Around this time last year, I found myself reflecting deeply on remakes and their value—especially in the context of the Dragon Quest series. With the HD-2D remake of *Dragon Quest 3*, I was happy to revisit a classic, though not overly excited; after all, that particular well has been drawn from many times before.
This time, with the *Dragon Quest 1 & 2* HD-2D Remake, my approach was fueled more by curiosity. Here’s another pair of games we’ve seen in multiple versions over the years, but with a far more aggressive promise that they’re packed with new content. What exactly would that “new stuff” be? And to what extent would it reshape these games as I remember them?
Specifically, how do you expand the original *Dragon Quest* without overdoing it? And what about *Dragon Quest 2*, one of my least favorite entries—would meddling actually improve it, or would my stubborn respect for history and authenticity prove too strong a barrier?
Luckily, my questions were answered.
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### The First Quest: Dragon Quest 1
*Dragon Quest 1* stands as an odd duck in the realm of early RPGs in Current Year. It’s incredibly simple: you are a lone hero on a mission to rescue the princess, defeat the villain, and then return home to live well and start a family. The game loops through a mostly straightforward overworld where you collect a handful of key items to unlock certain “gates.” That’s pretty much it.
Much of the charm comes from Akira Toriyama’s brilliant monster designs (yes, the same creator of *Dragon Ball*), the iconic music by the legendary Koichi Sugiyama, and the novelty of a digitized, accessible *Dungeons & Dragons* campaign.
As I mentioned in our series ranking list, the original *Dragon Quest* is best played “on a Nintendo, on a CRT, in a dark room, under a blanket, between the ages of eight and fifteen.” This HD-2D remake, however, yanks the blanket off, kicks you in the ass, hands you a book, and tells you to get to work.
Truthfully, it’s probably the least fun I’ve ever had playing *Dragon Quest 1*—a game I hold dear alongside the original *Final Fantasy* as replay-friendly RPG comfort food.
The remake disrupts the charm of the original loop with bloated, largely uninteresting padding and an absurdly heightened difficulty that seems to serve no purpose other than to pad the runtime. It feels like the developers were afraid to just let *Dragon Quest 1* be *Dragon Quest 1*—concerned that audiences who loved *DQ 3* last year might dismiss something so “bare bones” by comparison.
This is not a story or structure that benefits from moving pieces around and adding complexities.
That said, credit where it’s due: there is a fascinating effort to retrofit modern *Dragon Quest* spells and abilities into the game, making these mechanics significant. Enemy weaknesses and resistances are much more pronounced, and since battles no longer pit just one-on-one, you have to be on alert after the first few hours.
But problems arise roughly halfway through, when most bosses and enemies gain the ability to act multiple times per turn, while you’re still stuck controlling the lone hero who didn’t get the memo that “cheating” was now allowed.
Enemies getting extra turns isn’t new for the series, but the frequency combined with your limited options as a solo character makes it feel almost unfair every time. Many boss battles become a matter of prayer and luck rather than strategy—getting overwhelmed faster than you can heal, and left unable to retaliate, is an easy trap no matter how much you level grind.
It’s no accident that the difficulty settings let you toggle invincibility. I doubt that curious newcomers or established fans will stick with the default settings long enough to appreciate what the developers attempted here—instead, many might walk away frustrated, which is exactly what these changes were supposed to avoid.
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### Part Two: Dragon Quest 2
Luckily, *Dragon Quest 2* tells a very different story.
While the first remake left a bad taste in my mouth, *Dragon Quest 2* benefits immensely from many of the same adjustments I found problematic in the first game.
If *Dragon Quest 1* was a fun but fledgling RPG adventure, *Dragon Quest 2* feels more like a hardcore dungeon-crawler—just friendly enough to avoid unfavorable comparisons to games like *Wizardry*. It’s often labeled tedious and grind-heavy, and while its story starts off strong thanks to its then-novel party structure, the narrative quickly takes a back seat to relentless combat gauntlets.
In this case, the “padding” is welcome. It fleshes out the bigger world and a larger cast of characters in productive ways.
Contemporary *Dragon Quest* titles are known for anthology-style storytelling, where each new location harbors its own vignette alongside the main plot. This approach has been injected into the remake, and the new material is far more engaging than the dull subplot added to the first game.
Additionally, the main party is given distinct personalities (minus the silent player character, of course), adding human energy to the quest itself.
A new—and rather welcome—fourth character is introduced to help you through the early solo hours and balance encounter difficulty in later parts of the game (after the usual trio you’d expect is formed).
It’s a strange contrast to the “you’re on your own and you’re going to get your ass beaten” vibe in the *DQ 1* HD-2D remake, but it’s a win for *Dragon Quest 2*.
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### A Tale of Two Entries
I’ve been enjoying this expanded, longer, and thoughtfully rebalanced take on *Dragon Quest 2* far more than expected—and that’s saying a lot, since *DQ 2* sits at the bottom of my personal series rankings. The team at Square Enix exceeded my expectations and then some.
It’s a real shame, therefore, that my experience with the *Dragon Quest 1* remake was the opposite: stressful, frustrating, and uninspired.
I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone calling the first game “breezy” or “short” simply cranked the difficulty down and rushed through the main objectives, missing out on the deeper experience I hoped this HD-2D remake would offer—that is, taking your time with the adventure, gathering all the Erdrick gear, and uncovering new secrets like mini medals and the new scrolls (which feel like an odd, shallow padding addition).
Instead, my playthrough was arduous and felt like a harsh contradiction of what I used to love about the original.
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### Final Thoughts
My initial questions were answered quite clearly.
*Dragon Quest 1* is a game that’s difficult to modify too much. Its simplicity is core to its lasting appeal, and adding too much makes it feel top-heavy—especially when what is added feels shallow or imbalanced.
Perhaps another version of this project exists that pulls off this effort more cleanly. In contrast, *Dragon Quest 2* embodies a clear vision, delivering a more robust, thoughtful, and gracefully implemented set of updates to a game that originated on the Famicom during the dawn of RPG history.
The final package is oddly humorous—two sides of a coin I never expected.
It’s the worst gaming experience I’ve had with *Dragon Quest 1*, and the best I’ve ever had with *Dragon Quest 2*.
If this is your first time embarking on these historically significant journeys, I’m honestly not sure what advice to offer. But if you enjoyed *Dragon Quest 3* last year, you owe it to yourself to see the story through to the end. These are true classics in every sense—warts and all.
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*Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake* will be available on October 30, 2025, for PC, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
A Nintendo Switch 2 review code was provided by the publisher for this review.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146558/dragon-quest-1-2-hd-2d-remake-review-score