The First Three Dragon Quest Games Are Coming To Switch In Europe And North America

Sure, i’ll buy these. I’m all into Dragon Quest right now, so i’ll try out the first 3 games.

I wish we had the option for NES / SFC graphics. I'm really not a fan of the mobile version graphics, because the background pixel art and character pixel art are drawn at different resolutions, it makes it feel like a kid's Flash game.

yes!! I was going to import it, but now I'll wait to see if it's a physical or digital version. Hopefully it'll get a physical release in the U.S.

If only they would re-release IV, and V on the Switch. The only two I'm missing.

Already have the physical version pre-ordered. I'll be busy playing DQ11 anyway so it's not as if the long delivery times really matter.

Will they be separate or will you need to download them together?

Remember when Goku was a dragon slayer? I member. 😂

Are these the originals or some iPhone ports?

I could never really get into the originals despite loving VIII and IX so maybe i’ll try again.

Good thing PlayAsia has that physical. Gonna have to go full hermit during the winter to clear out all these games though.

Too bad they chose the brilliant option of having them all separate downloads. One win and another loss. Companies and bad decisions....

@NotTelevision They're listed on the (US) eShop separately, and at different prices, $5, $6.50, $12.50 for I, II, III respectively. If they do a physical release, I bet it would only be for all 3 together though.

@NotTelevision In Japan they are downloadable separately and each have a different price (DQI is cheapest and DQIII is most expensive).

have never played any of these so whilst I will be in no hurry to get them straight away as I will be busy trying to finish other games I have. I do want to play these. so will probably wait for a sale

So, they are not part of the Switch Nes online I believe. Being sold separately, would they be the nes, gbc, cellphones or snes versions?

Since I'm buying Dragon Quest XI off the eShop, I might as well get these digitally as well! Just glad this collection is getting a western release as well!

YES YES YES YES!!! I was so disappointed when they weren't available in English in the Japanese Eshop! This news made my week!!!

More interestingly, what versions are they based on or are they entirely new builds?

From what i've gathered, the most "feature complete" ones are still the GBA Ports, at least concerning DQ3 (the mobile port removed a minigame and with it, 10 mini medals).
While the mobile ports are the most "up to date" versions in terms of script and naming conventions.

@Ooccoo_Jr Is that cause the games got longer and deeper yeh?

@nessisonett What is your avatar from?

I have already pre ordered the Play Asia physical version. I wait if there will be a European one before i cancel it.

I swear, there's now like 20 things I'm interested in to release this nuts, geez Nintendo

Sweet, we finally get these games on a console and not android/iOS.
Can't wait to play these games on a proper console.

@lateral_centro @Sinton Judging by how they look, this may be the Android/iOS version being ported over to Switch. I could be wrong on this though. We'll have to see if DQIII has the GC medal system or SFC/GC Pachirisu(?) tracks.

never played the first three so im definitely picking them up day 1, or at least the first for now

@TechaNinja My PS4’s hard drive was dodgy so Spider-Man’s cutscenes would go nuts and glitch out. That’s Peter Parker’s face melting.

@EarthboundBenjy Totally agree it does look odd. I will still probably pick this one up but it could be better.

It's cool andall, buk straight up disgusting. Very much akin to some RPG maker fan projects you could download for free off the Internet 20 years ago.
If there was an option for NES/SNES/GBC graphics, I would bite in a heartbeat. But like this... I'll pass.

I didn't preorder the physical version just in case this happened. OK, they haven't exactly announced a retail European one, but there was no rush anyway, no preorder bonus, so no rush.

Now please announce them physically (although it's not very usual that a digital release comes with a delayed retail one, limited companies aside), so I don't have much hope. I mean, if there was a retail release for the 27th we would already know it.

I really want an all digital era so I don’t have to see “need physical copy” comments ever again.

“I think I’ll import and pay double the cost so I can lick a tiny piece of plastic!”

III is one of my all time favorite games, very glad to have these coming here so I don’t need to import or get off the Japan shop.

Fantastic. I’ve been working on 4 on my phone during downtime at work - but held off on 1-3 in hopes of a Switch release (I was thinking NES online app, but what the heck I’ll take em.)

Man the end of the month is going to be amazing

Pretty cool, though I already have all three on my phone. DQ mobile versions are really nice.

Excellent news! I'm not too interested in the first two, though I may play the first one just to see where it all began. III seems highly recommended in some circles.

It'll be awhile in any case. I'm just now doing post-game stuff in IV.

