DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D REMAKE: THE GRANDPARENT OF JAPANESE RPGS, REBUILT WITH LOVE
8.0 of 10 bananas. Square Enix remakes the 1988 classic in its HD-2D style, with a new Monster Wrangler class and modern comforts. Charming, cozy, and old school to the bone, which is both its magic and its limit.
By the Alpha. PS5 disc listing. Updated Nov 4 2026.
Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.
Platforms: PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (published by Square Enix, released November 14 2024). The Amazon button is the PS5 disc. At my Nov 4 2026 check it was sold by a third-party seller named MD Entertainment and shipped by Amazon at 37.85 dollars. The price was higher than a day earlier, so check it before you pay. Sellers and prices change, so look at the seller before you pay.
Get Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake for PS5 on AmazonStore check, Nov 4 2026: new copies on offer from a third-party seller, MD Entertainment, shipped by Amazon. Prices and sellers change, so look before you pay.
Sit with me a moment. Before Final Fantasy was big, before most of you were born, a young hero named Erdrick left home on his sixteenth birthday to defeat the archfiend Baramos. Almost forty years later, the same journey looks like a pop up storybook, and it still pulls you in.
What It Wants To Be
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a classic turn based RPG. You create a hero, recruit a party at the tavern, choose their vocations like warrior, mage, and priest, and explore a world map full of towns, dungeons, and secrets. It is a prequel to the first Dragon Quest games. The remake adds the HD-2D look, new story scenes, a new Monster Wrangler vocation, difficulty options, and modern quality of life.
What Works
Critics placed it in the mid 80s on Metacritic. The HD-2D art is gorgeous, the music has a lush orchestral feel, and the class system lets you build your own party. Easier difficulty options and quick travel make an old game friendly to new players, while veterans can play it hard.
What Breaks
Listen well. It is old school on purpose: random battles, simple stories, and some grinding. The party members you recruit have little personality. Some dungeons drag. And the price of this listing went up between my checks, so it is not the deal it was a day earlier.
Who Should Play
Play it if you love classic RPGs, Octopath Traveler, or cozy turn based adventures. Skip it if you want a modern story driven RPG; Dragon Quest XI S is the better start.
STRENGTHS
- Gorgeous HD-2D art
- Flexible vocation system
- New Monster Wrangler class
- Difficulty options for all
HONEST COSTS
- Random battles and some grinding
- Quiet, thin party members
- Some dungeons drag
- Third-party seller, price rising
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