Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- from SQUARE ENIX is a new take on the Super Famicom spin-off from Dragon Quest IV, combining the series’ classic charm with dungeon-crawling roguelike gameplay. Bringing Torneko into the Mystery Dungeon formula makes for a very different kind of Dragon Quest adventure, one where every step can make the difference between a successful run and starting over. Learn more in our Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- review!
Originally released only in Japan, the first entry in the Mystery Dungeon series and prequel to Torneko: The Last Hope is finally making its international debut!
Packed with the challenge, tension, and rewarding gameplay of a classic roguelike adventure, this is a journey we’re excited for a new generation of players take on!
“He’s Not a Hero. He’s a Merchant. And He’s Here to Close the Deal.”
A Merchant’s New Adventure
As someone who played Dragon Quest IV back on the NES, I have fond memories of Torneko Taloon, the merchant who had a complete chapter dedicated to him. Following the events of Dragon Quest IV, Torneko has become a very successful merchant, running a thriving store with his wife and child. When he hears a rumor about a mysterious dungeon, he decides to investigate and sets off on another adventure. SQUARE ENIX is now bringing us a remake of the game on PlayStation 5 with some quality-of-life improvements.
The game gets you into the action very quickly. After the opening dialogue, you’re sent straight into the first 10-floor dungeon, which also serves as a tutorial for the mechanics you’ll be using throughout the game. It’s a nice way to introduce the Mystery Dungeon formula without spending too much time explaining it before letting you play.
Simple Rules, Endless Dungeons
The core gameplay is straightforward. You explore procedurally generated dungeons, move from room to room, defeat enemies, and collect anything useful along the way. The level design itself is quite simple, with rooms connected by corridors, and this works well with the turn-based nature of the gameplay. Every time you walk or attack, enemies get to act as well, giving you a moment to think about your next move before committing to it.
There is plenty to find during each run, including herbs, scrolls, wands, money, weapons, shields, and other equipment. There is no auto-equip, so you’ll need to decide what to use as you go. Some equipment will also appear unidentified and can be appraised with a scroll. You can still use these items without identifying them, but there’s always a risk that one of them is cursed. If you equip a cursed item, you can be stuck with it for the entire run, creating an interesting risk versus reward scenario when deciding whether to use unidentified gear.
You’ll also need to keep an eye on your hunger, while HP naturally recovers as you take steps. Defeating enemies awards experience, and leveling up increases your attack and defense. And, as you’d expect from a roguelike, dying means starting over from the beginning of the dungeon at level 1.
One particularly nice touch is how Torneko’s profession ties into the progression. After successfully completing a run, he can bring the items and money he collected back to his family, allowing them to be sold and used to improve the shop. It gives the otherwise familiar Mystery Dungeon loop a nice connection to Torneko himself.
When Randomness Works Against You
The randomness is an important part of the Mystery Dungeon formula, but it can also be one of its most frustrating aspects. Equipment drops are random, and during the early rooms of a dungeon, you can sometimes find yourself without a proper weapon and having to rely on your fists for a while. Status effects are an even bigger problem. Some enemies can inflict effects that leave you with very few options, including one that can repeatedly put Torneko to sleep. Even with plenty of HP remaining, an unfortunate encounter can quickly turn into a death sentence.
In fact, most of my deaths came down to an unfortunate encounter in a single room further into a dungeon. This means there isn’t much room for error. You can have a successful run going, make your way deep into a dungeon, and then have one bad encounter completely derail everything. While that unpredictability is part of what makes these games exciting, there were definitely times when a death felt more unfair than earned.
A Classic Look with Modern Conveniences
The presentation does a good job of preserving the game’s classic identity while adding a few welcome modern touches. The hand-drawn opening sequence looks great, and you can choose between two different font options, including a more pixelated style that fits the retro aesthetic particularly well.
There are also plenty of accessibility and quality-of-life options available. You can customize things such as the monster encounter rate, experience and gold acquisition, along with several other settings that can make the game more approachable. The game is very clear that changing these settings will disable certain trophies, though, so you’ll want to leave them alone if you’re aiming for the Platinum.
The soundtrack features classic Dragon Quest themes, including many remixes of Torneko’s theme from Dragon Quest IV. Unlike the orchestral arrangements found in the modern mainline games, these retain a more classic presentation. Unfortunately, the short looping variations of Torneko’s theme started to get repetitive for me fairly quickly. Considering how consistently strong the music in Dragon Quest games tends to be, this does stand out as a weaker part of the overall presentation.
A Tough Road to the Platinum
There are 26 trophies to collect, with a list made up of 11 Bronze trophies, 9 Silver trophies, and 6 Gold trophies, which means that this one does have a Platinum trophy. The Platinum trophy can be fairly challenging, particularly because of the random nature of the game and the fact that some progression-related trophies can no longer be unlocked if you change certain gameplay settings.
The rest of the list fits nicely with the structure of the game. You’ll have trophies for encountering every enemy, collecting different types of items such as weapons, shields, and herbs, as well as objectives related to collecting gold. Given that Torneko is a merchant, those money-focused trophies feel particularly appropriate.
A Charming and Unpredictable Classic
Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- is an interesting piece of Dragon Quest history brought back with a few welcome modern conveniences. The Mystery Dungeon formula is simple to understand, but there’s enough variety in the dungeons, enemies, equipment, and items to make each run feel different. Torneko himself is also a great fit for the formula, with the shop progression giving his merchant background an important role in the gameplay.
The biggest issue is that the same randomness that makes each run unpredictable can also make some deaths feel unfair. Poor equipment luck and especially nasty status effects can end a promising run because of a single unfortunate encounter. The soundtrack can also become a little repetitive over time, although the charming presentation and extensive quality-of-life options help round out the package.
For Dragon Quest fans who enjoy roguelikes and Mystery Dungeon games, this is an easy game to recommend. Just be prepared to accept that sometimes, no matter how carefully you play, the dungeon simply won’t be on your side. Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko‘s Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- is out on PlayStation 5 with a $24.99 price.
Disclaimer
This Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon -Classic HD- review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by SQUARE ENIX.