I played these games on Android (and the Switch version comes no doubt from there, so no surprise it comes and so quickly after Japanese announcement anyway) from last year to this one, and although I love Dragon Quest I must warn people with so much hype.

Dragon Quest makes a big leap to quality starting in DQIV. These titles are the origin of it all, but they show their age. III is much longer and better than I and II (that you people must play anyway because they're short anyway and you could scratch them off your list), but as a game IV and onwards are much better.

And all this considering the versions we will receive are based on Android, in turn based on Super Famicom remakes. The original Famicom / NES titles aged very, very badly.

@EarthboundBenjy The mobile releases are ports of the SNES releases. Hopefully the Switch port is not a port of the mobile release; then I would agree with you!

@Moroboshi876 I disagree about 4 being the best. When you get to the last half of the game and you lose control of all your party members except the hero, that was a huge turn-off for me. That was fixed in the NDS version, so if you played that I get what you mean! 1-3 are top notch, all the way though, with 2 being my favorite.

@DarthNocturnal DQX is already on Nintendo Switch (since 2017), but like all previous releases it's Japan-only. Who knows if they'll ever bring it over to the west.

@Mr_Muscle No, I meant IV was a leap of quality. But my personal favourite must be V or VII. I like all of them actually LOL

Yes, I played remakes. In fact, now I'm with Dragon Quest IX, the first that I play without being a remake.

About the Erdrick Trilogy, I wasn't meaning they were bad games. Just not as good as later games. They're good, definitely, but you can see they're laying the foundations of the series. They're simpler and shorter. Their creators were learning, experimenting. And I can see that even in the most recent versions. NES ones are tough to watch and play nowadays.

I think Switch releases are SNES-mobile ports. Why not? Otherwise they would have had to make new versions. They didn't have the time to engange in full remasters. Or are you suggesting... they're just dumping the NES roms? I hope they're not, or people is going to be disappointed by their dated mechanics.

@Moroboshi876 Oh, if they used the NES roms I would be in heaven. No, I'm suggesting they are using the SNES roms, or at least that's what I'm hoping!

Thanks for the clarification, by the way!

If they ported the Playstation version of 7, you'd never see me again. lol I love that game, and I love the mood.

Again I already got the multi-language Play-Asia physical version coming so I will passed on these western digital only release.

@Mr_Muscle I have to say I've been growing fond of remakes and remasters, and in Dragon Quest for me are very welcome. I really loved what they did with VII on 3DS. Too bad the 3D effect was dropped from VIII port (that was a port, not a remaster like VII).

But I understand you. We all have our preferred versions.

@Moroboshi876 Oh absolutely. Glad you enjoyed those! The 3DS remake felt a little dry for me, but I'm happy that they even thought to port/remake it to begin with.

What are your thoughts of V, which most people consider their favorite?

Good. Too bad I just played through the first two right before this announcement.

Man, I was excited until I watched a video of the gameplay. Looks like a cheap flash game. It’ll be a pass for me. I don’t know why SquareEnix is so intent on messing with their classic SNES games, they end up looking so much worse.

Glad this was revealed before a bunch of people (myself included) downloaded from the Asian eShop. Although this might have been nice to have had BEFORE I decided to play through the NES games. Oh well, I finished 1 and 2 on NES, and I need to get back to 3 at some point.

hopefully we can get the mobile ports of 4,5,and 6.
they're based off the DS version with added features

@Mr_Muscle Its story is so compelling that I immediately understood where the good reputation came from. But I gotta say IV, VI and VII really let me enjoy the RPG genre too. I love the series.

@EarthboundBenjy this looks actually better than the mobile version. If you have played it you would see the difference. It's not just a port. They've redone some stuff here and there but the games itself is just great on mobile. Finally we get a proper console version instead mobile. These games belong on consoles as well. On the go on phone is great when you're traveling by train. But these 3 mobile gems deserve home console version. When I look at the pictures I want to have these games in my collection. Well each his own. To me they can't do wrong with what i'm seeing here. Way better and more charming than the mobile. Replay mobile then come back again and rewatch them

@w00dm4n DS was horrible though... those low resolution.. OMG. They better give some enchantment than just simple DS ports with same resolution. Such a pitty

WOO!!! Can't wait, played some of the historical final fantasy's but not dragon quest. Looking forward to this!

I want these, but I will echo other's opinion that I would prefer the option to use the NES/SNES graphics. It's great that they can animate the original artwork, but it just looks wrong.

