Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake ‘Side Quest’ Gameplay

The sleepy village of Norvik

The world of Dragon Quest III is vast and full of things to discover. There is a real feeling of exploration and discovery, and exploring every corner of these magnificent lands is strongly encouraged. After all, who knows what a curious adventurer might find?

Naturally, you can discover materials, items, and other valuable items, but exploration 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 it literally.

Due to events that you will discover for yourselves (he says, dancing elegantly around the spoilers), the village is afflicted with a terrible curse, which has plunged the inhabitants into a deep sleep from which they are unable to awaken.

One of the few remaining inhabitants begs your intrepid hero to save the colony by returning an artifact called the Dreamstone to the fairies. Of course, the first step is finding the thing.

Underground lake

Another area is shown: the underground lake. Here you will discover the dreamstone you need to save Norvik from its eternal nap.

It’s a perilous adventure in a deliciously dank dungeon, filled with dangerous monsters and alluring loot. It also shows how the game’s beautiful HD-2D visual style 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 are reminiscent of the game’s original pixel art, while still feeling fresh and modern. Not to mention breathtakingly beautiful.

Time for battle

As inviting as exploring the world of Dragon Quest III is that it is not without risks. Monsters roam these lands and you will have to face them in combat.

New gameplay footage gives you a close-up look at how battles unfold. In classic Dragon Quest style, combat is turn-based and tactical: you give orders to your group, then they execute your strategy.

It’s a simple system, but it offers enormous depth. You have many different abilities and spells at your disposal, which only grow as the adventure progresses. Understanding how to use them to damage enemies, weaken 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 combat. For example, in the new footage you can see that Dorothy is a mage. This gives him access to powerful spells like Bang, which damages all enemies with a small explosion.

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

Power to the player

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

You can toggle between normal, fast, and super-fast settings. Normal is great for following the flow of combat, especially during more difficult fights like boss fights. But if you want battles to move quickly, such as when facing weaker enemies or trying to strengthen your party for upcoming challenges, 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 cast unnecessary spells, “show no mercy” to launch a full-strength assault, and more Again. If you want your allies back under your command, simply switch to “Follow Orders” and they will be under your full control again. These many options mean you can play the game however you want: full control or partial control, or even let the game take care of the combat for you. It’s entirely up to you.

Recruit monsters

Yet another new feature exclusive to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is shown in the video: recruit monsters.

Not every monster you encounter wants to fight you: some are friendly. In these cases, you can recruit them to fight alongside you in one of the many monster arenas around the world. Many of these monsters are hidden, so you’ll need to be vigilant and explore thoroughly to find them.

In the video you can see the group discover a nervous pointed hare. After calming him down, the hero and his group send him to Monty’s menagerie of monsters.

When you visit an Arena, you can enter a group of recruited monsters for a tournament. If they triumph over the opposition, you will be rewarded with money and valuable items.