Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D sprinkles in some new goodies but feels largely the same, but that's a good thing

Last year's Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake brought back a classic of the RPG genre and the entry that turned the series into a cultural phenomenon in Japan. Now, we are just mere months away from getting the remaining two chapters of the original Erdrick Saga in one convenient package with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. At PAX West, we got our hands on a small sampling of both titles, getting to check out a couple of the new mechanics this remake adds, but also the brand new playable character, the Princess of Cannock in Dragon Quest II, along with Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles and Octopath Traveler 0. For those who played Dragon Quest III's remake, this upcoming release will feel largely the same.

The DQI demo took me through an earlier game encounter with Robin’Ood and the hunt for the Thief’s Key, while the DQII sent me on a quest to battle through the Lighthouse to claim the Star Sigil. From a visual standpoint, apart from the unique appearance of their protagonists, they appear identical to that of last year’s remake of the third game. From a gameplay standpoint, they feel familiar too, with only small differences stemming more from the nature of their original games. That said, Square Enix has added one major new element ot the first game - Scrolls.

The first Dragon Quest title is a solo affair with you only controlling a single character, and it was from a time when abilities didn’t exist yet, only spells. These scrolls, discovered around the map and in hidden locations, will teach the hero new skills to use. One particularly helpful ability from the demo I learned was throwing sand in the eyes of enemies and lowering their accuracy. This proved invaluable during my fight with Robin, blinding his minions and helping keep my hero alive. My hope is that these new scrolls will help cut down a bit on the inherent grindy nature of the first Dragon Quest. No more simply having to rely on grinding levels to have the hero learn new tricks!

Dragon Quest II’s Sigils also gain a nifty new feature in the HD-2D remake, allowing each one to provide a powerful element or benefit to trigger during battles. These powerful buffs can augment abilities such as the Dragon Slash, changing it into the Double Dragon Slash. In the demos, I only had access to the Sun and Moon Sigils in DQII, but Square Enix has shared that Sigils will also appear in this new version of DQI, by helping the fairies. It will be interesting to see just how these impact encounters, but for players who wish to, the Sigil powers can be disabled through the menu screen as well.

Speaking of the menu, new accessibility and helpful options have been added to this bundle that weren’t previously in DQIII HD-2D. You will now be able to have both secret spots and treasure chests marked on your maps to help you track down all those handy goodies - mini-medals included. Dracky Quest (the easy difficulty option) also has some added toggles, including invincibility. This allows your characters to remain at a single HP regardless of what damage they get hit with. All of this is entirely optional, and it did appear that invincibility is only available when selecting Dracky Quest, but showing chests and secrets on the map will be a nice inclusion. If for no one else but guide writers.

For me, Dragon Quest games are my comfort food RPGs. I know what I’m getting when I put one in my game system. It may look different, have different characters, and a special mechanic or two, but I know that I am getting a grindy turn-based RPG with characters and artwork that looks like Dragon Ball. I can just sort of turn off my brain and kill monsters for a while and relax, and my brief time with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake still activated those chill parts of my brain. It’s more HD-2D Dragon Quest, and with its impending release, it will mark the entirety of the first trilogy of the series being available in the art style. If you enjoyed Dragon Quest III, you will probably enjoy these too, and I can’t wait to see how the new characters, story beats, and abilities influence the final product.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake releases on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series S/X, and Steam on October 30, 2025.