Kind of sad I just bought them on mobile and played through them. I'll still play them again. Dragon quest 2 is a bit rough.

DQ deserves so much more love than it gets in the West. I hope the entire series makes its way to the Switch, especially the 3DS port of DQVIII.

@EarthboundBenjy the funny thing is the mobile versions were exclusively pixel art.

These graphics only happened with the ps4/3ds release in 2017 of this collection in japan.
Thinking about it, rather than an executive decision, I think this decision was made(particularly for monsters sprites) -because of the PS4 release. Since the PS4 is a TV bound console, most people who own one generally own widescreen TVs that are probably on the larger end of things. Over such screens, they would likely have stretched the pixels of monsters art to the point of looking very badly dated, especially in proportion to the traditional-styled UI(another pixelated game, Octopath Traveler, probably alleviated that with it's smaller UI allowing for larger monsters sprites that could thus have an interesting level of detail even if featuring a pixelated look).

Had this collection, back in 2017, been originally exclusively for 3DS(and thus exclusively for its smaller screen), I doubt we'd be looking at this "compromise"(after all even the Switch has an handheld option over whom's smaller screen the original monsters sprites would have been okay).

When it comes to monster alone, the art is not bad because it's just literally the concepts as they were literally drawn by Akira Toriyama himself(it's particularly notable if you ever compare with Toriyama's original concept drawing for Baramos).

Where the style fail the most is in the field sprites because these sprites were somehow updated yet their surrounding environment wasn't.

This said: it's just a suspicion from me but I suspect that with Dragon Quest Monster Retro's announcement, the trilogy release might well be the last of these "re-release" to feature such comprised graphics.

Because DQMR simply resolved the "how to fit stuff on a larger screen" by simply keeping the original graphics and ratio display and adding a background wallpaper in the remaining space over which elements of the UI can be overlaid for added use. An approach I think it might have learned from Collection of Mana and then expanded upon with these customizable UI elements.

It was unlikely they were ever to remake this trilogy in that style when they already existed in a form two years ago they could port over to Switch, but the precedents set by Collection of Mana and soon Dragon Quest Monsters Retro make me suspect they might be showing what future remakes/rereleases of "classic" titles might be like. So I have high hopes for potential rereleases of 4-5-6 (likely using the DS-era graphics) if they decide to further go with that approach since I feels it has potential(especially if they further build on that "background wallpaper but with added customizable UI" approach).

@jtmnm I have a weird suspicion it might happen. With all of FF7-8-9-10-12 now being on Switch, the biggest FF games they could throw easy ports of for a decent reception are already out of the way. Meanwhile FF1-3 were never that well known and FF5-6 might need extensive reworks if they were to throw them at the west again considering how their graphics got similarly criticized on other platforms like the original DQ trilogy here is being.

And the FF3-4 remakes were games that tried to make use of full 3D graphics when they were games originally released on DS grade 3d which is a very bare bones kind that is very hard to upgrade to satisfying levels.

In comparison DQ 4-5-6-7-8 now all exists in forms that used either a very serviceable hybrid of 2D/3D that would fit very nicely on the Switch with barely any retouches(unlike the fully 2D 1-2-3) and 7 not only had a similar style in it's original version but also had a pretty solid 3DS release in full 3D graphics. Meanwhile DQ8 would be perfect for that treatment because it's cel-shaded 3d style has aged VERY nicely and could use it's own PS2 era prettier assets(they had to be downgraded on 3ds) to full effect with just a high resolution update to run on Switch, ontop of potential for the orchestral soundtrack(iirc it had to be cut from the 3ds release because there was just not enough room on the 3ds cart for both voice acting files and a symphonic soundtrack, which might be why they went with a more space friendly synth track again).

@EarthboundBenjy Those NES graphics are U-G-L-Y!! I’m thankful for updates graphics.

@SpicyBurrito16
I just finished my demo for DQXI S. I cannot wait for the game to be released. I'm just collecting gold and leveling up until the games release...not much really to do but wait. But the thought of playing the first 3 games after I play DQXI is pretty cool.

Why is everyone complaining about the graphics?! Graphics don't make the game.

That's awesome! I was actually debating giving in and playing the mobile version of III.

Because I'm a hopeless retro junkie (who is desperately playing catch-up on JRPG classics; in the middle of original Final Fantasy at the moment), I am even more excited about these than the new release.

Keep your nostalgia intact and don’t subject yourself to trying to play these things again.

