A legendary line
Before I launch into spoiler talk about Dragon Quest XI, the legacy of Dragon Quest should not be dismissed. We’re talking about the biggest video game series in Japan in the 80s, and certainly still the most popular RPG series in the country.
why the original trilogy and why NOW?
You’ve probably heard stories of students and adults in Japan taking sick days. just to fetch and play the new Dragon Quest game. These stories are actually true, and the incidents gave rise to a rule that Enix only releases Dragon Quest games on Saturdays. Nowadays, it’s simply a tradition, with Dragon Quest XI even launching on a sunny Saturday in 2017.
Final Fantasy may be bigger internationally – and sometimes FF fans are a little noisier, as you can see in these polls – but in Japan, Dragon Quest is king. If I pick up a Dragon Quest game, I know what I’m getting, in broad strokes, and the dichotomy between this series and Square’s Final Fantasy is obvious. The latter is constantly evolving, doing something revolutionary and different with each major release, while the former is contained and consistent; familiar and warm.
I got into Dragon Quest quite late – I’ll blame this one on the European RPG releases since Dragon Quest VIII was the first mainline DQ game we got – but upon starting Dragon Quest VIII, I immediately understood the attraction. I felt the love and honor pour into the game, and I felt like I’d played something like this before, but in such a comfortable way.
Fragments of a beloved past
The pattern set by the original Famicom Dragon Quest in 1986 is still very visible and felt in the series today. Dragon Quest the OG. The names of the spells are still the same, 38 years later. Even the general structure of a Dragon Quest story is the same, with the same warm fuzzies and fun character archetypes sprinkled throughout.
Dragon Quest (…) is contained and coherent; familiar and warm
Dragon Quest XI is THE game that became popular in the West and made many people seek out the rest of the series. In fact, the original trilogy is already available on Switch, although porting the mobile versions. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these ports, but they’re not exactly the best-looking releases in the Erdrick trilogy. The gameplay is essentially the same as on the NES, so they’re perfectly GOOD versions to recover. But things that an HD-2D version could bring – not to mention better visuals? Let’s go.
But that’s not why I think Dragon Quest I, II, and III are the right games to remake in 2024. As a series that has stayed so true to its roots for nearly 40 years, I, II, and III are the best games to remake in 2024. only Square Enix games could and should remake in 2024.
This requires partially spoiling the true ending of Dragon Quest XI – so if you don’t want to know what happens or what the specific connections are, then this is your warning!
Plant the seeds
The true ending of Dragon Quest XI is beautiful. It’s a celebration and homage to the Dragon Quest series as a whole. When I played Dragon Quest XI in 2018, I had only played two other games in the series: VIII and IX. Still, I cried as I went down “memory lane” as clips from the previous 10 Dragon Quest games were shown. But this is what comes After the credits that really matter.
The original Luminary – of whom the hero of DQXI is a descendant – Erdwin and Serenica the wise, come together and hold hands. These two characters are particularly present in the third act of Dragon Quest XI, and Erdwin’s design is clearly inspired by the design of the hero of Dragon Quest III. This hero earns the title of “Erdrick” (the same title as the Luminary of DQXI), and Dragon Quest III is the last game to come out of the Erdrick trilogy, but the First of all trilogy game, chronologically.
The true ending of Dragon Quest XI is beautiful.
The comparisons with III – and by extension, with the entire trilogy – do not stop there. Each character in Dragon Quest XI is representative of a job present in Dragon Quest III: Erik is clearly a thief, Jade is a martial artist, and Sylvando closely represents a wanderer, for example. In Dragon Quest III, you must collect six orbs to hatch the magical bird Ramia; in Dragon Quest XI, these same six orbs return and are needed to unlock Yggdrasil’s Sanctuary. Orbs also appear in VIII and IX, but in slightly different capacities.
However, the final scene after the credits is really what ties everything together. After Erdwin and Serenica reunite, the game cuts to a scene of a mother reading a book with the Luminary symbol, suggesting that she is reading the adventures of the hero of Dragon Quest XI. Placing the book back on the shelf, she goes upstairs and enters her child’s bedroom, where they are sleeping – their hair is distinctly and unmistakably spiky. Then she shakes him and says the following words:
“Good morning, darling! It’s time to get up! Today is a very important day!”
The last line of Dragon Quest XI is the first line of Dragon Quest III, and while Dragon Quest is still very self-referential, the ending of Dragon Quest XI goes way beyond that. The character design, throughline, and connections throughout the main game inextricably tie Dragon Quest XI to Dragon Quest III. And, when the Luminary speaks to Yggdrasil before the credits, he shows him a vision of his sword wielded by the hero of Dragon Quest I.
It’s clear that Dragon Quest XI precedes the Erdrick trilogy and offers it to a whole new generation to discover.
Starry sky
Whether the upcoming remake is just Dragon Quest III HD-2D or the entire Erdrick trilogy, it looks like Dragon Quest XI has paved the way for this new take on the NES classics. Spark people’s interest by presenting the story of the series in a beautiful way and make the story teasers just enough to arouse the curiosity of newcomers, while exciting long-time fans. This is how you do it.
Again, people could – and even could have – played these mobile ports because of how Dragon Quest XI ended. But Dragon Quest in HD-2D gives Square Enix a chance to fix some issues, especially with Dragon Quest II, where party balance and the Route du Rhône can be big obstacles, and perhaps make those connections more solid.
It’s particularly poignant that the HD-2D remake reappears in the year that series artist Akira Toriyama died; this gives his art the chance to shine in a whole new light, to a whole new generation of Dragon Quest fans. We’ve seen some of these creations in HD-2D before, and I can’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate his legacy.
The Erdrick trilogy of Dragon Quest games are some of the most influential and important games ever made, with Dragon Quest III being one of the most beloved entries in the series. For a franchise that indulges its roots and embraces tradition, remaking the story that started it all – and which Dragon Quest XI clearly embraces as well – is a no-brainer.
Are you excited for the Dragon Quest HD-2D remake? Do you think it will be the Erdrick trilogy or just III? Let us know in the comments.