Which is Better? Dragon Quest II vs III

Between Dragon Quest II and III, Enix made a few significant changes to the core gameplay of their RPG series. Both games are improvements over the first game in the series. They have similar settings, stories, and game mechanics.

It is interesting to watch this series slowly evolve from game to game. Enix tried to tell one cohesive story across several game sin the series, and didn’t make sweeping changes to the gameplay. This lets you see how the development team changes this and tries new mechanics.

These two games feel like more complete RPGs than the first game. They both have strengths and weaknesses. One of them is more fun for me. Let’s get into the games and see which one I think is better.

Game Descriptions/Overviews

Both games are high fantasy RPGs. They have the same gameplay and very similar settings. Because they’re sequels, they build off the game that had come before them. Dragon Quest II is a direct sequel to the first game, and Dragon Quest III is a prequel to it.

Dragon Quest II has you take control of three characters. You go on a quest to assemble your party, and this game acts as a direct follow-up to the first game. It has a fairly basic story where you simply have to gather items and fight an evil wizard.

Dragon Quest III has you take control of a party of four characters, but you can recruit additional characters if you want to. The player has access to all their party members right off the bat, and you can recruit more at any time. This game acts as a prequel to the first game and has the player trying to defeat an evil wizard. There is a false ending where a greater evil reveals itself, and takes the player to the world of the first game.

I could keep going on about these two games, but I want to keep things as brief as I can. These games have a lot in common and only a few differences. Let’s get into the major differences between these games.

Main Differences 

There isn’t that much difference between these two games in terms of setting and combat. What is different involves the story, difficulty, and party construction. Some of these are to be expected because these are games in the same series, and they show that the developers were trying to improve or at least experiment with the game design.

The stories are quite different. Dragon Quest II starts with a castle being attacked, and then you assemble your party. It does end with a fight against an evil person who wants to take over the world. Dragon Quest III starts with the main character going on a quest to defeat the big bad guy and recruiting three characters to join him. There is a false finish that ends up tying the story into the other two games in the series.

Dragon Quest III is an easier game than Dragon Quest II. At least that was my experience when I played it. There is less grinding in the third game, and it feels less tedious. Dragon Quest II felt like it was harder than it needed to be.

From a basic numbers standpoint, Dragon Quest III has a larger cast of characters. You have a party of four in that game, and Dragon Quest II has a party of three. The characters in the second game have more personality than those in the third game.

Those are the main differences that I can think of between these two games. There might be a few more, and if I remember them, I’ll add those later. Let’s go over the core mechanics that I haven’t already talked about.

Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)

A lot of the core mechanics between these two games are essentially the same. I’ve already talked about the story, so I’ll go over the combat and the visuals. There are only minor differences in these two games when it comes to these categories.

Both games are turn based RPGs, and they use the same perspectives. They also have the same boring black screen for a battle screen. Because there are more characters and character classes in Dragon Quest III, the battles in that game are a little more exciting.

These games aren’t that different from a graphics standpoint. Dragon Quest III has more cutscenes and is more cinematic. The third game also has more enemy sprites, which you should expect from a game in the same series.

These games aren’t too different from each other when you look at the core mechanics. Dragon Quest III has a lot of minor improvements over the second game, which is what you should expect. There were also a few new things that the development team tried. Let’s go over what each game does better than the other.

What Does Dragon Quest III do Better?

There is a lot that I think is better in this game than in the second game in the series. Dragon Quest III has the better story and the better party system. The visuals and combat aren’t too different from each other.

Dragon Quest III has a false ending, which is something that stands out to me when I look at the other RPGs that I’ve played. This makes the story more fun than the second game’s story. Most console RPGs didn’t do this back in the late 1980s or early 1990s. It is really cool to see it done so well in this game.

Dragon Quest III offers you more options to customize your party. The second game has three playable characters, while the third game has six classes you can choose from. You have a party of four, and you can play around with party construction by recruiting more potential party members.

Those are the two things that stand out to me. The third game is also more cinematic, but I don’t think it is significant enough to go into in any detail. I’m sure there are other things, but I can’t think of them at this time. Let’s get into what the second game does better.

What Does Dragon Quest II do Better?

Dragon Quest II has some good things in it. Much of what is in this game is the same or similar enough to the third game. I do like the way the game’s story starts more than how the third game does.

I’m a big fan of going on a quest to assemble your party. That is the one thing that I think Dragon Quest II does better than the third game. Many of the other good things in this game are similar to those in the third game.

The main characters in Dragon Quest II are better than those in the third game. They have personalities, they have something to say about what is happening, and they feel like real characters. I like this more than having custom characters.

Aside from those things, there isn’t much that I can say is better in Dragon Quest II. The gameplay is pretty much the same, the story isn’t as good, and it doesn’t have the same false ending like the third game.

Which is Better Overall and Why? 

Dragon Quest III is the better game. It has a better story, I like the setting more, and having more options to create your party made this more fun. This game has more of what I would want from a retro RPG.

The game’s story is much better than the second game. While its characters aren’t as well developed, it has a better plot. It is a little different from the more generic high fantasy plots of the first two games.

I like that the developers took a chance with the party system in this game. It isn’t too different from Final Fantasy’s. The game would’ve been better if they had copied Phantasy Star II, but what is here is fine. It is also fun that they used the “Hero” class for the main character.

There are a few other minor differences between the second and third games. Dragon Quest III is the better game. This is a personal preference, and you can disagree with me if you want. At the end of the day, I had more fun with Dragon Quest III, and I like the game mechanics and story in that game more.

Which Would I Rather Play?

I had more fun with the third game, and it is the one that I would rather play. The story was better, the party system is better, and this game was easier for me. This game has more of what I want from an RPG in it.

The story is one of the big reasons I would want to play this game again. I liked it much more than the previous two in the series. It isn’t as generic as other games that I’ve played, and I liked the false ending.

Dragon Quest III has a wonderful story, good gameplay, and I love the graphics. There isn’t too much that separates the first three games in this series, but the third game is able to stand out because of its story and gameplay.

Conclusion 

Going through these games like this has been a lot of fun. With the Dragon Quest and Phantasy Star series, you can see how the games have changed and how the stories have evolved. Each series made changes from game to game, which is fun to see.

Dragon Quest III is closer to a few of my favorite retro RPGs. I had more fun with it than the other two games in the series. I wish they had done more with the character classes. The story is much better than the second game, and I enjoyed the false ending.

I’ve got one more Dragon Quest game to get to on the NES. I’m not too sure how I’m going to handle the Super Famicom games at this time. I’m still a little ways away from that, though.

If you liked this post, please check out my other vs posts. Such as Dragon Quest II vs Phantasy Star III or Destiny of an Emperor vs Sweet Home.