Dragon Quest (Series) | DQ3 HD-2D - TGS '24 Trailer

[Moonface]

SERIES DISCUSSION THREAD

Today is Dragon Quest Day, so what better time than to make a thread for talking about the entirety of this series and the news (albeit small) that has been announced to mark the occasion?

Dragon Quest III HD-2D | Platforms Announced
Originally announced back in May 2021 but with radio silence since then, the series official Twitter account revealed that Dragon Quest III HD-2D will be coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Microsoft Windows.

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Dragon Quest Day 2024 Wallpapers
Although you won't know what they're like prior to downloading them due to being a .zip download, you can grab the official pack of Dragon Quest Day 2024 wallpapers via this link:  http://sqex.link/1wp7

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Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Hate | Status Update
Series creator Yuji Horii has shared a short update on the status of Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Hate via social media:

Thank you so much to everyone for the many [Dragon Quest Day] congratulations! There has been some worry about Dragon Quest XII, but I was actually in a meeting [about it] until just a bit ago. While I can’t share any details yet, I want it to be something worthy of the posthumous work of the two [Akira Toriyama and Koichi Sugiyama] who passed away. I’ll do my best!

[Moonface]

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake | Release Date
A new trailer during today's Nintendo Direct revealed that Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake will be released on November 14, 2024.

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Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake | Announced
Additionally, the end of the above trailer announced that Dragon Quest I & II will be getting a HD-2D remake, releasing in 2025!

[Dragon Lord]

A release date for Dragon Quest III 2D-HD Remake...



Seriously though, super hyped! Especially since it falls a day after my birthday, which means it'll be right in time for my yearly 2-3 week birthday vacation!

[Moonface]

Not sure if it was known beforehand or not, but either way pre-orders are live for the Collector's Edition of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake: 

Only downside is it seems to be exclusive to the Square Enix store, which I feel like has been mentioned on this forum before as being a little hit or miss at times if I'm not mistaking that for a different storefront.

[Dragon Lord]

Sadly, that Collector's Edition is an absolute rip-off. They want $200 for what is mostly digital items. No art book, no OST CD. That should be $100 at most.

Compare that to the Visions of Mana CE which is also $200 but comes with a plushie, an art book and a 5 CD Soundtrack collection. It's still a tad overpriced at $200, but at least it comes with physical goods that makes it an easier pill to swallow.

I'm really disappointed in this CE and will sadly be skipping it. I was really excited for it too, thinking they'd actually make it super nice.

[Moonface]

I hadn't looked at the contents of the CE when I posted it, but going by what's in it I guess a good chunk of the price is for the 23 acrylic figures? Not that I think it makes the package worth $200 mind you.

There's also weirdly going to be a Performance Mode for DQIII HD-2D on PS5, yet I don't think this game should be something pushing that console hard enough to need such a mode if you want better frame rates.
Three difficulty modes are being included too, making the game easier or harder than the base game was.

[Moonface]

Dragon Quest III HD-2D | New Gameplay Footage



I believe most of the footage is just traveling through the overworld and battles, so there probably isn't a need to watch the entire 30 minutes if you're just looking to get a quick glimpse at either of those things.

[Moonface]

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake | Ortega's Journey Details
Square Enix have released new information and screenshots for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake that detail new content coming to the game featuring new scenes that cover the protagonist's father Ortega.

New Episodes Focusing on Ortega’s Journey and More
This remake contains several new scenes which shine a spotlight on the protagonist’s father, Ortega, giving players a better understanding of the man himself and his quest. The story also features new, formidable foes which will give fans an even more enriching experience of the Dragon Quest III narrative.

A World Remade in HD-2D
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake features a world map modelled after our own. Each region boasts its own culture and traditions; you’re bound to feel like you’ve circumvented the globe after you’ve seen all the world has to offer! We’d like to give you a sneak peek of what lies ahead, paying special attention to the stunning HD-2D graphics, and extra details that have been added just for this remake.

