Square Enix might have had a more subdued booth at Tokyo Game Show 2024, but that doesn’t mean they still weren’t bringing some hits. Undoubtedly one of the most popular franchises in Japan, Dragon Quest has always been a big seller and draw at events like TGS. For 2024, Square Enix brought Dragon Quest III HD-2D and we got a chance to try it out and of course, check out their booth. Let’s take a look.
Booth & Demo
Several stations were set up for the game on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Unfortunately with Square Enix’s booth, attendees are unable to choose which platform they play on. Being a Nintendo based outlet, I was hoping for and luckily got a chance to try the game out on the Switch in docked mode. The demo available on the TGS show floor had a few different scenarios for fans to tackle. Here’s what was on offer:
- Play from the beginning
- Take on a Monster Arena (the newly added arenas)
- Explore a Dungeon
- Explore the World
My main goal with playing DQ III at the show was to see the world and how the HD-2D treatment would fit this remake on the Switch. That being said, I opted to “Explore the World.” More on that in a bit.
As mentioned earlier, Square Enix had a bit more of a subdued booth this year. Still, there were some cool things to see in addition to the demo. A huge slime hovered overhead and a number of items were on the show floor including a look at the Collector’s Edition and a few other pieces of merch. They also had a stunning set of Erdrick’s armor, helm and sword. That was absolutely fantastic and something that I wish more people could see in person.
Gameplay
Choosing the exploration based demo, I spent a lot of my time walking around, chatting with NPCs and just exploring a town and the overworld. Even though checking out the world was the main point, I did manage to find a mini-dungeon area to fight some monsters. I didn’t get into too many battles, but from the enemies I did encounter, things felt great and familiar. My only other take away from the gameplay had to do with character movement. I felt that the walking speed was already fast enough, but the addition of a run button made exploration even quicker which is a nice touch. Overall, things here felt great in terms of controls.
Visuals & Performance
Generally speaking, Dragon Quest III looks fantastic on the Switch. The character sprites are large and animate nicely, the lighting looks sharp, environments are great and the water effects are impressive. I also liked the look of the enemies, which are full of detail and brought to life beautifully in the HD-2D engine. Even with that said, I did notice a little bit of stuttering in the game, namely when walking around a spouting fountain. This seemed to be the only place in the demo that this occurred. Aside from that, I walked away impressed with the game on Nintendo’s hardware.
Conclusion
Despite some issues with performance, Dragon Quest III HD-2D is fun to play and looks great. It’s great to see yet another classic game get the HD-2D treatment and it bodes well for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D. I never played this game back in the day, so I’m looking forward to diving in later this year.
But let’s turn things over to you. Are you looking forward to Dragon Quest III HD-2D? What platform do you plan on picking the game up on? Be sure to sound off in the comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
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