Experience the DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake: A Dual Vision Adventure

Okay, so picture this. I’m at PAX East 2025, buzzing around like a kid in a candy store, right? I blabbed about trying out Bravely Default’s fancy remaster deal — but surprise, surprise, Square Enix, sneaky devils, had this other gem hidden up their sleeves. Guess what? It was the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake! Got to dive into it before any of you guys; felt like scoring Willy Wonka’s golden ticket, not gonna lie.

Anyway, the press folks laid down the law on how much we could mess around with the games. The idea was don’t wander off like a lost puppy ’cause some gnarly beasts were lurking beyond the path, like they had a grudge. If you’ve danced with the Dragon Quest III remake, you’d know the drill. It’s slick at 60 FPS on the PS5. You stumble on item loot during your journeys, battles zip by, and gosh, they’ve got a run button toggle so you’re not wrecking your thumbs.

Okay, tangent here, but seriously, Dragon Quest I comes right after III in the timeline. Weird sequence, but hey, who am I to judge? You play as Erdrick’s kin — your mission, should you choose to accept it: solo the Dragonlord. And man, the old NES version was brutal. Square Enix took pity on our souls and reworked the difficulty — still tough but doesn’t make you want to rage quit. Strategy is key, and by the end, you feel like a superhero. Like, where’s my cape?

Now, Dragon Quest II swoops back into party mode. Each buddy in your group? Total character with their quirks. They wouldn’t spill the beans on a class system — top secret, I guess. But get this, the party might expand to four as you go along. AI can helm your crew, or you can micromanage. Bonus perk: it tells you if a spell’s gonna hit a monster’s weak spot when you’ve already fried them with it before. Handy, right?

Totally stoked for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. Seeing it in HD-2D is like, chef’s kiss for your eyeballs. The music is revamped too, with those classic tunes getting a fancy orchestra makeover. Mark your calendars, folks — this beaut hits the shelves on October 30 for everything from Switch to PS5 to PC. Can’t wait.