As a seasoned gamer with a 1440p monitor and a soft spot for nostalgic RPGs, I found myself in a bit of a pickle when it came to playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on my Nintendo Switch. The 30fps cap was a bit of a letdown, especially since I’m used to the smoothness of 60fps. However, I learned to make lemonade out of lemons by adjusting the render scale and frame rate settings according to my needs.
In 2017, when I first tried out the demo for what was then simply called “Project Octopath Traveler”, I had no idea that it would eventually become one of my top RPG picks from Square Enix. What’s more, the unique aesthetic it introduced has since been seen in some of the publisher’s most acclaimed recent releases, such as “Octopath Traveler II”, “Triangle Strategy”, and the remake of “Live A Live”.
My initial encounter with Dragon Quest III was back in 2014 when I learned about its mobile edition. Later, I played it on Nintendo Switch too, but neither of these versions provided a satisfying gaming experience. I thought Square Enix would merely transfer the Switch version (originally developed for mobile) to other systems, but this version surpasses the previous ones in every aspect multiple times over.
Upon hearing the announcement of the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, I found myself uncertain about the improvements in quality of life aspects, how the timeless visuals would transition to HD-2D, and if it would remain faithful to its original essence.
Due to initial codes provided by Square Enix, I’ve been able to experience the opening stages of the final game on both Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch for this review. In my analysis, I will be discussing the feel of these two versions of the game, considering that I have played every HD-2D game across all platforms since 2018. Be sure to also check out our earlier previews of the remake, written by Adam in June and more recently by Josh.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake final game hands-on impressions
Live A Live’s remake was stunning, but I didn’t have much context for the original outside of a few videos of it in motion. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on the other hand, is my 3rd time playing through the classic RPG, and it is breathtaking almost across the board. The HD-2D aesthetic has always felt like an alternate timeline version of how things would be if Square Enix continued refining its 2D RPGs from the 90s with modern technology, and that applies to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake even more.
Among the remakes I’ve encountered, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake stands out as one that skillfully blends authenticity with contemporary comforts. This game offers upgrades for ease of play, but these can be disabled if you prefer a more traditional experience. Essentially, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake appears tailor-made to introduce this timeless game to modern players, all while preserving the elements that originally made it a classic.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake PC port features
I’ve played Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on my Steam Deck OLED and LCD both docked and handheld. The PC version offers a few features above the usual performance and visual options you expect in these ports. I also tested the game with keyboard and mouse controls on my Steam Deck to see how that input method felt before moving back to using a controller when docked or the Steam Deck itself.
The new PC version of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake offers several customizable features such as disabling depth of field, switching confirm and cancel buttons, and modifying keyboard shortcuts. Moreover, it supports both Xbox and PlayStation button layouts based on the controller you’re using. Interestingly, the game can be played entirely with a keyboard, and I only needed to use the mouse in certain menus during my playthrough.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake PC graphics, display, and control options
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake PC graphics and display options
In simple terms, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake offers various display customizations such as changing the screen mode, resolution (ranging from 720p to 4K), adjusting the frame rate (either 30 or 60 frames per second without an option for higher rates), and enabling v-sync. Despite assuming that a similar range of options might be available on the PC version due to Artdink’s involvement, I was hoping for frame rates above 60fps, as seen in games like Octopath Traveler II and Live A Live.
For graphics customization, you have several quality presets (low, medium, high, or custom), and you can fine-tune numerous settings to your preference. What’s great is that it offers a real-time preview of the game as you navigate through the settings menu and a display for overall GPU usage. The adjustable settings in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake include shadow quality, shadow area, anti-aliasing, texture quality, render scale, ambient occlusion, and an option to enable or disable depth of field. These settings can be set from low to high or 1 to 3. Notably, the depth of field setting is available, but some users may find it too intense in HD-2D games. Initially, I kept it activated, but later discovered that the effect was too strong in a specific early location within the game.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Steam Deck impressions
The Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has been confirmed as compatible with the Steam Deck, and it operates seamlessly without any issues straight away. By default, it sets at the high graphics setting and maintains a consistent 60 frames per second at a resolution of 720p. To synchronize with my Steam Deck OLED’s maximum refresh rate, I adjusted the refresh rate to 60Hz during gameplay since there is currently no support for higher frame rates out-of-the-box.
In the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, you won’t find 16:10 support; instead, it operates at 16:9 with black bars appearing at the top and bottom of the screen. Additionally, I’ve ensured Steam Cloud syncing works fine after switching between my two Steam Decks multiple times following my 12-hour playtime with the PC version thus far.
On the screen of the deck, I find the appearance of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake impressive, even in 720p resolution with high settings. There’s just a slight issue with some delicate leafy texture subtly shimmering when viewed up close on the screen.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Steam Deck recommended settings
Based on the 12 hours I’ve played, the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake appears to be near flawless on Steam Deck at this stage. However, keep in mind that there might be adjustments in later aspects which I can’t discuss here, but for now, it’s running smoothly.
For playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on Steam Deck, I suggest using the default settings which include 720p resolution and the high-quality preset. This setup offers excellent visuals and maintains a smooth 60fps performance. If you wish to reduce minor foliage shimmering or flickering, consider running it at a higher resolution and then downsampling, but be prepared for a potential decrease in frame rate.
This game is reminiscent of titles such as “Triangle Strategy” on the Steam Deck. For optimal 1080p performance, consider capping it at 30 frames per second. Unfortunately, the render scale option only offers limited settings, which could have been improved with more precise control to provide a better resolution for this minor issue.
The 1080p setting is also important if you play docked. I have a 1440p monitor so I ended up playing at 1440p with the render scale set to 1 for a 60fps target and 2 for a 30fps target by appropriately locking the frame rate in-game. This works out better than playing at just 720p across the board since the UI and menus at 720p don’t look good on my monitor..
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Nintendo Switch final game impressions
Before its official release, some people were curious if Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake runs at 60 frames per second on the Nintendo Switch. However, this isn’t the case. Similar to other HD-2D games, it has a slightly softer image than native resolution and aims for 30 frames per second on the Switch. I played around 8 hours of the Switch version in handheld mode and found it enjoyable, but I wasn’t satisfied with its performance when docked. Just like Octopath Traveler II, I chose to play it primarily in handheld mode.
Regarding the game’s performance, I observed a few minor frame rate hiccups, particularly noticeable in some scenes. However, there was a specific town in the early game that had trouble sustaining 30fps during the night when lanterns were lit and NPCs were moving around.
If you’ve previously enjoyed 2D HD games on your Nintendo Switch, this new one won’t offer a significantly different experience, except for minor discrepancies. However, I was let down by the absence of HD Rumble, as I found it quite enjoyable in the Octopath Traveler series.
As of now, the depth-of-field feature I previously discussed for Steam isn’t available in the Nintendo Switch version. However, the Nintendo Switch edition of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake does incorporate depth-of-field, but unfortunately, there’s no option to turn it off. The post-processing effect on the Nintendo Switch doesn’t seem as visually appealing as it does on the Steam Deck.
One nice option on Steam is being able to swap the confirm and cancel buttons. I don’t think many will care about this, but as someone playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on both Switch and Steam Deck, this is a welcome feature so I don’t press the wrong face button when swapping between platforms.
So far, the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake surpasses all my previous expectations, especially considering I’ve appreciated every HD-2D version before it. Although I haven’t completed the remake yet to explore all the new additions fully, it appears destined to become one of the top RPGs in 2024. Given what other games have been released this year, such recognition is quite remarkable.
On November 14, the upgraded version of Dragon Quest III, titled “Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake,” will be available for purchase on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
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2024-11-01 01:26