Square Enix has brought back one of its most iconic RPGs, Dragon Quest III, in a new remake for modern systems. The game has been off to a promising start, judging by its early metrics.
Launched globally on November 14, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake received positive reviews from critics, with an average Metascore ranging from 81 (Nintendo Switch) to 88 (PC).
The game currently has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, with 85% of the 285 reviews being positive. Users generally praised Square Enix’s work on the project, calling it a faithful remake and saying that it is the definitive way to experience the classic JRPG.
According to SteamDB, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has already peaked at 37,273 concurrent players. Given the initial momentum at launch, the numbers could increase over the weekend.
When looking at Square Enix’s portfolio on Steam, the new remake is behind only Final Fantasy XIV (95.1k CCU) and Outriders (125.1k CCU). Life is Strange 2 is technically the company’s top product by this metric, but it reached its peak of 468k CCU in September 2020, when its first episode became free.
This means Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is Square Enix’s biggest single-player release by peak concurrent players on Steam. It has already surpassed Final Fantasy XV (29.4k CCU), NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… (28.6k CCU), Final Fantasy XVI (27.5k CCU), and Nier: Automata (23.9k CCU).
The closest Dragon Quest title is Dragon Quest XI (11.7k CCU), followed by XI S (4.8k CCU) and the Japanese version of Dragon Quest X Offline (3.5k CCU).
Top 15 Square Enix releases on Steam by peak concurrent players (via SteamDB)
Dragon Quest III was originally released on NES in 1988, selling 1.1 million copies in Japan within 24 hours and reaching the 3 million mark in its first week. The game, which is now considered one of the best JRPGs of all time, has since been ported to other platforms such as Game Boy Color, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, developed by Square Enix in partnership with Artdink, features new graphics and a refined story that better matches the narrative of the remakes of the first two games.
The entire Dragon Quest series, which spans 11 main installments and various spin-offs, has sold over 91 million copies globally. This makes it Square Enix’s second-biggest franchise, behind only Final Fantasy (195 million units).