Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation

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Dragon Quest III (ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ… Doragon Kuesuto III: Soshite Densetsu e..., "And into the Legend..."), is the third game in the Dragon Quest series of role-playing games published by Enix and released on the Famicom/NES. It was later remade and released on the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color. The original Famicom version, as well as the Super Famicom remake, were re-released on the Nintendo Wii in 2011 as part of the Dragon Quest 25th-Anniversary. A second remake was also made for Japanese mobile phones and later then re-released worldwide for smartphones running Android and iOS. A graphically modified version of this mobile port was released alongside Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for Sony PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch. Dragon Quest III is the third and final game in the Erdrick trilogy.

On May 27th, 2021 during the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary broadcast, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was announced, which will utilize the same graphics engine seen in Square Enix's Octopath Traveler. It is planned to be released worldwide simultaneously on November 14th 2024 for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Microsoft Windows and Steam.

Setting[edit]

Main article: List of locations in Dragon Quest III

Dragon Quest III takes place in world reminiscent of Earth during the Age of Discovery, with many areas modeled after different nations such as Romaria (Rome), Isis (Egypt), Jipang (Japan), and Manoza (Brazil). Later in the game, the party travels to a hidden world that exists beneath the surface of the first world.

Plot[edit]

Main article: List of characters in Dragon Quest III

The game opens with a massive battle over a volcano between a man with blue hair and a dragon. The battle rages on for several seconds until the blue haired man cuts the wing off of the dragon causing the battle to continue on the ground. The blue haired man eventually runs the dragon through, however the dragon takes hold of the blue haired man and turns and begins to walk into the volcano. The volcano erupts and there is a scream heard, the screen fades to black.

Dragon Quest III is set many years before the original Dragon Quest in a world bearing great similarity to the real world. A wicked fiend, Baramos, threatens to destroy the world, and has begun to exert his vile influence upon the monsters of each continent to drive them mad and violent. The Hero, son or daughter (you can choose to be either male or female) of the legendary Ortega, recruits up to three traveling companions and sets out to defeat Baramos while making his or her way through the world and saving several locations from doom.

The flow of the game is as follows; The Hero travels from his home country of Aliahan for Romaria to explore the world and acquire three key needed to open sealed teleportals throughout the game. During the party's travels, they will hear tale of six mystical orbs said to contain incredible power, and that these will be necessary in overcoming the fiend Baramos. After saving a young couple of the town of Baharata from the rogue Robbin' 'Ood, the Hero receives Black pepper, which he trades for a sailing ship at Portoga. With this ship, the Hero acquires the Ultimate Key and searches for the six mystical orbs which are used to revive the legendary bird Ramia. Ramia takes the Hero to Baramos' castle, flying over the tall mountains of the Necrogond. After a ferocious battle, the Hero's celebration is cut off as Zoma attacks and opens the pit to the dark world. In the dark world, the Hero acquires the Sunstone, the Staff of Rain, and the Seal of Rubiss. These items are then exchanged for the Rainbow Drop. This item creates a bridge, which leads the Hero to Zoma's castle for the final confrontation. After the archfiend is slain, the king of the dark world will give the highest honor to the player: the title of Erdrick.


New features and elements[edit]

Character customization[edit]

Dragon Quest III greatly expanded upon the gameplay of its predecessors. The game is the first in the series to feature a customizable party in which each character belongs to a certain Vocation, as well as the first in which the player can determine the protagonists' gender. These characters can be recruited by the player by speaking with Patty at her tavern in Aliahan. The choice of profession greatly effects the character's stats and spells they can learn. Furthermore, upon reaching Level 20, a character may change classes at Alltrades Abbey.

