Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Preview
Last week, I had the chance to visit the Square Enix offices to take a look at and play their upcoming release of the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. And let me tell you, dear readers, you’re in for a treat! If you finished up last year’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and found yourself wanting more (and wanting to experience the rest of the Erdrick Trilogy in gorgeous HD-2D), then October 30th, 2025 can’t come soon enough. No trick, all treat!
My dog every time I take a shower
I was able to spend about 15-20 min with each game, experiencing the first cities and characters in full HD-2D splendor on the PlayStation 5. Dragon Quest I (originally released as Dragon Warrior in the U.S. way back in 1989) continues the story of the ‘Erdrick Trilogy’ started in Dragon Quest III. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry - the third installment is actually the first chronologically. You play as one of the descendants of your hero from DQIII, so it’s safe to say he got busy with the townsfolk after the credits rolled.
You’re rocking solo in this first iteration, traipsing around the open fields and lush forests with only yourself to worry about. This is sticking to the original game’s concept, though in today’s time it may feel a little uncomfortable at first. For me, it just adds to the strategy of it all. Thankfully updated, however, are a larger variety of enemies (and they come at you in groups, it used to be only mano a mano), cutscenes, and voiced characters.
I could do this all day…
I spent my time talking to townspeople before heading out to the first dungeon. I fought many slimes in the open world, very angry at me for disturbing their beautiful day, before taking the advice of everyone around me and visiting my ancestor’s tomb. A few scripted scenes later, some dungeon exploration and treasure looting commenced, and my time with the first game was already done.
I’m very happy tombs don’t speak in the real world
Then I moved over to Dragon Quest II. Switching games was very simple, and Square Enix has thankfully bundled the two games together so you won’t miss a beat. We skipped a bunch of the introductory cutscenes (almost all fully voice acted) so that I could get right down to business. Here, your hero has traded the single life for a party of adventurers who will join your quest as the story unfolds. Unlike the party you built in Dragon Quest III - fun but forgettable - this time around, your crew is, as my high school history teacher once called me, filled with personality.
Not even time? I mean, if I could turn back time…
While I enjoyed both adventuring solo and with a party, I much prefer the stresses of monster slaying with a little back up. I didn’t get an opportunity to play with any builds, but got the impression that your party will have dedicated healers and damage dealers.
My time with this one felt much shorter, but that was mostly because I kept forgetting to turn the speed up on the battles. The only decision that I couldn’t wrap my head around was why they kept the slow battle speeds as default (even our hosts reminded us to speed up the battle time before we started playing). But, hey, no game is perfect.
Crows are smart…never f*#k with one carrying a skull
Since time was an issue, I felt teased by the two stories that were only starting to unfold. I’m sure I’m going to put 60+ hours locked in on the Erdrick ancestors and I’m praying to the one eyed spaghetti monster that these games prove to be a success for Square Enix. I hope they decide to do the same HD-2D remakes to another beloved series - a certain fantasy that is indeed NOT final.
Laughing and crying on a dock is not as rare as you might think
The Dragon Quest series started around 40 years ago, has sold over 94 million units, and shows no signs of stopping. I CAN’T WAIT to get my hands on these full games when they release on October 30th, 2025. And, even better news for those with that coveted Switch 2 pre-order, you will be able take these games on the road! Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will release on the Switch 2 alongside the original Switch, PlayStation 5, XBox Series X/S, Windows and Steam.