PAX East was remarkable for a lot of reasons this year, but the appearance of a playable demo of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake made it truly special. For approximately 30 minutes, I played through select scenes from the revamped versions of both Dragon Quest I and II, to get a grasp on what role-playing adventures await us on October 30, when the package arrives on all current-gen systems, including Switch 2.
While the PAX East demo was an early build — the title screen background was unfinished and the English localization hadn’t yet been added — it was clear that fans can expect something similar in scope to 2024’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Now, you might wonder why the first two games are launching after the third one? Well, you see, Dragon Quest III is a prequel that takes place long before Dragon Quest, in the fictional in-game universe. “We released III last year, and we’re releasing I and II this year so people can play them in order,” said Square Enix Senior PR Manager Chad Concelmo. “So if you play all three, you’re going to have a very satisfying conclusion because it’s going to tie all three games together, which is very exciting for fans.”
Just like III, I and II have received the full HD-2D treatment, a graphical approach developed by Square Enix that combines pixel art and 3D graphics. For me, this is one of the most striking visual styles of the past generation, a technique that makes games feel both new and nostalgic. I’m happy to report it’s deployed with great success in Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. It might be my imagination, but the sprites look crisper & more detailed and the 3D backdrops look more realistic than in III. This could be the prettiest HD-2D title yet, even if it seems to go a little heavy on bloom effects.
Even with the massive visual overhaul, not to mention all the many quality-of-life features carried over from III, Dragon Quest I and II appear to retain their original identities. The core experiences from 1986 and 1987 are still here, based on my limited time with the games. In the case of the first Dragon Quest game, that introduces an interesting wrinkle: you control only a single character; there’s no party to speak of. Square Enix couldn’t have changed this without significantly rewriting the game’s DNA, of course, but it does make that entry just a little stiffer and less engaging that the others. Now, there’s good news. In the original, your hero could fight only one enemy at a time. In this remake, he can tangle with multiple enemies at once. This makes battles more strategic and reduces the tedium, although it doesn’t remove it altogether.
I enjoyed my time with Dragon Quest II much more, mostly because of the inclusion of a party of adventurers. Taking advantage of their unique strengths and spells in turn-based combat made everything more exciting and dangerous. It also didn’t hurt that the II demo appeared to take place deeper into its respective story than I, which was at the very opening — and therefore had lots yet to reveal. According to Concelmo, that’s exactly right. “There is way more stuff added to these two games than there was to III last year”, he noted. “[The developers] did a really did a great job of adding a lot of content to make them feel very cohesive with III.”
The nature and extent of that new content is still a mystery. What’s obvious, though, is this: if you loved Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, you’re going to enjoy this newest HD-2D production. It’s loyal to the roots of the series, it’s more accessible than ever before, and it features new content designed to weave it more organically into the story and structure of III.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake launches October 30, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC.
Full Article – https://www.vgchartz.com/article/464683/dragon-quest-i-amp-ii-hd-2d-remake-aims-to-complete-the-erdrick-trilogy-in-style/