Character and Battle refinement[edit]

  • Several new statistics: Resilience, Wisdom, and Luck appear for the first time. Additionally, each statistic is now capped at 255. The amount of stat points gained with each Level is also pseudo-randomized, with a range depending on the character's Vocation.
  • It is now possible to change the party's marching order, allowing weak or injured characters to hide behind their companions and be less frequently targeted by monsters. In addition, characters can be banished in the middle of battle and be found again at Patty's Party Planning Place.
  • Several new spells have been added, bringing the total to 60. These include adding second and third tiers to existing spell lines, spells that cause new effects in battle, and spells that facilitate effects on the overworld. Subsequent remakes would add to this list with the introduction of skills.
  • Offensive spells are now separated from each other in terms of monster resistance, meaning that an enemy immune to Woosh can still be damaged by Crack. Elemental spells are divided into Fire (Sizz, Frizz, and Bang), Ice, Wind, and Lightning.
  • It is possible to attack allies; this is useful for curing status effects such as Sleep or Confusion.
  • Experience values are divided by the number of current party members, so a lone Hero will gain experience faster than a full party of four.
  • The hidden Sage vocation marks the first appearance of a class that combines the best features of two others, and also requires reaching a certain benchmark with another as one of the methods to attain it. These traits would be repeated and elaborated upon in the sixth and seventh games.

Player conveniences[edit]

  • The Zoom spell and the Chimaera wing now offer a selection of places to go, instead of automatically returning the party to the last save point.
  • Even the original Japanese version now has a battery save, instead of a password system. This means that more information can be saved from one game to the next; for example, a list of chests which have been opened, and the full stat list of the party.
  • Banks appear for the first time, allowing gold to be preserved upon the party's demise, and storing unneeded items. The vault charges a commission to store items, but there is no withdrawal fee for money exchange. The latter feature was removed in the remakes, since the programmers added the Bag feature that is always carried with the Hero.
  • There is now an aerial vehicle in addition to the ship, which allows for a more intricately designed world and expands the player's freedom of mobility.
  • Canniboxes and Mimics appear for the first time. There is also an identifying spell to detect these enemies.

Kingdom and Town intricacy[edit]

  • There is a Day-night cycle for the first time, effectively doubling the number of events that take place in a location and the amount of dialogue for NPCs, who will also change their behavior depending on the time.
  • Certain towns feature Monster Arenas, where the player can bet gold]] on which monster will win a fight. Odds are chosen based on the monster species, and the bet amount is determined by the lead character's level. As select NPCs point out, the arena is also a great way to see what monsters are capable of before facing them in battle and prepare accordingly.

Miscellaneous[edit]

  • The Hero could aid in helping to make a town to further progress in the story. Though the implementation in VII and remake of IV would make it optional.
  • Though Hargon wasn't the final boss of II despite being behind the monsters in Torland, Baramos was the first enemy to be presented as the possible Final Boss, only to be revealed as a servant of another who has yet to be encountered.
  • After starting up a file after defeating Zoma, the Hero can be left in Patty's Party Planning Place allowing for a full team without the main character. This marks the first time that resuming a saved file after completing the game merits a post game bonus.

Development[edit]

Development of Dragon Quest III began in January of 1987, shortly after the delayed launch of it's predecessor. The developers gathered in the mountain city of Hakone, in the Kanagawa prefecture, and lodged together in one of the hot spring resorts. The stressful experience of developing Dragon Quest II being fresh in the minds of the staff, the onsen resort was both a well deserved vacation and a place to concentrate on developing a clear blueprint for the much anticipated sequel. Thanks to the availability of expanded cartridge sizes, Chunsoft would have two megabits of memory to program the game on.

The gameplay was given the priority during the lodging, with nearly all of the game's revolutionary systems were decided upon from the onset such as the day-night cycle, the vocations, and even the implementation of Alltrades Abbey to give players total control over their characters. The story was written in February and it was decided to make the game's world resemble that of Earth, with Yuji Horii believing that the familiar landscapes would make the game easier for players to navigate. March was spent traveling to Egypt to conduct research owing to the globe-trotting theme of the title. Full-scale development began in late April of 1987[1].

