If you love classic Japanese RPGs like I do, then Dragon Quest III HD-2D remake is probably one of your most anticipated games of the year. If it isn’t, it should be.

I had a chance to play a short demo of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake when I was at Gamescom last month. I hold the original in high regard, considering the best of the 8-bit generation of RPGs. That was thanks to the game’s large world, customizable vocation system, and strong core of JRPG fundamentals.

All of that is in this remake, and the new HD-2D visuals make Dragon Quest III an incredible looker. It still has that classic, pixelated style, but the new graphics and lightning show off a more vibrant world.

A classic then and forever

After my demo, I had a chance to ask Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii about Dragon Quest III’s popularity. I have to admit, it’s not too often that I get starstruck when doing interviews, but Horii is pretty much the father of all JRPGs. His contributions to gaming are enormous. So it was a treat to hear him talk about this game’s legacy.

“Back when I made Dragon Quest 1, 2, and 3, Dragon Quest 3 was actually a big twist. It turned everything on its head,” Horii told me. “I think a lot of people still remember that shock and drama. Another reason is a lot of people played Dragon Quest III when they were kids. You always look back fondly on stuff that you played when you were young, that you shared with your friends. I do think that’s why it’s stayed in the hearts of a lot of our players.”

Monster mash

The HD-2D Remake is not just a one-to-one remake. It includes new features and expanded story content. I found the new character class, the Monster Wrangler, the most exciting. The original Dragon Quest III featured the vocation system, which lets characters switch between multiple archetypes, like Gladiator or Mage.

The Monster Wrangler is an entirely new vocation for the HD-2D Remake. It lets players use abilities from enemies in battle. I asked the game’s producer, Masaaki Hayakawa, if Monster Wrangler took inspiration from the monster-recruiting entries in the series, like Dragon Quest V.

“Of course we did take inspiration from V,” Hayakawa told me. “But there was a whole process we went through to end up with this new vocation. One of the things we’re attributing to it is that the world map, the field area here, is much bigger in this remake. There’s a much bigger area for players to explore. We wanted to add something else for players to do, add some new gameplay to this area.”

Speaking of monsters, there is another way that they add to new content in the remake.

“Another thing we had in the back of our minds, in the original there was an arena where you could bet on monsters fighting,” Hayakawa said. “That wasn’t something we could include in this remake, partly because of ratings and things like that. It just wasn’t the content we were looking for. So we were thinking, what could we add to the game to take that place and be something new and positive instead? That’s when we came up with the monster arena that we have in this version you see today. Then we thought, how could we combine the new gameplay that we wanted to add to the world map with this monster arena? That’s when we came up with the idea of the monster wrangler vocation. Then you could go out and capture monsters and take them to the monster arena. Everything is connected in this nice flow.”

HD 2D is for me

The new features are great. And along with the incredible new visuals and the preservation of Dragon Quest III’s classic vibe, this HD-2D Remake is shaping up to become a special treat for classic JRPG fans like me.

And it’s just the start, since Dragon Quest I and II will get the same treatment. Frankly, I hope that they don’t stop there.

We are officially less than a month away from TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, taking place at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 28-30. We’re currently seeking dedicated and highly motivated volunteers to support our events team and help bring this amazing experience to life.

If you’re dreaming of becoming a startup founder, marketer, or event coordinator, this experience gives you a priceless look into the operations of a premier tech startup conference.

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Google’s first leak of the fall is here, with new renders of its upcoming Pixel 9A posted online for the world to see. As with the Pixel 8A leak earlier this year, Android Headlines has yet again acquired images of Google’s next budget A-series release, this time by way of OnLeaks, which was responsible for spoiling the recent Pixel 9 lineup.

The big change coming on the Pixel 9A, according to the leak, is that it won’t feature Google’s now-signature visor look for its camera housing. Instead, it seems like there are two cameras in a pill-shaped module that sits almost flush with the rear of the phone. A camera flash is set to the right, making it look like the rear of an iPhone 7 Plus but magnified. The rest of the body looks similar to other Pixel 9 devices — and current iPhones — with thin-looking bezels around the screen.

Android Headlines notes the 9A might ship with Android 15, and it could be the last Google device to include a Samsung-based Tensor chip, with Google moving on to using TSMC for future processors in 2025. Google usually releases its A-series phones in the springtime, typically during Google I/O, so it might be a while before we get all the details.