Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

It wasn't even a year ago that Square Enix surprised the world with the release of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, what is chronologically considered the first title in the series' narrative, and the first chapter in what is known as the Erdrick Trilogy. I was there, and I was nothing but full of praise for the technical, narrative, visual, and sonic marvel I encountered, which I had very few complaints about in my review.

I was not an isolated fan, and the game became such a best-seller that in just under six weeks it became the best-selling game of 2024 in Japan, and exceeded all of Square Enix's expectations for its fiscal year. In fact, this DQIII HD-2D Remake saved the day. And now they're coming to do it again.

The main flaw, and at the same time the best asset that this Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake has (I'll talk about it in singular, although this compilation includes the first two Dragon Quest games) is that it is totally continuous with respect to the previous title, and offers the same improvements in terms of enemy animations, attacks, NPC sprites, or effects on the stage where we move. If you've played DQIII (and both I and producer Masaaki Hayasaka recommend you do so before diving into this one) everything will be familiar, but there are some new nuances, and there's more content.

Again, as I said last year, these titles coming to Europe is, first and foremost, a debt that has taken far too long to be properly paid. Yes, the Americans got Dragon Warrior in 1989, but the first Dragon Quest had already been making waves in Japan for three years, and never got the chance to come to our consoles at the time. And comparing the original gameplay with this all-new version, it actually hurts less now that it's missing.

It goes without saying that Dragon Quest I was much more complicated to work on, because the original was.... well, the original JRPG. Just a few 8-bit animated sprites where you can barely distinguish a mountain from a castle. The monsters were fixed on screen, the character moved in grids... and yet, you could still feel the immersion of being on a real quest to save the world from evil. Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake has remade the realm of Tantegel from the ground up, with valleys, deserts, cities that feel alive, and also once again boasting one of the best representations of water in a video game. It's a much smaller title than later entries in the series, but it's also the most straightforward, which is why I admit I enjoyed completing DQI's solo hero's adventure in around 12 hours.

In Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake you play as the descendant of Erdrick, with a mission to stop the evil Dragonlord and save the princess of the kingdom. It's a solo journey, so you have to change your approach to battles and manage your mana (MP) and items, especially healing items, much better. You also have to keep a closer eye on the equipment you're wearing and make sure you keep it up to date, either by exploring and searching for chests in the world or in dungeons, or by buying equipment from merchants in towns. And beyond the graphics and the necessary quality of life improvements such as being able to regulate the speed of combat, the challenge of mini medals has now been added here too, and to the second instalment. There's also a combat arena and, perhaps most importantly for the construction of the trilogy, new cutscenes where this story interconnects with Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake.

And don't worry if you get lost at any point or skip any important conversations, because the menu has an assist option with directions on where to continue exploring. Don't think of it as a step-by-step guide, but rather vague phrases that try to bring you back or remind you of what you were doing.

Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake is, once again, a big word. We are talking about a much deeper game, where there is already the concept of a 'party' of heroes with their respective character classes, which you have to level up and equip with balance to face the challenge. I admit that I found the solo adventure more stimulating, because of how different it felt, but at the end of the day this is Dragon Quest, and I knew what I was getting into. Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake adds more content, chests, and dialogue to its story (with both English and Japanese dubbing), and has as an added bonus to its version the addition of a whole new secondary area called Seafloor, where we explore the underwater depths (it almost feels like an homage to the visit to Gyojin Island from the One Piece anime), and also a new playable character to add to the party, Princess Cannock, who in the original version was an NPC, with a new story line added.

I came in with very high expectations, and I was pleased with what I found. Square Enix has found a sweet spot to introduce their beloved franchise to both newcomers and players who never got to enjoy it back in the day. And I don't want to end my review without once again highlighting the absolute masterpiece that is Koichi Sugiyama's score, with some new arrangements and performed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony. Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake only completes what Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake already established a year ago, with the same excellence as then. Frankly, as long as the classic instalments of the series keep coming back like this, I'm in no hurry for Dragon Quest XII.