The game's overworld, kingdoms, villages, and dungeons were designed by Horii and his assistant Hiroshi Miyaoka. Due to the significant increase in the scope of the game compared to the predecessor, this process took more than two months to complete and the dungeons were given special consideration during this period with approximately 70% of the content within the first draft being changed. This emphasis on fine-tuning the labyrinths was a deliberate attempt to avoid the same balancing pitfalls of Dragon Quest II and provide a smoother difficulty curve. Implementing the NPCs and writing their dialogue took place in July, along with programming their movements for the time of day and during events.

Koichi Nakamura was concurrently programming the game's battle systems based on the outlines decided in January, and placed a focus on the artificial intelligence used by monsters in addition to general balancing. For example, some monsters are aware of their MP pool and will not waste a turn trying to cast a spell they cannot afford, while the imps are dumb and will try to cast powerful spells despite having no MP at all. Development shifted focus to battle balancing in September when Akira Toriyama completed the artwork for the monsters, with the team deciding the attack patterns and habitats of the beasts now that their designs were finalized by a professional[2].

Balance adjustments, dialogue, and bug testing continued until October 22nd when the game's data was finalized and sent off for cartridge production.

Soundtrack[edit]

As with every Dragon Quest, Kōichi Sugiyama composed the music and directed all the associated spinoffs. Here is the track listing of the Symphonic Suite:

  1. Roto (1:41)
  2. Prologue (3:58)
  3. Rondo (2:59)
  4. Around the World (Around the World ~ Town ~ Jipang ~ Pyramid ~ Village) (6:48)
  5. Adventure (3:09)
  6. Dungeon ~ Tower ~ The Phantom Ship (5:34)
  7. Distant Memories (2:52)
  8. Requiem ~ Small Shrine (3:11)
  9. Sailing (2:53)
  10. Heavenly Flight (2:44)
  11. Grueling Fight (4:05)
  12. Zoma's Castle (3:30)
  13. Fighting Spirits (Battle Theme ~ In Alefgard ~ Hero's Challenge) (5:41)
  14. Into the Legend (3:01)

Version differences[edit]

Like most Dragon Quest games, III was renamed in its initial appearance in America to Dragon Warrior III. The Priest character class was renamed "Pilgrim," while the priests at churches were renamed healers. The churches themselves were referred to as Houses of Healing and had their Christian crosses replaced with six-pointed stars. Finally, dead party Members were depicted as ghosts rather than as coffins with crosses on the lid as they were in the Japanese version.

The Japan-only 1996 remake of III for the Super Famicom featured significantly updated graphics and sound quality, a new Thief character class, and an extra dungeon to explore and a hidden boss to defeat after the credits rolled, the first for a remake. The Super Famicom version also included a personality system for all members of the player's party to influence their statistical growth, adding much more customization to the game. This personality system would later be adopted by the Dragon Quest Monsters series, Dragon Quest X, and Dragon Quest: Monster Parade.

The 16-bit version of III also added the board game-like minigame from Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, Treasures n' Trapdoors. The game was also originally slated to have a collectible Mini medal side quest, but this was cut due to cartridge space constraints. While later titles in the series would include this quest in their original releases, all remakes of Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation have included an extensive mini medal quest. The later Game Boy Color version of the game, which saw release in America in 2001, was based on this version. The GBC edition would include minor balance tweaks, but is mostly recognized for the inclusion of Monster Medals--gold, silver, and bronze tokens awarded when a particular monster is the last defeated in battle. They do nothing themselves, but attaining all of them opens yet another bonus dungeon with a superboss to vanquish at the end.

In 2014, an enhanced port of the Super Famicom version was brought to Cell phones. It retains most content from the Super Famicom version and some of the minor balance tweaks from the GBC release, but removes Treasures n' Trapdoors, the Monster Medal feature, and its associated dungeon. This version was made available outside of Japan on December 4th, 2014 and featured a newly translated script in-line with the standards set by Plus Alpha that also does away with the lingering censorship of the GBC version. This version would later be re-released in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 3DS on August 24th, 2017, and eventually for the Nintendo Switch worldwide on September 27th, 2019.

