Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is a more expansive reimagining than I expected

When I played Dragon Quest I for the first time, I finished a full playthrough in one long session. About 8 hours, give or take, on the Game Boy Color version. It’s a wonderfully designed, tight game. Dragon Quest II is the overambitious middle child of the Erdrick Trilogy, and I’ve always liked it, even if I’ve never been able to finish it. I really enjoy and respect Dragon Quest III, but I’ve always found DQ2 a lot more interesting of a game.

I am currently 50 hours into Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. That's 20 hours to hit credits for the first game, and 30 hours deep for the second. They’re lovely RPGs, but what is most interesting as a long-time Dragon Quest fan: I feel like I am essentially playing two new video games built on the bones of two very old games. Dragon Quest III HD-2D showed how this project was more of a reimagining, blending the classic and modern eras of the series, but at the time, it felt like we were only getting a taste of that. I suspected they were holding back, and I might've been right. These new versions of I and II are expansive re-imaginings of their original incarnations.

One of the most immediately apparent ways that Square Enix and Artdink have managed to at least double the length of both games is with the addition of more present and active narratives within each title. Dragon Quest I now has a recurring cast of side characters, each given numerous cutscenes to feel like they actually live in the world. The HD-2D remake also has a lot of the DQ1 Hero being a cool classic shonen protagonist, which he absolutely always was, given that he handled that whole adventure by himself when his ancestor needed three buddies.

Dragon Quest II HD-2D does all that, and more. I had theorized that of the first three games in the series, it was Dragon Quest II that would benefit the most from this approach to remaking. I hit the nail on the head; DQ2 has now been retroactively given the gravity of being a proper conclusion to a trilogy, rather than the awkward middle child, and it clearly has the most attention put into it in this package. There are more cutscenes, more voice acting, and an actual core cast of characters with personalities that often interact with each other - a nice change of pace from the lone stoic DQ1 hero and player-made party of DQ3. There’s a moment that really stuck with me in DQ II that made me realize I was playing something special. 

When you get your boat in Rippleport, the cast has a moment where they share their thoughts on whether they were allowed to enjoy themselves on the adventure to come, given how grave their mission had turned out to be. From there, you have your traditional modern Dragon Quest experience with characters you enjoy, but with the open-ended exploration of a classic game. It’s been lovely, and I have little doubt that this will be my favorite of this new remade trilogy once I hit the credits. The objective here simply changes to “Travel The Realm and Help Those In Need”. I proceeded to pump my metaphorical fist to the hypothetical heavens. That’s Dragon Quest right there.

Besides the significantly expanded narrative, though, there’s just more game here for both titles. Each has new zones, larger maps to explore, and the enhanced scale of the worlds gives the settings a presence they never were able to convey before. DQ2 even has a whole extra undersea expansion to the overworld to explore, with a few more dungeons spread throughout. Both games are also quite challenging, even on the standard “Dragon Quest” difficulty. I don’t have proof of this, but it almost feels like they tuned the difficulty up after III was on the easier side. Both of these games have kicked my ass several times, and I can’t get enough.

As much of a great time as I’m having with these games, though, there is a part of me that does miss the more concise, detached whimsy of the original two experiences. III’s HD-2D remake still felt like itself, if a bit streamlined. The new storytelling being mostly exposited by NPCs made DQI really satisfying, and it suited a solo adventure. In adding all this story to it, they’ve also made basically all optional moments into mandatory story scenes. Dragon Quest I and II have definitely changed a lot here with these remakes, which may catch fans of the original off guard, somewhat.

In the same breath, that early design ethos makes Dragon Quest 2's original version feel a bit hollow, comparatively. Your DQ2 cousins didn't quite feel like full characters nearly 40 years ago. In that way, DQ2's remake here has managed to come across on the best possible foot. This greater focus on story and character drama matches the style of the game that came after, and makes for a fascinating way to experience a classic Dragon Quest game. 

Having what seems to be a whole 10-20 hours of game left of Dragon Quest II HD-2D, I’m really curious how they’ll bring this new recontextualized trilogy to an end. The remake first Dragon Quest might now be a bit too long for its own good, but I haven’t had this problem with this new version of DQ2 at all. All these little changes feel like an acknowledgment of untapped potential, given the new gravitas this version has. I genuinely don’t know how much game I even have yet, as I roam the seas to try and find a way to vanquish Hargon. I’m curious, though, if these re-imaginings are called “remakes”, then what’s in store for Dragon Quest VII next year?