If you were gaming in the late 80s/early 90s, then you'll know all about Dragon Quest III. It released in Japan in 1988 and in North America as 'Dragon Warrior III' in 1991. It was, and very much still is, a classic Nintendo game, appearing on the Famicom/NES, the home console that really kicked everything off for Nintendo. Since then, it's appeared on multiple Nintendo consoles, either as a classic addition to compilations or as a remade title.
What it hasn't ever appeared on is the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Until now, that is. A gamer by the moniker of junkatana has begun the process of unofficially porting the game to the Mega Drive, a console that released in Japan the same year as Dragon Quest III.
All I've seen so far is a 15-second clip of graphics that look more like the 1996 remake made for the 16-bit SNES as opposed to the original 8-bit version that released on the NES. It has more of a look and feel of Chrono Trigger, except you'll be playing it with a Sega Mega Drive controller.
The video, shared on X by Renpou, is getting a new save system, new shops, a new castle and inn, and some sound improvements. It's very much a work in progress, and at this moment in time, I can't tell you how much of the project is being made with or without the assistance of AI. Having said that, the featured image of the YouTube video above does look like it's had a little AI tweaking to it, so we'll have to see.
If I were to guess, I would say that there's going to be some AI usage when it comes to sorting out some of the menial tasks, which is becoming commonplace these days. Still, I'll be taking a closer look at what information comes out from junkatana over the coming weeks, especially if/when source code for the project is revealed!