North American edition (NES edition)[edit]

  • There is now a more elaborate title picture, and the title BGM is changed to "Theme of Erdrick". The BGM for savegame selection is also changed; it is now the same as in Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen.
  • The American edition introduced the prologue showing Ortega battling a monster on a volcano rim. This prologue is also included in the Japanese remakes.
  • The cross and coffin graphics are changed as in all the old Dragon Warrior games.
  • The credit roll BGM has been extended to match the new longer credits.
  • EXP and gold drops are increased 25%, so that characters can level faster.

Super Famicom remake[edit]

Art from the Super Famicom guide.

The graphics and command system were upgraded using the Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation engine as a base. However, its AI system was not copied.

  • As in the first remake, it is now possible to search inside pots, barrels, bookshelves, and the like.
  • As in Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation, it is now possible to climb into wells.
  • The spells associated with VI's conversation recall system have been added; the Hero's spell list has been revised slightly to learn spells at new levels so as to learn these recall spells as well.
  • The bag was added. So the vault is now a bank; one cannot directly use items in the sack yet, however.
  • There is now a character at the Tower of Transcendence who can change the names of the characters (and even the Bag).
  • It is now possible to specify quantities when buying items at the item shop.
  • Combat screens now have backdrops and monster animations; monsters also have more sound effects than in VI.
  • Merchants and Gadabouts can now gain MP when leveling; this is needed since they now gain some MP-consuming skills.
  • As in VI, the special actions of the Gadabout class may now have special effects, similar to Hocus Pocus.
  • Female Heroes now have different graphics, and a few line of dialog are changed for them.
  • There are also new dialog lines in the case that the Hero is not in the party, if the game has been completed.
  • Patty's Party Planning Place can now save the game; this will be done automatically if the composition of the party is changed.
  • As usual, boss monsters have had their HP upgraded compared to the original game. Boss trolls no longer appear as wandering monsters in the endgame; the only one is the one in Manoza.
  • There are many new kinds of items.
  • Some weapon and armour shops have different items in stock. (EG, Manoza no longer sells dragonsbane swords.)
  • The world map shows visited regions in color, with the unexplored regions greyed out.
  • Boomerangs and Whips can now attack multiple enemies at once.
  • Monsters drop different items at the end of a battle.
  • In the NES version, the fight with Robbin' 'Ood in the Skyfell Tower could be skipped entirely. In the remake, he has to be defeated there before he shows up in The Kidnapper's Cave. Skipping it results in his henchmen in the cave tossing the player out the room.
  • The pyramid layout is slightly different.
  • It is now possible to save the game in Portoga, by speaking to the adviser next to the king.
  • Portoga and Baharata now have weapon shops.
  • The merchant you leave in Immigrant Town will retain his/her sprite, whereas the NES version has him/her taking on the sprite of the usual town merchant.
  • After hatching a certain feathered friend, the merchant you left in Immigrant Town will be released from prison and return to Patty's Place. The town itself will be ran by an unnamed resident, with the jail being removed and replaced by a new house.
  • The shop keeper in the Super Secret Faerie Village will sell items to you if you take the form of a Slime, whereas the NES version only allowed you to purchase items if you took the form of a dwarf.
  • The location BGM is now remixed depending on the time of day.
  • More of the music from the first Dragon Quest game is used when in the hidden world, including the music for the towns, caves and a familiar castle.
  • There are new tunes composed for the new areas, as well as cutscenes and item jingles.

Game Boy Color remake[edit]

While the game shares visually the same content as its original NES release, there are a few notable differences.

  • It is now possible to collect Monster Medals; these are shared across savefiles, and can be transferred to other Game Boy cartridges.
  • Battle screens no longer have illustrated backgrounds due to screen size limitations, although monsters and spell effects are still animated.
  • It is now possible to create a temporary save anywhere, since the Game Boy might run out of batteries at any time.
  • There is a second bonus dungeon, the Ice Cave. It contains boss monsters (including Boss trolls) and Mimics as wandering monsters, allowing the player to collect their Monster Medals. There is an additional hidden boss who will challenge the party to collect all the Monster Medals, as well as offering them a new weapon if they defeat him. Unlike the first bonus dungeon, the layout of this one is completely original.
  • In the NES version, if you defeat Zoma without The Hero in your line up (Post-Game), then whoever you have at the front of your party will be given the title of Erdrick, and treated as a Legendary Hero. In this version, doing so causes The Hero to appear out of thin air as The King of the hidden world congratulates the party during the ending and given the credit for defeating Zoma.

