Over the last few years, Square Enix has been on a roll with their HD-2D games, but there’s a little concern from the producer of the upcoming Dragon Quest 3 remake about the possibility of “boredom” setting in for gamers.
Initiated with the beloved Octopath Traveler, the HD-2D style quickly became a favorite among fans. Square Enix capitalized on this reception, bringing the format to titles such as the Live A Live remake and the soon-to-be-released Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. Not stopping there, plans are in motion for Dragon Quest 1 and 2 to receive similar makeovers. Masaaki Hayasaka, who’s spearheading the JRPG remake, recently chatted with Bloomberg about potentially exploring even more remakes in this series. He’s cautious though, noting the enthusiasm largely hinges on the success of the current project.
In his interview, Hayasaka elaborated on a delicate balancing act. “Releasing too many games in quick succession might tire players,” he noted. “However, waiting too long between releases could make the series lose its vibrancy and appeal. It’s a tricky issue that even my higher-ups are constantly pondering.”
I can relate to Hayasaka’s cautious approach. The reality is, not every gamer appreciates a retro aesthetic. Given Square Enix’s current challenges, this caution is understandable. Fortunately, it looks like Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is holding its own quite well. Just yesterday, it reached a striking peak of over 45,000 players on Steam, according to SteamDB, which is impressive for a remake of a single-player RPG.
The big question is whether the upcoming remakes of the first and second games will maintain similar momentum. Right now, though, it seems that additional HD-2D remakes might very well be in the works.