• Portoga
  A seafaring nation home to a bustling port that’s filled with the finest shipbuilders. Due to its status as one of the world’s key trading spots, there are few better places to be if you need to learn more about the state of the world at any given time. Travel slightly south of its shores and you’ll be greeted by a lighthouse where travelers are known to gather to trade tales.
  Screenshots: [1] [2]
  
  
• Jipang
  A small island nation known by many names: the Land of the Rising Sun, the Golden Country to name a few. It is filled with countless cherry blossom trees and rice paddies. Venture under its mammoth shrine gate and eventually you will be greeted by a resplendent manor.
  Screenshots: [1] [2]
  
  
• Ibis
  A kingdom surrounded by miles of desert. Ibis has much flora that could only be found in a clime of its ilk, and the well within its borders is one of its people’s few, precious supplies of water. The nation was originally founded by King Faro and is now ruled by a queen famed for her beauty.
  Screenshots: [1] [2]
  

Source: Gematsu

[Moonface]

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake | TGS 2024 Trailer



As a reminder, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake will be released on November 14, 2024.

[queenzelda]

Oh, I can't wait to play this remaster. I've heard some of the Japanese aren't happy about the Akira Toriyama redesigns for the characters though.

[queenzelda]

Actually, these twitter interviews kind of explain a lot.  😓
-removed from twitter/x- boo!

[Moonface]

I've tried reading the full interview transcript to see if it gives better context, mostly because I would have liked a better idea of what companies/entities are requiring these changes. Changes to the warrior costume appearance for less skin exposure is something I can see being encouraged by a ratings board and necessitating a forced change (for example, The Last of Us was censored in Germany to remove the gore due to their ratings board), especially with how the wording says "it might not be suitable for all ages". That to me comes off as a comment that a ratings board wouldn't give it an E rating.

However, A/B gender choices isn't something I can see a ratings board going after, so I'd like to know what company is actually trying to enforce that to the point it affects any game release. Especially because apparently Dragon Quest of the Stars features A/B options and yet was exclusively in Japan only for five years, so why wasn't it just using male/female while it was a Japan only release? Dragon Quest X Offline is also a Japanese only release and features A/B options, so I have doubts over the claims by Yuji Hora that this is a western enforced thing when games that aren't being released in the west are affected. Products don't have to be tailored to the standards of a country they don't release in, and even then you can choose to change the degree of censorship by region if a ratings board is the reason as seen in my example with TLoU. For a change to be enforced on a game in regions it isn't releasing in that can only come down to the publisher or the platform holders; nobody else would have any power over that sort of thing.

[queenzelda]

Apparently from what I've read Sweet Baby Inc has been a part of this, along with BlackRock and Vanguard. Also, the western publisher and localizers demanded it.

Square is being lied to by monsters wanting to censor everything and get rid of the male/female characters in games. I didn't ask for this. I don't support this crap; I understand that some people may not see themselves as male/female but that's what a 10th of a percentage? There are more then 10% of people in the world. Seriously.

[Moonface]

SBI didn't exist when either of the Dragon Quest games I mentioned were created, so they can't be blamed at all for changes to A/B options. Changes to character designs are to avoid a higher age rating which is down to the ratings boards, which includes the Japanese rating board CERO, so the blame lies entirely with those entities and none of the ones you named.

Now I will agree that A/B options are pointless when it's just clearly offering a male or female character. If there were multiple body options like in say, Baldur's Gate 3, it makes sense to label them a certain way for the sake of differentiation because male/female isn't expansive enough. Personally I think recent Pokémon does it best with just asking you to choose an appearance without using any form of label because then it can't be construed as pushing one thing or another; it just leaves the ball entirely in the individual players court.

[queenzelda]

What I find funny is that square basically is trying to erase their 'woke' interview cause a lot of the fans don't like that they just went along with this localizer's wishes realizing that the party they were talking to was in the wrong. Hey, look I don't want woke stuff in the game anymore than they do. lol