While the release schedule for the Dragon Quest games in Japan from 1986 onwards looks like a fence, the release schedule for the same series in North America looks like a few of those pickets were skewed by a reckless driver. Being a long-time Dragon Quest fan in the West hasn’t always been uncomplicated, but thanks to great games like 2024’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, it’s become much better. Now Dragon Quest I and II HD-2D Remake completes the Erdrick Trilogy, giving this classic turn-based RPG series the first chapters it deserves.
Square Enix combined the first two Dragon Quest games for this remake because neither game on the NES takes long to complete after subtracting them for level grinding. These are still two separate adventures (you can start Dragon Quest II first if you want), but they come together to create a full RPG experience and a cohesive story that also makes up Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, which is chronologically the first game in the trilogy.
I’ve been a Dragon Quest fan since before I was ancient enough to spell the word “dragon” correctly with any consistency. This collection is a treat for RPG geeks, but especially for fans like me who can revel in recent content, stories, and a complete UI redesign from two games they’ve loved since childhood.
In the NES game Dragon Quest I, combat takes place between you (you play as a descendant of the mighty hero Erdrick, who appears in Dragon Quest III) and a single enemy. In the Remake collection you can face many enemies at once, and you will remain a lone warrior. How can one man defeat entire hordes? It’s not uncomplicated and that’s why this collection should please fans.
Dragon Quest I HD-2D gives you the edge by equipping you with weapons and spells that serve multiple purposes, but you’re still one dragon slayer against the entire world. Whenever I became overconfident in my strength, the monster inevitably delivered a slap. Dragon Quest I HD-2D also has a ton of recent bosses (there are at most two in the original), and like most Dragon Quest bosses, they’re not nice. In these gloves, survival means freely taking advantage of your hero’s recent buffs and debuffs.
Although this collection hurts with one hand, it heals with the other. Robust difficulty options in both games allow you to swap out the overall difficulty and perform other nerfs that will ease your journey without lobotomizing the challenge like too many “easy” game modes do. You’ll stumble through random encounters just like your NES ancestors did, but they can be ended with a inexpensive spell. This does not mean that grinding has been completely eliminated; we’re still talking about 80’s RPGs.
Interestingly, halfway through this Dragon Quest II HD-2D collection you are almost always accompanied by at least two other party members, making the game easier than Dragon Quest I, although not uncomplicated. This is the opposite of the notoriously challenging Dragon Quest II on the NES, which had terrible balance issues. Overall, there are fewer changes to Dragon Quest II, but with significant improvements in character writing and voice acting, it is still a complete rehash of what was already released. The characters in Dragon Quest II are cousins, which doesn’t happen often in RPG games. Their bond strengthens as the journey goes on, and their lively provides some laugh-out-loud moments.
If you liked last year’s Dragon Quest III HD-2D remake, you’ll definitely check out this collection. These graphics are also energetic, and the classic Dragon Quest monster designs are as charming as ever – which makes the departure of character designer Akira Toriyama even more challenging. But it’s good to know that its Dragon Quest legacy is in great shape.
