and Live A Live.

But what does it look like in action? Well, today we’re happy to introduce seven minutes of extended gameplay, focusing on one of the optional quests in the game. Check it out:  

To complement the video, we thought we’d add some additional detail about what you’re seeing. 

The sleepy village of Norvik

The world of Dragon Quest III is large and full of things to discover. There’s a real sense of exploration and discovery, and exploring every nook and cranny of these beautiful lands is strongly encouraged. After all, who knows what an inquisitive adventurer might find? 

Naturally, you may discover gear, items, and other valuables, but exploring can also open up new questlines for you to explore. 

An example of this is shown in the new gameplay footage. If you venture north after traveling to Romaria, you may find the sleepy hamlet of Norvik – and when we say ‘sleepy,’ we mean that literally.

Due to events that you’ll discover yourselves (he said, dancing elegantly around spoilers), the village is afflicted by a terrible curse, which has made the residents fall into a deep slumber that they are unable to wake from.

One of the few still active inhabitants begs your intrepid hero to save the settlement by returning an artifact called the Dreamstone to the fairies. Of course, the first step is actually to find the thing.

Underground lake

Another area is shown – the Underground Lake. Here, you’ll uncover the Dreamstone you need to save Norvik from its eternal naptime. 

It’s a treacherous trek into a delightfully dank dungeon full of dangerous monsters and alluring loot. It also showcases how the beautiful HD-2D visual style of the game enhances classic areas from the original game to give them new life and depth.

By combining 3D backgrounds, detailed 2D sprites, and modern lighting techniques, it creates powerful scenes that hearken back to the game’s original pixel art, while feeling fresh and modern. Not to mention breathtakingly beautiful.

Time for battle

As inviting as exploring the world of Dragon Quest III is, it’s not without its risks. Monsters roam these lands, and you’re going to have to face them in battle.

The new gameplay footage gives you an up-close look at how battles play out. In classic Dragon Quest style, combat is turn-based and tactical – you give orders to your party, and then they carry out your strategy.

It’s a simple system, but it offers enormous depth. You have many different abilities and spells, which only grow as the adventure progresses. Understanding how to use them to damage foes, depower threats, and strengthen allies is the key to coming out alive.

Each character in your party is assigned a vocation, which determines their attributes and abilities in battle. For example, in the new footage, you can see Dorothy is a mage. This gives her access to powerful spells like Bang, which damages all foes with a small explosion.

There are multiple vocations in the game, from heavy hitters like Martial Artist and support-focused Priest to more unconventional roles like Gadabout. There’s even an entirely new vocation for this remake – Monster Wrangler!

Power to the player

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has a range of features that let you customize the combat experience. For example, at the top of the screen, you’ll notice the option to change the speed of battles with the press of a button.

You can cycle between normal, fast, and ultra-fast settings. Normal is great for following the flow of combat, particularly during tougher scraps like boss battles. But if you want fights to fly by, such as when taking on weaker enemies, or trying to strengthen your party for the challenges ahead, the faster settings are there to make things more convenient and enjoyable.

You can also set behaviors for your party to allow them to act independently of your orders in battle. You can make them ‘Act Wisely’ for a balanced approach, ‘Conserve MP’ to ensure they don’t throw out wasteful spells, ‘Show No Mercy’ to launch a full-power assault, and more. If you want your allies back under your command, simply switch to ‘Follow Orders’, and they’ll be under your full control once more. These many options mean you can play the game how you like – full control or partial control, or even let the game take care of combat for you. It’s entirely up to you.

Recruiting monsters

One more new feature exclusive to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is shown in the video – recruiting monsters.

Not every monster you meet wants to give you a beating – some are friendly. In these cases, you can recruit them to fight for you in one of the many monster arenas around the world. Many of these monsters are hidden away, so you’ll need to be alert and explore thoroughly to find them.

In the video, you can see the party discover a nervous Spiked Hare. After calming it down, the hero and his party send it on to Monty’s monster menagerie. 

When you visit an arena, you can sign up a party of recruited monsters for a tournament. If they triumph over the opposition, you’ll be rewarded with money and valuable items. 

As you can see, there’s a lot to do in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, from exciting battles to entire optional questlines to discover and undertake. Of course, what we’re showing here is only the tiniest hint at the adventures to come. You’ll discover all kinds of stories and secrets in the full game when it launches on November 14 for PS5.