In 2018, Square Enix released Octopath Traveler and discovered a winning formula – the utterly gorgeous art style dubbed “HD-2D.” Blending modern visual improvements with a nostalgic sprite-based style has given Square Enix’s games a wholly unique style that has turned out to be incredibly popular with fans. But the Dragon Quest 3 remake represents the next step for HD-2D, applying that style to a beloved classic game, and the results are just as astounding as what’s come before. It also opens up a wealth of questions on what other games Square Enix could remake in this style, and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake producer Masaaki Hayasaka has one, in particular, that he’d like to see.
“It’s not that we have concrete plans for this, but personally I would have to say Final Fantasy VI,” Hayasaka tells Inverse, “Octopath Traveler—the first HD-2D title—was developed while referencing FFVI, as it had the highest quality pixel art. I would love to see how the game we referenced would look with the HD-2D art style.”
