"A happy accident" — Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Producer Hayasaka Masaaki on how it ended up larger than DQ3 remake and much more
Last week, Square Enix launched Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake worldwide for consoles and PC. This follows 2024's excellent Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake to complete the Erdrick Trilogy.
Ahead of the game's release, I had a chance to chat with Hayasaka Masaaki, Producer of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake to cover how the team approached accessibility, whether a 1:1 traditional remake was considered, the new content, whether the new features included would be patched into Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, his recommended play order, coffee, and more.
This interview was done on call and it has been slightly edited for clarity.
RPG Site: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Square Enix right now.
Hayasaka Masaaki: So I joined Square Enix after graduating and it's been about 11 years now. I've been working with Team Asano for the longest time. I've worked on titles like Octopath Traveler and whatnot, and was part of the kickoff of those early titles. A little bit of a minor title, but I also was the producer of a game called Various Daylife for Apple Arcade. I worked on that as well.
Hayasaka Masaaki: So I joined Square Enix after graduating and it's been about 11 years now. I've been working with Team Asano for the longest time. I've worked on titles like Octopath Traveler and whatnot, and was part of the kickoff of those early titles. A little bit of a minor title, but I also was the producer of a game called Various Daylife for Apple Arcade. I worked on that as well.
RPG Site: I'm glad you brought up Octopath Traveler. How has it been for you to be so heavily involved with the HD-2D projects from the beginning?
Hayasaka Masaaki: I was part of the original kick off of Octopath Traveler. I was there when the HD-2D style was born, all the way up to it being released and being accepted by the players. That whole experience has been very useful to me.
Hayasaka Masaaki: I was part of the original kick off of Octopath Traveler. I was there when the HD-2D style was born, all the way up to it being released and being accepted by the players. That whole experience has been very useful to me.
RPG Site: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was very well received and it was successful both critically and commercially. Can you tell us what you learned from that project and how it helped make Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake better in the end?
Hayasaka Masaaki: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was very well received and sold many copies, but there were pieces of feedback around the kind of battle balance and the vehicle speed being a bit too slow. We did fix those points through patches for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, but for the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, we made sure that we were careful about all those points from the start.
Hayasaka Masaaki: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was very well received and sold many copies, but there were pieces of feedback around the kind of battle balance and the vehicle speed being a bit too slow. We did fix those points through patches for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, but for the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, we made sure that we were careful about all those points from the start.
RPG Site: When tackling a project like this, how do you balance appealing to those who love the original games and also making it approachable for newcomers? Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake has quite a bit of new and reimagined content. How do you balance both of those for players?
Hayasaka Masaaki: So the first thing is that these games being almost 40 years old, we think that even the players of the original would just give up if the difficulty was the same as the original, let alone new players.
We first made sure that the game balance was right, and then on top of that we added a difficulty selection so that the players could then customize difficulty for themselves as well. That's the starting point of the balancing act.
Hayasaka Masaaki: So the first thing is that these games being almost 40 years old, we think that even the players of the original would just give up if the difficulty was the same as the original, let alone new players.
We first made sure that the game balance was right, and then on top of that we added a difficulty selection so that the players could then customize difficulty for themselves as well. That's the starting point of the balancing act.
RPG Site: Was there ever a consideration to do a 1:1 remake with just better visuals but keeping everything else the same as the originals, or did you always plan to have so much more content in Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake?
Hayasaka Masaaki: So originally we did have a simpler idea, but since we started with remaking Dragon Quest III, we then realized that the I and II remakes need to keep up with the quality and volume of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. So we added more to the games for that.
Hayasaka Masaaki: So originally we did have a simpler idea, but since we started with remaking Dragon Quest III, we then realized that the I and II remakes need to keep up with the quality and volume of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. So we added more to the games for that.
RPG Site: That is funny because when the remake project was announced, and obviously Dragon Quest III is very popular, and I knew that it would be sold on its own, but I wondered if remakes of Dragon Quest I and II would warrant a full price release. I even joked about this with friends after playing and enjoying Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Having now played the remakes and seen the breadth of new content and features, it feels like more went into Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake than Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. Is that accurate to how the team approached them?
Hayasaka Masaaki: Yes, indeed. We did need to match the price, so we had to add volume for that element. I wouldn't say overall that there was more work put into I and II than III. They were just as hard as each other, but if we were talking about the story alone, then I and II required a lot more work than III.
Hayasaka Masaaki: Yes, indeed. We did need to match the price, so we had to add volume for that element. I wouldn't say overall that there was more work put into I and II than III. They were just as hard as each other, but if we were talking about the story alone, then I and II required a lot more work than III.
RPG Site: I want to tackle the new content in each game separately. How did you approach adding new dungeons and event battles throughout Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake while still making it so that you play as one single character, the protagonist?
Hayasaka Masaaki: With regards to the kind of game balance side of things, with the one player character, the protagonist, fighting against multiple enemies in battle, the player has access to more skills and spells, and also new mechanics like the Sigil and Scroll systems. So the balance was essentially reworked from scratch, and that was the idea from the start.
Hayasaka Masaaki: With regards to the kind of game balance side of things, with the one player character, the protagonist, fighting against multiple enemies in battle, the player has access to more skills and spells, and also new mechanics like the Sigil and Scroll systems. So the balance was essentially reworked from scratch, and that was the idea from the start.
RPG Site: For Dragon Quest II, obviously the big addition is the underwater scenario. Can you talk about how the team approached that and whether this was something designed specifically for this remake, or you had some references from prior ideas which were in the works for something else before?
Hayasaka Masaaki: So the story itself, of course, was created specifically for this game with the story team. If you're talking about the inspiration for the story, should I say, was things like the Mermaid Harp from Dragon Quest VI. There were elements from the series that inspired the story.
