History time! Have you ever wondered how and when the Mystery Dungeon series of roguelike dungeon crawlers actually began? Was it with Shiren the Wanderer, or perhaps something else completely devoid of an existing IP tie in? Well, neither, actually. You might not know this, but Chunsoft wasn’t just responsible for creating the Mystery Dungeon franchise. The studio had also developed the first few Dragon Quest games, meaning it had access to the series when coming up with its new dungeon crawling formula. And so, in 1993, Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon was born.

If you love Mystery Dungeon games, you have to thank Torneko.

Originally just released in Japan, Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon would then spawn direct sequels, as well as a formula that would become Spike Chunsoft’s main cash cow, alongside Danganronpa. Square Enix, owner of the Dragon Quest IP nowadays, then decided to do Western gamers and overall gaming historians a favor by finally localizing that classic little game, 33 years later. They didn’t just translate it and called it a go, however. They decided to remaster it with brand new visuals, a few customizable modifiers, and some accessibility options, whilst maintaining the core gameplay loop and controls intact. And with that, I present you the hilariously-named Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Classic HD. That’s a mouthful.

He’s not the hero we need, but the hero capitalism deserves.

Have you ever played Mystery Dungeon? This kind of game follows a much more traditional take on the concept of “roguelike”. This dungeon crawler game resets its gameplay after each new round. You play as the titular Torneko, a chubby salesman from Dragon Quest IV who decides to venture into an ever-changing dungeon in search for treasure until he finds a way to escape the premises, or if he is defeated by the monsters that inhabit it. After each round is over, he either escapes with half (if he falls in battle) or all of the gold and treasure collected in the run, has this money spent in the development of his family business, and then sets off into another round inside the maze, as capitalism is an insatiable beast.

The exploration and combat are simple, straightforward, and intentionally clunky. Both Torneko and every single enemy inside the dungeon move one tile at a time. Each kind of action inside the dungeon counts as a microturn, be it moving in an eight-way direction, using an item, or performing an attack. Attacks are performed with the simple press of a button, when you’re next to a foe. Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon then becomes a true dice-based RPG, in the sense that the damage input and accuracy check occur at random. Kill a foe, earn experience points, level up, and hope to RNGesus that you’ll be able to find better equipment during your current run, or the next floor you’re exploring.

It’s not the prettiest UI, but it gets the job done.

It is a clunky experience in the sense that moving around is intentionally limited, and that combat revolves around two admittedly pretty-looking sprites looking at each other, whilst a slow-moving text box on the bottom of the screen is telling you how much damage you are dealing or are being dealt. The dungeon’s map is always oddly plastered somewhere over the screen, with no particular option feeling 100% ideal.

Yet I wasn’t able to stop playing this game for a second. The first day I got my hands on Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Classic HD, I kept telling myself I had to go to bed, but I’d just play “one more round”. And I kept doing so until I realized it was 3 in the morning, and I couldn’t even see time flying by like a jet fighter. I was never improving my stats in between runs or unlocking any meaningful conversations or cosmetics, like your modern roguelite. I just wanted to play this little game without ever being able to stop, just for the sake of it. The gameplay loop is incredibly addictive, even after 33 years. There’s a reason why Mystery Dungeon has been a staple franchise ever since.

You’ll get used to this odd map placement.

Furthermore, there’s the added benefit of this still being, at the end of the day, a Dragon Quest game. That means that the visuals are charming, the character models are iconic, and that the soundtrack is extraordinary. I’d say that this remaster follows Square Enix’s now-iconic HD-2D style, but in a much more limited manner. Sure, environments are polygonal, but they are just a bunch of randomly generated corridors which, admittedly, look and feel samey after a while. It’s the sprite-based character models, as well as the adorable color pallette that looks excellent on portable mode, that steal the show.

I get the fact that the gameplay loop is a bit tough at times. You depend on sheer luck in order to have a great run. But if you’re struggling with Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon‘s combat and progression system, the game does allow you to alter its modifiers in order to create a more adequate experience, depending on your needs. You can tinker with the amount of EXP and gold you receive, the frequency in which items spawn inside a floor, and so on… but you can also make the experience tougher if that’s what you want, as you can alter the amount of enemies inside each of the dungeon’s floors, for instance.

Bring in the spoils and invest them in your family’s well-being. What a wholesome game.

If you’ve ever wanted to understand how the Mystery Dungeon franchise got started, and why its formula became such a hit right from the getgo, Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Classic HD is a fantastic history lesson. More importantly, it’s still an addictive roguelike dungeon crawler in its own right. Sure, it has aged poorly in a few areas, but the core gameplay remains just as entertaining more than three decades later. This charming game absolutely nails that “just one more run” feeling that every roguelike strives for, yet surprisingly few manage to perfect. For something originally released in 1993, Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon still knows exactly how to keep you hooked.

Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Classic HD is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Switch and Switch 2.

Reviewed on Switch 2.

A copy of Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Classic HD was provided by the publisher.