Mobile Phone[edit]

Based on the SFC version, with the following differences from the remake.

  • New script for the English release. Modern English is used for the main world, and "Olde English" for the dark world.
  • As with other modern re-releases, references to Christianity and the Christian God have been changed to worship of the Goddess or Holy Mother, and all crosses in the game have been modified to look more like tridents, including on the hat of Priest-classed characters.
  • The spells associated with VI's conversation recall system have been removed, and the Hero's spell list has been revised slightly to account for the removing of these spells.
  • The name-changer has moved from the Tower of Transcendence to Alltrades Abbey.
  • Touch-screen controls added, running the same system as in the mobile releases of DQ and II.
  • As with other mobile releases, new miscellaneous functions have been added including a Quick save and Travellers' Tips.
  • As with other mobile releases, Autosave functionality has also been added as an extra failsafe in case of the app closing.
  • Treasures n' Trapdoors minigame was removed, and all T'n'T ticket and have likewise been removed.
    As a result, there are fewer Mini Medals to collect, bringing the total back to 100 from 110 in the SFC and GBC releases.
  • Monster animations seen in the SFC version are removed. As a result, the opening sequence featuring Ortega's quest is also removed.
  • The ability to attack party members (and using support spells on enemies) is removed.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake[edit]

The game utilize the same graphics engine seen in Square Enix's Octopath Traveler, while keeping the 16-bit style from the SFC remake.

  • The overworld and battlefield will feature 3D environments.
  • The game's view is now positioned in a perspective angle instead of being positioned in a top down angle on the overworld, and in a front view on the battlefield.

Bugs[edit]

Main article: List of glitches in Dragon Quest III

Original edition[edit]

  • By selecting Parry in the combat menu, the damage a character takes in battle is cut in half, even if the player backs out and selects a different command. This bug is mentioned in the official guidebooks, but is fixed in the remakes.
  • One can get a Leaf of World Tree by searching in a square near Rimuldar. This square has the same coordinates as the World Tree grove in the overworld.
  • Under certain circumstances, Metal slime monsters will take 10 points of damage instead of 1 or 2.
  • The Level requirements for Wizards to learn Blizzard and Ice Spears are switched.
  • Some stats cycle if they are raised above 255. This has been fixed in the remakes.
  • It is possible to create a party of only deceased characters by exploiting the Paralysis status condition. This was first though to be only possible using the Dream Ruby, but has since been proven possible using paralysis induced by monsters. This glitch allows the manipulation of memory within the game, producing a wide range of effects and possibilities.

Game Boy Color remake[edit]

  • There is an experience glitch associated with playing T'n'T. If the player lands on a space which reduces his/her strength, it is common that the next battle fought will cause the character's experience to skyrocket. Often this leads to the character being Level 99 immediately. This glitch seems to be intentional, or at least acknowledged by the creators, as if you attempt to save at the King before the next battle, he says you have gained experience in "an unusual way" and "it will become clear to you in battle".
  • There is a bug involving the YellHelp spell which summons a traveling Merchant to the party on the overworld. It seems that the items sold by the Merchant are the ones sold by the last permanent Merchant encountered in the game. This scenario holds true across multiple save files, meaning a Merchant from late in the game can be emulated in another save file by using the YellHelp spell.

Spin-offs[edit]

On top of being remade several times, Dragon Quest III also inspired several mangas including Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken and Dragon Quest: The Emblem of Roto.

