I absolutely love the Dragon Quest franchise. I have as much history with it as I do the Final Fantasy series. So, when I heard that Square Enix was following up the release of the Dragon Quest III remake with the first two games in the series, I was very excited. Now, having spent some time with this new, wonderful set, I can say that the development team did something special.

Now, for the uninitiated, I need to make something clear. Dragon Quest I and II actually take place after Dragon Quest III. The three games make up the “Erdrick Trilogy”, which is a legend that future Dragon Quest games tend to reference every so often. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake takes the first two games (release order-wise) and not only modernizes them for current audiences, but also adds a few things to connect them to Dragon Quest III in a more cohesive narrative.

I’m not going to go into details about the story, other than that they carry on the Erdrick Trilogy. The bloodline of Erdrick takes on the dark forces of the Dragonlord, protecting the world of Alefgard from the Dragonlord’s dark machinations. Both games have been given new narrative elements and even new locations and dungeons. Both games also have voice acting for the first time, though DQ I’s voice acting is more limited than DQ II’s.

One of the many quality-of-life features that Square Enix added is objective markers. This might not sound revolutionary, but for two 90s JRPGs, this is something that will save you a lot of time. Another thing I found helpful was the “Recall” function, which allowed you to record NPC dialogue to refresh yourself with later. It made things much easier when trying to refer back to where I needed to find certain characters or items.

Both games also have 3 difficulty options: An easier version, a normal/standard mode, and a harder mode. This is especially important for Dragon Quest I, which features only one playable character. Some of DQ I’s fights are really tough, and only having one party member throughout the whole game makes it a much more strategic affair. With that said, Dragon Quest I only lasts about 10-15 hours (longer possibly), depending on how you play.

On the other hand, Dragon Quest II is a deeper, more-engrossing RPG experience, with a full party and wider exploration. As such, I’d say that Dragon Quest II will take somewhere around 40-50 hours, longer if you really want to collect and see everything it has to offer.

Both games have a vivid, beautiful art style and a gorgeous soundtrack. They’ll feel familiar to fans of other Dragon Quest games, but offer something of a mythological or fairy tale-esque vibe. If you are looking for a nice set of RPGs to gift to the RPG lover in your life, this is an easy pick.

Alternately, if you’re looking to experience two modernized versions of the earliest games in the Dragon Quest franchise, this is a pitch-perfect option for you. With Square Enix remaking other Dragon Quest games in the franchise, while I’m itching for more info on DQ12, this makes me feel better about the wait.

I hope that we’ll see games like DQ 4 and 5 (which I have never played) get this same treatment. A lot of them are now only available to be played on the original PlayStation, so revitalizing them and re-releasing them will allow more people to enjoy them. Regardless, check out Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, you won’t be disappointed.

A Nintendo Switch 2 Review Copy of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake was provided by Square Enix for the purposes of this review.

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Dragon Quest I and II HD-2D Remake

$59.99

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Gorgeous Visuals
• Great Soundtrack and Voice Acting
• Quality of Life Features for Modern players
• Multiple difficulty options and accessibility features