Square Enix on Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D’s new features

Your dad wants a word

Square Enix

Square Enix outlined a bit about what to expect Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D’s new features, and it sounds like the RPG is a bit more than just a pretty, 1:1 remake. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D includes several fresh story episodes, and the star of this new show is your dad. Well, the player character’s dad, anyway, Ortega the hero (thanks, Gematsu).

Square Enix has a habit of expanding Ortega’s life in Dragon Quest 3 re-releases. The Super Famicom and Game Boy Color versions in the early 1990s included extra little tidbits that explained some of his adventures prior to the fateful encounter that stripped him of his memories. Whether these are fully playable moments in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D or just have a touch more cinematic flair remains to be seen.

The spruced up remake also adds new monsters to the mix that weren’t present in any of the game’s previous incarnations, including a gargoyle called Garboyle who makes cryptic references to Ortega when your party arrives at his monstrous lair and a ghoulish spirit called Dying Fire, who resents all living souls who trespass where they don’t belong.

That’s all in addition to the cities and wild environs remade in high-definition pixel graphics, packed with visual flourishes and details that, Square Enix says, infuse them with new life, even if you’ve played the game before. You won’t have long to wait to find out how true that is, either. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D launches for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on November 14, 2024.