Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake bundles two classic JRPGs together that, somewhat confusingly, are linked to but set chronologically after Square Enix’s 2024 revival, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Together, they comprise the Erdrick trilogy and continue the series’ consistently high quality, offering traditional turn-based gameplay that is as tried-and-true as it is nostalgic.
Both entries (released in 1986 and 1987, respectively) are straightforward games at their core, but have been given new life and look stunning in the HD-2D conversion. Cutscenes have been revamped across the board, and characters and monsters have been overhauled.
New story content has been added, along with multiple difficulty options, allowing players to ease or increase the old-school challenge as desired. In addition to a new and updated soundtrack, there is some much-appreciated voice acting in both English and Japanese.
Dragon Quest I is a bit of a strange beast, but quite interesting in its own right. Much shorter, it lacks the party mechanics most would associate with the genre. With just a single character, players must face the Dragonlord alone across a 15-hour adventure.
However, this version introduces the ability to battle multiple enemies at once (for consistency with the rest of the series), rather than just one at a time. For balance, attacks capable of hitting multiple enemies have been added, too.
Dragon Quest II, meanwhile, is the real meat-and-potatoes of this classical roleplaying feast. With a new playable character, additional events, areas, and items (not to mention secret locations), it’s an expansive adventure that offers close to 40 hours of gameplay, and longer for true completionists.
DQII is a globe-spanning romp in which the various royal descendants of Erdrick band together to face an apocalyptic demonic threat, and is well worth the price of admission in its own right.
That said, unlike say, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, there is little here that would convert someone who was not already a fan of that venerable JRPG series. Its offerings are traditional perhaps to a fault, and while modern conveniences have smoothed away some of its rougher edges, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake does require a certain old-school mindset to be properly appreciated.