Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D: First Look

So, earlier this month, I got around to finally diving into Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on my Switch. Never tackled the original—yeah, I know, late to the party, right? Anyway, two major things hit me. One, the sprite work? Mind-blowing, seriously. And two, just like those classic games, it gets super grindy. I mean, like, really grindy. I ended up switching to “Dracky Mode” so I wouldn’t, you know, die a million times.

See, I just came off a 25-minute demo of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake on the PS5 at PAX East 2025. I figured I needed a little background before I could write anything sensible. This article though—it’s a bit different from the usual because, let’s face it, there’s not a whole lot to say on the mechanics. But the concept? That caught my interest.

Picture this: in the Dragon Quest I part of the demo, I wandered from the starting town into these open fields, then into a cavern. Fought a bit, strolled around, didn’t stumble across too much new stuff. However, it looked stunning. They’ve added little elements, like fighting multiple monsters, which spices things up from the original version, if you ask me.

Moving on to II. Oh boy, it’s gorgeous too! Plays more like the III remake, with that low camera and those voiced cutscenes. It’s a good move because II originally is kind of… well, controversial. Not quite the odd one out, but it’s weirdly stuck between the hardcore grind of Dragon Quest and the expansive vibe of III. You see where I’m going with this?

Okay, I admit, it’s tough to gauge a game in just a few minutes. But if Square Enix has tinkered with II like they did with III—upgraded battle speed, multiple difficulty levels, a more user-friendly experience—then this might be the best way for fans to grapple with a game they’ve always had mixed feelings about.

What really snagged my brain was the developers making sure I & II feel connected to the III remake from last year. If you didn’t know, III is all about Erdrick and acts as a prequel to I & II, which follow his descendants. They’re not just stopping at visuals either. There’s fresh story content tying this trio together more naturally.

A Square Enix person I talked to was practically buzzing when I mentioned making Dragon Quest II more chill. They were like, yeah, totally a huge focus. So, big news! Dragon Quest Day brought the reveal: Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake hits on October 30 (yes, on Switch 2!). From the surface, looks like they nailed it just like with III. But dig deeper, and you see they’re dreaming big, and those dreams might just be worth watching.