Hayasaka Masaaki: So the story itself, of course, was created specifically for this game with the story team. If you're talking about the inspiration for the story, should I say, was things like the Mermaid Harp from Dragon Quest VI. There were elements from the series that inspired the story.
RPG Site: How does the team approach optimizing Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake for multiple platforms and was it similar to how the team approached Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, or should we expect something different?
Hayasaka Masaaki: In terms of optimization, since the game is developed using Unreal Engine, it does support all platforms during development. However, the one thing that was difficult was optimizing for the original Nintendo Switch because the specs for that are lower than the other platforms. That part was difficult. But for platforms like Xbox and PS5, those already have pretty high specs, so there are no issues there.
I wouldn't say that there will be any different kinds of experiences between platforms in terms of optimization. It is more that players will be able to experience the game in the same way, no matter what platform they play on.
[Editor's note: This question was asked before I had access to the PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Switch 1 versions.]
Hayasaka Masaaki: In terms of optimization, since the game is developed using Unreal Engine, it does support all platforms during development. However, the one thing that was difficult was optimizing for the original Nintendo Switch because the specs for that are lower than the other platforms. That part was difficult. But for platforms like Xbox and PS5, those already have pretty high specs, so there are no issues there.
I wouldn't say that there will be any different kinds of experiences between platforms in terms of optimization. It is more that players will be able to experience the game in the same way, no matter what platform they play on.
[Editor's note: This question was asked before I had access to the PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Switch 1 versions.]
RPG Site: Did the team do any extra work for optimizing it on Steam Deck?
Hayasaka Masaaki: It's been a while, but we did receive the approved mark from Valve so I'm sure we did something, but I don't recall doing anything special to get that approval other than the paperwork side of things.
Hayasaka Masaaki: It's been a while, but we did receive the approved mark from Valve so I'm sure we did something, but I don't recall doing anything special to get that approval other than the paperwork side of things.
RPG Site: Did the success of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake allow you to increase the scope of the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, or was it always planned to be like this? Based on what I've played so far, it feels like a bigger project than Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake.
Hayasaka Masaaki: I wouldn't say it's related to the success of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake because we did aim for the same volume as III HD-2D Remake when we were developing Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, but then in the end, we ended up with more volume than III. That was just a happy accident, I'd say.
Hayasaka Masaaki: I wouldn't say it's related to the success of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake because we did aim for the same volume as III HD-2D Remake when we were developing Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, but then in the end, we ended up with more volume than III. That was just a happy accident, I'd say.
RPG Site: When I first played Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, I noticed there are some new features added which aren't in III HD-2D remake. You can have the treasure chests or secret spots displayed on the map. Under difficulty options, you can now disable healing when you level up and you can also enable invincibility. I want to know if these features will be added to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake in a patch?
Hayasaka Masaaki: I would say probably not, because those features actually require a lot of work. While some of them may be easily transferable to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, they are separate titles so the optimization of the features is actually more difficult than you could imagine.
It really depends whether the company is willing to give me the budget to do that.
Hayasaka Masaaki: I would say probably not, because those features actually require a lot of work. While some of them may be easily transferable to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, they are separate titles so the optimization of the features is actually more difficult than you could imagine.
It really depends whether the company is willing to give me the budget to do that.
RPG Site: If someone has not played Dragon Quest I and II or Dragon Quest III, by next week (at the time of this recording) we will have all three games available on all platforms. Would you recommend they start Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake first or Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake?
Hayasaka Masaaki: I would definitely play Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake first and then Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake because we've created these games so that they are most enjoyable when played in that order because the story makes the most sense as well if they're played in that order.
However, we do understand that there are people who want to play the games in the order that they were originally released. So we wouldn't say don't do that, but I would still recommend playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake first.
Hayasaka Masaaki: I would definitely play Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake first and then Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake because we've created these games so that they are most enjoyable when played in that order because the story makes the most sense as well if they're played in that order.
However, we do understand that there are people who want to play the games in the order that they were originally released. So we wouldn't say don't do that, but I would still recommend playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake first.
RPG Site: What has been your favorite game from 2025 that you've played, and what are you looking forward to playing in 2026?
Hayasaka Masaaki: The game that I enjoyed the most this year was Silent Hill f because I wanted to play a properly scary horror game, and it delivered just as expected.
For next year, the game that I'm looking forward to is Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. I'm of the generation that grew up with Dragon Quest VII, and I completed it three or four times myself. The team is just the next over from us, but I'm very much looking forward to that game.
Hayasaka Masaaki: The game that I enjoyed the most this year was Silent Hill f because I wanted to play a properly scary horror game, and it delivered just as expected.
For next year, the game that I'm looking forward to is Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. I'm of the generation that grew up with Dragon Quest VII, and I completed it three or four times myself. The team is just the next over from us, but I'm very much looking forward to that game.
RPG Site: Not really a question. I just want to say I hope he and the team consider doing a Nintendo Switch 2 physical bundle of Dragon Quest I, II, and III HD-2D Remakes together on a proper cartridge. It would be very nice to have that for collectors.
Hayasaka Masaaki: Understood. I'll let the higher-ups know.
Hayasaka Masaaki: Understood. I'll let the higher-ups know.
RPG Site: How do you like your coffee? And if you don't like coffee, what's your favorite beverage to drink?
Hayasaka Masaaki: I don't usually drink coffee, but when I do, I do think it tastes good, but I do like to drink it with a lot of sugar and milk.
Hayasaka Masaaki: I don't usually drink coffee, but when I do, I do think it tastes good, but I do like to drink it with a lot of sugar and milk.