Dragon Quest, and immediately we think of him, Akira Toriyama and his unmistakable style that has characterized
the character design of all the titles in the saga, from the main chapters
to the spin-offs. The unmistakable mark of the legendary creator of Dragon
Ball, who unfortunately passed away prematurely, should not however influence in any
way the evident quality of the video games we are talking about.
Dragon Quest has been, and still is today in Japan and beyond, the fiercest rival of that other JRPG series that has become just as iconic over the decades, namely Final Fantasy. The differences in approach, as well as in stories and settings, between the two video game giants meant that the paths they took diverged almost immediately, outlining for Dragon Quest a much more japan-oriented direction, in simpler terms with fewer Western influences. With Dragon Quest III HD2D Remake, a title that truly says it all, is about to arrive on November 14, 2024 on consoles worldwide and Nintendo Switch will certainly not be left behind: Square Enix, who I’m sure need no introduction, is about to give us perhaps not its most iconic chapter, but certainly one of the most exciting.
Who writes to you played it many years
ago on a handheld console, with all the limitations it obviously had, yet the
magic that exudes the epic of the hero,
son of Ortega, has remained unchanged as far as I am concerned.
Some plot notes: Ortega
is presented as an unbeatable warrior who leaves a very
heavy legacy to his son (or daughter, because this is also a choice that is
presented to us at the beginning of the game and is by no means trivial) on the day of his sixteenth
birthday: while we ordinary mortals at that age aspired to have the
PlayStation or Laser Combat, our avatar will receive the mission of
defeating the demon Baramos, the one who threatens the world and whom our father,
alas, never managed to defeat once and for all.
The HD2D version that we will finally be able to play in November, based on the confirmations received so far, seems not to differ much from the original in terms of plot; instead, it is other new features that will be introduced, with the not-so-veiled aim of putting the “old” third chapter back on the pedestal of the greatest role-playing games of all time, as part of a saga that, believe it or not, emerged from the cauldron of countless made-in-Japan titles all the way back in 1985! A step back: what does “remake in HD2D graphics” mean? An imposing definition to describe what is actually very simple, namely a technique that blends classic 2D backgrounds with pixel graphics, modernized, revised and corrected!
The comparison that fits best is the one on everyone’s lips
among industry insiders, and I can’t say I disagree with them: having also played Octopath Traveler, I can only
agree.
The planned combat system
does not stray from the Dragon Quest tradition, so we will have
tons of random enemies pouring down on our party, ready to
spoil our fun with the turn-based mechanics
that, as we well know, are either loved to madness or detested to the core.
With such a wealth of experience, Dragon Quest will hardly miss its targets, namely the old fans of the series who have grown up fighting irritating slimes and orcs with pig-like features, but also those who, belonging to the new generation of role-playing gamers, will want to find a valid reason to justify buying all the other existing titles: believe me, there are legions of them.
Personally, I can’t wait to dive back into
this new version, with legendary sword and armor ready for battle.
And you?
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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