Credits[edit]

Original Famicom version
Role Staff
Scenario writer Yuji Horii
Character designer Akira Toriyama
Music composer Koichi Sugiyama
Scenario assistant Hiroshi Miyaoka
Kenji Yanagisawa
Chief programmer Hiroshi Naito
Programmers Manbu Yamana
Narita Togo
Masaaki Okano
Assistant programmer Masumi Takimoto
Graphic designer Takashi Yasuno
Sound programmer Tadashi Fukuzawa
Assistant Rika Suzuki
Keiichi Hara
Kazuya Asano
Satoshi Fudaba
Director Koichi Nakamura
Producer Yukinobu Chida
Publisher Yasuhiro Fukushima

Trivia[edit]

  • Series illustrator Hazuki Kurikara revealed in a Xitter post that the Zenith Dragon's design was used for the logo of Dragon Warrior III, hence why the dragon on the logo does not resemble any found in the game itself[3]

Gallery[edit]

  • Original Famicom box art.

  • Alternate logo.

  • NES box art.

  • Famicom guide.

  • Super Famicom box art.

  • Super Famicom guide.

  • Game Boy Color box art. (JP)

  • Dragon Quest III GBC box art.png

  • Game Boy Color box art. (NA)

  • GBC guide.

  • 4koma comics.

  • 4koma comics.

  • Super Famicom Hero vocation art.

  • Novel

  • CD Theater

  • Mutsumi Inomata art.

  • Promotional artwork for the SFC release.

  • iOS/Android.

  • US Boxart for the 2D-HD remake.

  • Logo for the 2D-HD Remake.

  • Sketch of the NES titlescreen, by artist Hazuki Kurikara

  • The illustration of the Zenith Dragon used for the logo basis

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Q:『ドラクエIII』のお仕事を始めたときから、今までの進行を教えてください。ゲームの内容の細かいことなんかは、いつどんな風にして決まるのか、マップなんかはどういう風にできるのか、詳しいことを教えてください。 堀井 雄二:「ドラゴンクエストIII」の制作を始めたのは、なんと今年の1月下旬からです！1月下旬に、メインスタッフで箱根に大合宿をやったのですが、この合宿中の会議で、ゲームシステムのほとんどすべてを決定しています。 ゲームシステムとは、今度は4人のパーティ ーにしよう、とか、職業はこの8つね、とか、転職はこういうシステムにしよう、とか、 仲間も攻撃できるようにしよう、とか、 戦闘ルーチンはこうしよう、とか、こういうアイテムが欲しいとか、呪文は、 とか......。 で、そういった「ドラクエIII」の世界を構成す るシステムを決定させたあと、 ストーリーのあらすじをつくったのが2月頃。 3月には、取材もかねて、スタッフ一同エジプトまで出かけたのでした。 そして4月下旬に、本格的作業開始! ボクのほうはストーリーに合わせて、マップデータをつくりはじめ、プログラムの中村くんのほうでは、決定されているシステムにしたがって、戦闘ルーチン等のプログラミングを開始したのです。 マップは、ボクとアシストの宮岡くんの2人がかりでやったのですが、ストーリーに合わせて城や町、 洞くつの数をふやしてしまったため、とんでもない量になってしまい、 すべてのマップを描きあげるのに2ヵ月以上かかってしまっ たのでした。 で、その完成したマップに人を配置し、イベントのときの人の動きなどを指定し、人々のセリフを書き始めたのが7月頃。 9月には、鳥山くんのほうからモンスターの絵がすべて出来上がってきたので、攻撃パターンのデータ作成。 さらにモンスターの分布等をきめ、現在にいたります。 10月22日現在、 中村くんたちがプログラミン グしてきたシステムに、 こっちで作成してきたデータが入り、ゲームとしていちおう遊べるものが完成します。 そして最後の仕上げに向けて、スタッフ一同寝ない日が続いています。 みなさん、もうちょっと待っていてください ねっ!!
  2. ↑ 9月には、鳥山くんのほうからモンスターの絵がすべて出来上がってきたので、攻撃パターンのデータ作成。 さらにモンスターの分布等をきめ、現在にいたります。
  3. ↑ https://archive.fo/xctUu
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