When we last heard word about the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, series creator Yuji Horii said that the development was “progressing quite steadily“. It was hardly the info dump that many of us were after, but hey, at least it was something (let’s not forget that this project was initially announced by Square Enix way back in May 2021). Well, now Horii is back with another update, and this one feels a little more promising.

It seems that development on the much-anticipated HD-2D remake has indeed been progressing well, as the series creator announced that he recently stayed up late working through a playtest of the game.

Of course, playtesting can be a rather long process so this is by no means an endorsement that Dragon Quest III will be returning to our screens in a matter of weeks, but it is an exciting development all the same.

The announcement came as Horii celebrated the second anniversary of the Japanese mobile app Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi and the release of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. In a heartfelt tweet (below, via Google Translate) combining these two occasions and the playtest of the HD-2D remake, Horii thanked the fans for helping him to do what he loves:

So, Dragon Quest Monsters 3 has finally been released. At the same time, Dragon Quest Keshi Keshi celebrated its 2nd anniversary. And last night, I was playing a test play of Dragon Quest 3 Remake at Square Enix until almost 10pm. It is thanks to all of you that I am able to work hard like this. thank you very much.

If the playtest build as it currently stands is enough to keep the series creator up until past his bedtime (at least, that’s what we’re assuming from context), then it sounds like a release could be coming our way sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed for a February 2024 Direct, everyone.