May 27 is Dragon Quest Day, which is a good indicator of how massive this series has become all over the world. With over 40 matches that extend over five decades, Yuji Horii's seminal RPG series has sold out Mortal Kombat, Halo and even Super Smash Bros. On October 30, the series will return to where it all started with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D remake.
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Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake Pre-Order Guide: Release, Prices and More
Everything you need to know about placing a pre-order for Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D remake.
Earlier this month, I got a chance to go practically with both titles in Remake to see what the HD-2D treatment has done for these almost 40-year games. It is impossible not to feel any nostalgia for these classics and the one they came from, even if you never played the original Dragon assignments. The fact that nostalgia must do very heavy lifting but, because even with a fresh color layer and some modern functions, these 80s -rpg definitely shows its age.
A hero is reborn
Square Enix beat gold with HD-2D aesthetic. It brought new life to the tour -based genre of games like Octopath Traveler and revived forgotten gemstones like 2022's Live A Live. HD-2D is also perfect for Dragon Quest. The mixture of character sprites with HD environments makes Dragon Quest's open world feel large and exploratory. I am often uninterested in remakes that replace elegant pixel art with bland 3D (looking at you, Super Mario RPG) but this is an update that honors the original style while adding a lot of depth and character to the world.
The renewed art style is the biggest hook here, and you will find lots of interesting new details and beautiful environments in both games. The subtle use of slope shifts, which blur in the foreground in the background, also contributes to the feeling of scale to the world. However, lighting, shadows and reflections continue to be HD-2D's weakness, and I worry that this style will grow old if it is not often updated for new games. That being said, these Dragon Quest remakes are the best showcase of the aesthetics we have seen yet.
Considering how much time you will spend in them, the combat screens are where HD-2D really shines. Light and shadow are better used to put the tone in these scenes, probably because a static camera allows the artist more freedom to create dynamic battlefields. This is where the mixture of spirits with 3D environments is most obvious, and it works incredibly well. Sometimes it feels like the characters and enemies are much smaller than they should be (especially considering that they are so much bigger than they should be in the outside world), but I would not have preferred to see new 3D models. The pixel art gives the remake much of its character and connects the artistic to its origin.
Holding the old school
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake was launched in November 2024, almost a year before the launch of Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D. During the preview, Square Enix told us that this was because Dragon Quest 3 is the chronological beginning of Erdrick trilogy, and it wanted players to experience the story in a linear timeline.
It may be a reason, but it is also difficult to ignore how much of an upgrade 3 is over 1 and 2. It is larger and more wiped out, with deeper systems, a more complex story and meatier battle. Launching 3 before 1 and 2 is a great way to get new players connected to the best of the three before trying to sell them the less interesting items. If this collection had been released first, I can imagine that some people would not have stuck for Dragon Quest 3.
It is not to say that 1 and 2 are bad games, but this is RPG that came out on NES from 1986-87, and they definitely feel like it. Square Enix has added the same modernization features that we saw in the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D, as Quest markers and the ability to rush the battle, but there is only as much as you can do to update a grindy tour-based RPG as the original Dragon Quest. Their short time (ten hours for the first, 16-20 for the second) is likely to work in their favor.
Square Enix has found the perfect formula for these classic remakes, and Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D remake has all the charm and Polish that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D had last year. While the wait for October may be longer than fans had hoped, the addition of a Switch 2 edition was a nice Dragon Quest Day surprise. Now if only Chrono Trigger could get the HD-2D update …
