DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake

A great and simple rpg. I do think it's overpriced but it's such a great experience, especially if you just love classic rpgs~

TLDR: I recommend this game 9/10 In my review, I would like to explain how I come up with a score of 9/10. For that, I am comparing this game to FF8 (Final Fantasy 8) and CT (Chrono Trigger). Both of these games play very similarly to DQ (Dragon Quest), but get a better score of 10/10 from me. First I'm going to talk about what I didn't like and then I will go over all the good stuff. I have one major problem with this game and it is how the fights are handled. In FF8 and CT you could see how your characters fight against the enemies and interact with them. For example, your characters would run up to the enemy and then slash/punch them or whatever. Or you could see how the spells of the enemies travel to your characters and lay over them. In DQ however, you only see the enemies and not how your characters interact with them. Sure during ability selection in a fight, your characters stand opposite to the enemies. But once an actual round of a fight starts, DQ only shows you the enemies and the effects of your characters on them. For example, if you selected a fire spell, you will see how the fire will travel to the enemy but you won't see how your character casts the fire spell, because you only see the enemies and the effects of your character on them. Also when an enemy attacks your character, you only see how the air gets attacked. Hahah. My next point of criticism is the character line up you play the game with. In FF8 and CT your characters were part of the story and mattered. In DQ however, only the main character is of significance and all the others don't have a background story or character development. This is because in this game you recruit them yourself and choose their occupation and appearance. It's just a different game mechanic compared to FF8 and CT. But I have to say it is very well implemented. For example you can recruit a thief and if you decide you no longer want him, you can just recruit another character of another occupation. Later in game you don't have to recruit other characters, you can just change their occupation in a temple and they keep all their abilities from the occupation you were changing from. This mechanic is well designed but I prefer a character line up were everyone is part of the story. Now I would like to talk about all the good stuff and there is plenty. First of all, the main reason why I play games like this is because of the music. And this game did not disappoint. Great music that fits to this game and is just nice to listen to. Another point is the graphics. I have never played a game that combines pixel design with a 3D world. Such a cool concept. It's like eye candy, especially the lighting and the water effects are very well made. This game has also a cozy vibe to it. This game makes it easy to play. For example in FF8 and CT if you lost a Boss fight and didn't manage save slots thorougly, you were locked and had to win that Boss fight or chose another save slot where you might not have a lot of progress. DQ however has autosaves and it is never a problem when you lose a Boss fight, because you can just start from the last autosave point and then teleport away into a city where you can heal up. Another example I want to mention is you always know what you have to do or where you have to go. The story was very basic and not complex, but not bad. In fact, I enjoyed it due to its simplicity. You are a hero and fight the evil. However, in addition to this main narrative, many side stories of NPCs branched to it and made the world felt much alive. For example, many places you travel to tell their own little side story and you help the people. Finally I like to mention the voice acting. I started with the english version but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that sounded cringe as ♥♥♥♥. There is also japanese voice acting and that sounds much better and fits the game. FF8 and CT had no voice acting, so that is a plus point for DQ. Also during fights your characters shout haha. Overall the game is great and I give it a score of 9/10. It would be a 10/10 if the fight mechanic and character line up would be like that of FF8 and CT.