Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake renames town called Isis in original 1988 game 

Square Enix’s Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake (Dragon Quest 3 hereafter) will overhaul the classic NES title with a blend of 2D pixel spites and dynamic 3D backgrounds, introducing new mechanics and QoL improvements. While the story remains mostly untouched, some changes to the original game’s content are inevitable. One small but interesting change is the renaming of Isis. 

Isis is a castle town that appears in the original Dragon Quest 3. With its desert environment, Pyramids and other visual and narrative cues, the fictional town is heavily inspired by Ancient Egypt. The name Isis is in reference to the Egyptian goddess of the same name, who was worshipped as a maternal deity of healing and magic. 

However, likely due to the word “Isis” becoming heavily associated with ISIS, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State, Dragon Quest 3’s memorable town has been renamed to Ibis. While it is kind of a shame that an element of Egyptian culture has become overshadowed by a similar-sounding modern terrorist organization to the point of being removed from a piece of media, it is also not difficult to understand why Square Enix decided to err on the side of caution. 

Thankfully, the new name, Ibis, not only sounds fairly similar to the original, but also cleverly stays true to the theme. Ibis is the name of a bird that was believed to be a manifestation of Toth, god of the Moon in ancient Egyptian religion. But not only is the new name related to Egyptian mythology, it also connects back to Isis herself. In the Myth of Osiris, Toth is described as having helped Isis during her pregnancy with Horus, the heir of Osiris. 

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is scheduled to launch on November 14 for the PC (Microsoft Store), Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The Steam version will come out a day later, on November 15.