Do you really want to keep wandering in a circle grinding the same two or three monsters to level up? (Spoiler alert: no, you do not.)

Sure hope they're the same cheap price as the Japanese eShop releases, if so today one purchase.

@Joe-b bad graphics (style) can break a game

@Angelic_Lapras_King theyre 4.99, 6.49 and 12.49 usd

@Bustacap Huh.....odd they're 3 different prices since I assumed they were all NES remakes but for that price, I'll get the first one/$4.99 one at least.

@EarthboundBenjy not sure if anyone else said it but those are not the mobile version graphics, those still use the snes graphics or at least the version i own does

Dreaming about a day they remake these in the same aesthetic as the links awakening remake 🤤

@Alucard83 if the DS remakes are ported over here on Switch somehow, I suspect the recent Dragon Quest Monsters Retro release in japan might give us an insight as to how they might handle things.

I.e. keep the original display ratio while filling the rest of the screen with a background wallpaper over which different elements of the UI interfacing with the frame can be added(for example DQMR actually added a new minimap that way and more detailed display of party members stats in this "extra UI" outside of the screen that displayed not just hp/mp but also every characters' attack/defence/agility/etc for more in-depths info even in the middle of battle since it actually sits outside of the game display screen).

Since the DS/3DS games had non-standard screens display/UI, DQMR's way of doing things may well show how ports of 4-5-6-7, or even perhaps 9, might be handled especially if they're based on their handheld versions(this said if a port of 8 ever happen it may well be a much more traditional deal)

@riki_sidekicks tbh if they're based on the mobile versions, grinding will be most likely much easier since both XP and gold gains(and perhaps even xp leveling requirements and items prices iirc) had been heavily overhauled such that they're MUCH easier and thus quicker to play than the NES original.

In fact I'd say it's even more particularly notable with the DQ2 remake where the comparison with the unbalanced rushed NES original and the much more rebalanced mobile remake is like comparing night and day. I really didn't like playing it on NES but in comparison the mobile port was a breeze.

This come from someone who played both and only managed to beat that title through said mobile remake of DQ2.

I might skip DQ1 for now since the single character party didn't age well in it's case but i'm most likely getting the DQ3 remake and then perhaps DQ2 soon after.

A collection of all 3 games on a physical release that's multi language? That's real nice!

Here’s hoping the physical versions make it over to the west. Otherwise I’ll just import.

Perfect! September 27 is my Birthday!

Yes, please. The first one was unsurprisingly okay to control on the phone touchscreen, but a console is a console, so I may well restart it here before proceeding to DQII. Finished the third game years ago in its original incarnation, but the chance to have it collected for real at long last is always a plus.

Mobile Game Graphics SUCK!

It irks me a little that the first one doesn't have a sub-title. >_< But it matters not, I never really liked Dragon Quest.

Since they're all being released separately, I wonder if it means Dragon Quest I will be given away as a reward for getting the True Ending of XI. I was always bummed that only Japan got that special treat on PS4.

Ah! I knew it!

And I hope a Zenithia trilogy also on Switch.

I played the original version of DQ1 on my NES Classic; that game hasn’t aged well at all. The battle system is way too basic and there’s hardly any feeling of progression from beginning to end. The story is very, very generic too. It’s very tedious to endure now.

Final Fantasy came out around the same time and feels like a goddamn revolution by comparison. Though not without its own flaws, it just brought so much more to the table.

Dragon Quest had awesome battle graphics and some memorable tunes though. It was also interesting that you didn’t have to save the princess if you didn’t want to.

I only started DQ2 and played a few hours. That one seems to be where Enix started to find its voice.

So yeah, skip DQ1.

@Alucard83 take a look at the Steam/PC versions of Final Fantasy V and VI compared to Final Fantasy III and IV

V and VI look like garbadge
III and IV/after years are DS ports

Nothing tops the Final Fantasy IV complete that's on the PSP/Vita that's pure sprite based love

You know, I'll probably pick this/these up, but I honestly wish they would rerelease the original versions for purchase. I'd rather play those.

@nessisonett Just finished spiderman and the DLC.

Pre good. That sequel bait tho.

Where exactly was the bit from your profile pic exactly lol

@TechaNinja My PS4’s hard drive was faulty so every game lagged a bit except in the case of Spider-Man, the rendered cutscenes meant something looked very very wrong. That’s Peter Parker’s face melting but there were points where MJ was bald or Doc’s glasses were pushing through his face.