Dragon Quest I & 2 HD-2D Remake | REVIEW | PC/STEAM

''TWO ADVENTURES, ONE PACKAGE''

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Developed: Square-Enix

Published: Square-Enix

Genre: RPG

Release Date: Oct 30th, 2025

Platforms: PS5/Xbox Family/NSW/NSW2/STEAM

*Review copy provided to me by Square-Enix

© ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SPIKE CHUNSOFT/SQUARE ENIX

Get a copy for yourself too here: https://sqex.link/DQIAIIC

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Dragon Quest I & 2 HD-2D Remaster are the latest games to get the full on remake treatment and they're developed and published by Square-Enix. With no end in sight to the about of wins stacking up for Square-Enix and their game output, they now decided, lets bring back two classics that, alongside Final Fantasy, completely shaped the RPG market. But were these the right titles to touch up? or should it have been another game in the series? Only one way to find out, so lets go!

''CAN I LIVE HERE, PLEASE?''

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GAMEPLAY:

Last year I covered Dragon Quest 3's HD-2D Remake and while skeptical of it at first because, yes, it did look awesome, there was still a bit of trepidation on my part because there's always a very fine line to walk on and not pass when it comes to messing with classics like Dragon Quest. Basically, one wrong move and not only due to lose out financial, but you risk ruining the reputation of Dragon Quest at the same time because of a shoddy job. But luckily, due to other remasters and remakes Square-Enix have done previously, most notably Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, and then titles like SaGa Frontier 2, Tactics Ogre, FF Tactics, etc, on paper, they seemed to know what they're doing. Unlike me who will walk into the kitchen with an objective to fulfill and then stand there for ten minutes circling around and looking all over the place, trying to find something in the room that sparks of memory of just why in the heck I went in there in the first place, only to ACTUALLY remember what it was after I went back to my room and sat down. Yup, brain cell minus 5. With Dragon Quest 3's remake being a success and a game I loved, the wait for Dragon Quest I & 2 seemed like an eternity to wait for. This was due to the fact that it was literally announced alongside Dragon Quest 3 itself and then nothing but radio silence till the release date trailer with a vague ''2025'' release with no footage. But now here we are at the end of 2025 and the game finally released, which makes us ask the question? was the wait worth it overall? Well, I'm happy to say that yes, for the most part it was definitely worth it and holds true to the polish and charm that Dragon Quest 3 brought us in its remake, while also staying true to why Dragon Quest 1 and 2 are so beloved till this day, while still make it more accessible for the more modern audience. Dragon Quest 1 and 2 continue and finish off the Erdrick lineage trilogy with titles like Dragon Quest 1 taking place after the events that made Erdrick a world renown hero and legend as you play as a character that wishes to honor his Erdrick bloodline and restoring order by taking down the Dragonlord himself. You know, the usual, all in a days work type of stuff. Its the usual cliche, but hey, if its not broke then dont try to fix it, let it be. This is a mistake a lot of modern media tend to make with their ''made for the modern audience'' or a director wanting to put their ''staple'' on something to make it their own, but by doing so, rips away at the seams anything that resembles the original product the production is based of off in the first place. I'm looking at you Hollywood and your crappy outputs.

Rage against Hollywood's crappy output aside, Dragon Quest 2 moves the story even further as you gather people apart of Erdricks bloodline as you team up to combat Hargon, a sorcerer hell bent on taking over the realm and ruling it with terror and fear, you know, like any good villain wants to do. If it were me, I'd just destroy stuff with no build up, I'd be both the best and worst villain of all time. On its surface, both titles in this package are straight forward and keep what made the original versions great, albeit with far more polish and eye candy to go on, but also at the same time does to expanding to sequences in the game that used to be just one random scene here and there and extend or fleshes it out more, which can either be something as simple as added additional voice acting that immerses you in character's plight and perils or re-working of some the environments which makes everything pop out and feel like a bigger deal than they did in either of the original versions of the game. It makes exploration of the games gorgeous world with its new art style even more worth it and makes it easier for newcomers to a title like this perhaps overlook some simplicities more so than they would if original graphics were kept intact with very little change. So that's definitely a plus in itself. The game feels more flexible and less, I guess the word would be, monotonous?. The battle system however might still be a hang up for people with the first game due to the slower paced turned based battle style that goes even slower than it did for Dragon Quest 3. For someone like me who's used to slow and mundane fighting styles in classic RPG's, its not a problem at all, wasting my time in video games has always been my thing, for better or for worse, especially in the modern era of video games where I'll collect a specific item for over 100 hours in a game for minimal reward just because I have nothing better to do. Yes, I'm looking at you Zelda and Pokemon. Oh well, at least I have pizza on the way at the time of writing this, so I'll have something to eat while I cope with my time wasting, so in the end, Its a win? which is more than you can say about the Toronto Blue Jays World Series ambitions. Uh oh, too soon?.

Dragon Quest 2 on the other hand, while Dragon Quest 1 did have some great updates and upgrades to it that makes it a must play, it is the second game that seems to be the developers favorite as it feels this is one that got the most attention of the two, for whatever reason that is. Gameplay aspect again as stated about Dragon Quest 1 still keeps to the same style that falls in line with classic Dragon Quest and things you love about it with traversing its big expansive world, finding new loot and gear, random encounters turned into turned based battles, towns and cities to explore with NPC's to interact with, but now with an easier way to find out with objective to take on via a marker that that pinpoints where you want to go, alongside all dialogue you listen to or discover, being able to be archived and saved for future reference to aid you on your journey, which is something I definitely wish I had in real life due to how forgetful I am at times. Literally was writing this and got distracted at one point due to finding random AI videos of Price Is Right and binging them, only to remember, ''oh ya I was in the middle of a review'', so the last few sentences you're seeing just prior? that took like over an hour to even write due to me forgetting and getting sidetracked, oops. On top of those features, like in all recent Square-Enix remasters and remakes, you can accelerate the combat a bit quicker as well, so remember the sluggish Dragon Quest 1 turned based battles, that feeling of tediousness can be alleviated using this feature, making it easier to get through and less of a time sink than it normally would, that should satisfy both old school and new school fans of the franchise. One thing I feel might be divisive though, mainly for purists and traditionalists is the ability to respawn upon a death rather than just get a game over or re-load a save to repeat a fight. Its completely optional mind you and can be toggled off, but even still, I can see how it would tick people off due to it making the game less challenging overall if used, but I for one am fine with it as long as it brings in new players to enjoy the franchise and create new fans going forward for all future entries into the franchise. I see it as a win.

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''AUDREY 2's have gotten out of control!''

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OVERALL:

At the end of the day, the HD-2D Remake pack of Dragon Quest 1 and 2 extends the win column for Square-Enix and their remake endeavors with an effort that shows love and care for an IP as iconic as Dragon Quest is. Obviously its going to gripe some people with some of the dialogue in the game via voice acting either being really monotone at times, feeling out of place or if they don't think that, they'll find it not needed in the first place and more of a distraction. However that's not how I personally feel and I see it as a needed expansion for these classics, alongside revamped art style that makes every story arc and narrative driven theme feel more emboldened and fleshed out, speeding up of combat that makes some slower turned based moments more enjoyable and less repetitive, amazing orchestral music, quality of life features like objective pinpoint system, remembering all past dialogue and hints, respawn upon death, lower difficulty making it easier just to enjoy the story itself, etc, it all makes both games way more accessible for all players alike. So if you're curious about Dragon Quest in general or a long time fan of the franchise like myself, then I highly recommended picking this package up, I do not feel you will be disappointed. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW.

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