Following our hands-on time with the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, we sat down with producer Masaaki Hayasaka to quiz him about the upcoming JRPG.
Asked why Square Enix decided to use the lovely HD-2D style for the remake, Hayasaka-san mentioned that one of the reasons is related to the way the Dragon Quest series has developed in Japan and outside of Japan.
While it’s very popular in Japan, it’s perhaps not quite as well known overseas. The team believes that the game has a lot of potential outside of Japan and the HD-2D style has been very well-received. They thought that associating the style with Dragon Quest would make it a lot more approachable for more people.
Incidentally, I didn’t miss the chance to suggest that Square Enix should really use this lovely visual style for more of its remakes of classic 2D JRPGs. I’m confident I spoke for many of you.
Asked whether shouldering the responsibility of the Dragon Quest series while fans are waiting for 12 makes him feel pressure, Hayasaka-san responded that instead of thinking of DQ12, Dragon Quest 3: The Seeds of Salvation is a legendary title. Not only is it beloved by fans of Dragon Quest, but it’s one of the titles that really defined the idea of JRPGs.
So he did feel a lot of pressure and felt that he had to make it succeed. He added (perhaps jokingly) that if he became known as the producer who made the remake of Dragon Quest 3 a failure, he would have to leave the industry.
We also hear that the decision to remake Dragon Quest 3 before 1 and 2 was primarily taken by the series’ creator Yuji Horii. He has the strongest attachment to DQ3, so he said that if the original trilogy had to be remade, he’d want to start with the third game.
On top of that, another reason was that DQ3 is the most evolved of the original trilogy. It’s more approachable and easy to jump into, and the team believes that it’s going to be a great entry point for players who are new to the series.
Of course, the fact that it’s the first of the three in terms of timeline also played a role.
As a fan of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy XIV, I had to ask Hayasaka-san about the possibility of a Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake collaboration within Square Enix’s popular MMORPG (for now, we have a collaboration with Dragon Quest X that has been repeated several times and it’s high time for something new on the DQ front).
He answered that if the fans help turn the game into a massive success, maybe FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida, as a fellow Dragon Quest fan, could make it happen.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is coming for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on November 14, 2024. Incidentally, if you’re interested in the Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest Monster: The Dark Prince has recently been announced for PC.
