Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

The most featured and enjoyable version of this treasured classic, a faithful adaptation that elevates its strongest aspects. The shift to the beautiful HD-2D art style is a standout, paired with a refreshingly pure JRPG loop, a flexible class system, and a wonderfully cohesive symphonic soundtrack. Its thin narrative and dated simplicity may put some off, and notable frame drops plague nearly every town, but it neither overstays its welcome nor spreads itself too thin.

A loving ground-up remake that keeps the classic, unapologetically old-school turn-based RPG feel while layering in modern quality-of-life touches, new content like the Monster Wrangler class, and full voice acting. The HD-2D visuals are stunning, with breathtaking lighting and blurred backgrounds, and the classic Sugiyama soundtrack remains triumphant. The main shortcomings are overly frequent random battles with no encounter-rate slider, and a few missing quality-of-life tweaks that would have elevated it further.