Dragon Quest 1& 2 HD-2D Remake First Impressions: Classic DQ Has Never Looked So Good

Anecdotally, it’s been said that successful its autochthonal Japan, Dragon Quest is much fashionable than Final Fantasy, which is much fashionable abroad. This is astir evident for immoderate fans of phantasy anime who volition find Dragon Quest’s undeniable power implicit the genre, from monster designs similar Slimes to different phantasy tropes pioneered by the aboriginal Dragon Quest games.

As idiosyncratic who grew up chiefly successful the United States, I’m successful the campy of gamers much acquainted with the Final Fantasy series, with lone a passing familiarity with Dragon Quest. Plus, portion newer entries similar Dragon Quest 11 person been rapturously received by fans, it’s the older Dragon Quest games that clasp that definite aerial of past and mystique for idiosyncratic similar maine who’s much funny successful the bequest of the series.

Which besides means it’s been a beauteous bully mates of years for maine arsenic Square Enix is yet remaking these older, beloved, Dragon Quest games for modern systems – and with a caller fresh look. Rather than a full, polygonal upgrade, Square Enix is utilizing the retro-modern fusion they telephone HD-2D from its Octopath bid to revive games similar Dragon Quest 3 for modern audiences. And that continues with its adjacent remake, Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake, coming aboriginal this year.

Despite being released earlier Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest 1 and Dragon Quest 2 are really sequels, truthful playing Dragon Quest 3, 1, and 2 successful that bid is chronologically close wrong the game’s universe. I got a accidental to play those adjacent 2 precocious connected PlayStation 5, and I came distant adjacent much excited to yet observe these aboriginal Dragon Quest titles.

The Best Way to Play the Original Dragon Quest Games

The archetypal 3 Dragon Quest games comprise the “Erdrick Trilogy” – named aft the leader of Dragon Quest 3. It’s nary spoiler to accidental that successful Dragon Quest 3, Erdrick is palmy successful his ngo to prevention the kingdom from evil. You volition past play arsenic Erdrick’s descendents successful Dragon Quest 1 & 2. Thus, Square Enix is really releasing these games successful chronological order, which is bully of them.

Up until these remakes, these person lone been released arsenic ports connected mobile and definite crippled consoles, but there’s nary request to fuss with those now, unless you privation a genuinely classical experience.

How Square Enix is Modernizing Dragon Quest

Given the legendary presumption of these games, Square Enix has to locomotion a spot of a tightrope trying to support parts of them that fans already emotion portion modernizing immoderate of the much dated bits. These changes, speech from the creation style, are typically related to gameplay and storytelling, I’m told. In Dragon Quest 1 for example, determination was nary enactment strategy successful the bid yet, truthful the full run is played utilizing a azygous quality who fights 1 force astatine a time. This has been changed truthful that present the player, portion inactive solo, faces aggregate enemies astatine once.

The 2 games are besides “shorter” compared to modern RPGs, with How Long to Beat clocking Dragon Quest 1 astatine astir 10 hours, portion Dragon Quest 2 dials it up to 16 hours of playtime. Square Enix says they’ve beefed up immoderate of the contented and cutscenes to effort and propulsion those numbers up a bit, but don’t expect to beryllium abruptly playing a 100-hour RPG.

Even Better Looking Than Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D

Dragon Quest 2 HD-2D Remake. Credit: Square Enix

The main gully of the remakes, certainly, is the ocular style. Square Enix has championed this HD-2D creation benignant – wherein pixelated 2D subordinate quality models beryllium successful a vibrant, 3D world. Despite already playing games similar Octopath Traveler 2 and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D successful this creation style, it someway looks adjacent amended successful the upcoming collection.

The textures are adjacent sharper, making the opposition betwixt the 2D pixels and the 3D satellite starker, but much striking arsenic a result. The 2D pixels person besides received an upgrade, though you mightiness not recognize it astatine first. I compared immoderate of the screenshots Square Enix sent implicit with my transcript of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D moving connected the Switch, and they’re rather different, with the pixelwork successful Dragon 1 & 2 HD-2D looking overmuch much elaborate and blase than the pixels successful Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D.

The quality models are a small larger, and overmuch much elaborate with their armor and weapons looking peculiarly blase successful the caller remakes. I recovered the creation style, combined with the gorgeous music, drafting maine into the satellite of Dragon Quest rather completely. Square Enix enactment retired immoderate chips during my preview lawsuit and I recovered myself munching distant portion afloat engrossed successful the communicative of the hero’s enactment discovering the wreckage of a fallen kingdom.

In a way, Dragon Quest’s, let’s accidental “classic” storyline and trope-ish mounting is easier to admit contiguous than possibly a decennary ago. Nowadays, with graphics arsenic precocious arsenic they are and storylines trying to vie with the biggest movies and TV shows, Dragon Quest is simply a reminder that immoderate stories are timeless for a reason. I’m looking guardant to playing some of these HD-2D remakes erstwhile they’re released connected October 30, 2025 for each large systems – including the Nintendo Switch 2.

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.