Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake - Switch 2 Review

When you stop to consider the games that kickstarted their respective genres, opinions will certainly be mixed. This isn’t necessarily a game that is the first of its kind; there were plenty of 3D platformers before Super Mario 64 changed the way we considered how they could be done, and then Super Mario Galaxy revolutionised it further. And while there were plenty of RPGs (and JRPGs) prior, my goodness, it cannot be denied that the original Dragon Quest entries had a profound impact on the genre. About 8 years ago, I went back to play the original Dragon Quest on mobile (which is essentially the same version as the one that was released on Nintendo Switch in 2019) and boy, that was a slog to get through! But now, we have the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake in all its glory!

Dragon Quest I & II were released in Japan in 1986 and 1987, respectively, and renamed as Dragon Warrior I & II in the west and released in 1989 and 1990, respectively. The games took Japan by storm but had a harder time taking off in the west. With the rudimentary mechanics and old design sentimentalities, they were very challenging and unforgiving games, resulting in a lot of grinding for EXP to level up, plenty of aimless wandering and questionable enemy balancing. With the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, it not only looks to give these classics a new coat of paint but also aims to make a more seamless and enjoyable experience for modern players. But is that truly achievable considering the source material? And if so, does that dilute and sully what made these games so iconic in the first place? It’s a tough balancing act to please everyone, and let’s just say they did a good job… for the most part.

The Good

Getting this one out of the way first because it’s the first thing you’ll notice with these remakes: my goodness, everything is so pretty! HD-2D never fails to disappoint, but it’s even more impressive when the design philosophy is used to spruce up classic 8/16 bit games. We saw it with the Live A Live remake, as well as the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and those were incredibly impressive; but to see the original Dragon Quest entries, especially when you look back at their source material all those years ago – it’s more than long-time fans could have imagined in their minds all those years ago.

These games are also brought to life more so with all the bells and whistles of modern game design. Voice acting, orchestrated soundtracks, maps with (optional) quest markers, quick Handy Heal and short-cut commands; it really does make these classic games a much smoother experience, some that are incredibly appreciated. And many of these modern additions are optional, with the ability to not use them if you’re looking for that classic experience.

The games themselves, whilst still rudimentary compared to modern standards, truly feel like grand adventures for players to completely immerse themselves in. The callbacks to Erdick’s adventure with Dragon Quest III and the continuity of the story across centuries throughout the trilogy bring the grandness of these quests to rightfully epic proportions, all with the quirky charm that the series is renowned for. And to see the original intentions of the creators bursting with modern HD-2D aesthetics and design will undoubtedly bring a tear or two to their eyes.

Before we get to The Bad section, I just want to say that I truly believe the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is the best remake they could have done (for the most part) considering the source material. And that’s not to say that the source material is bad (I’m actually quite fond of it), but the rudimentary design philosophies from the original entries are so fundamentally baked in to the experiences that any further tweaks would have negatively impacted its intentions. My hat goes off to the teams behind this remake; it’s clear that they were done with the utmost admiration and respect.

TL;DR

• So pretty!
• Modern quality of life improvements
• A true sense of epicness
• The best remakes they could have done

The Bad

The developers of the original clearly learnt a lot going from the first entry to the second way back when. Having a party of characters in combat is such a staple, so having just the one hero character in the original invites a host of balancing issues (and for the sake of these remakes, it’s not as though they could simply add more characters). Dragon Quest II has your standard four characters we’ve all come to expect, so playing the original Dragon Quest with only one character, where said lone character is tasked with everything, including combat, spell casting, abilities, equipment, status ailment monitoring, etc., is a massive pain. When it came to boss fights, it’s more about fighting them a few times, knowing you’d die and hoping you found the right spell scrolls and the right equipment to circumvent those issues more than playing to your strengths. Thankfully, the original game is significantly shorter, being easily under 10 hours, but it does put an exhausted, sour taste in the player’s mouth when moving on to the second game.

The voice acting in HD-2D games is always wonderful to hear, and the acting is top-notch in this collection, but I was genuinely surprised at how little there is. Games like Octopath Traveler and Live A Live boasted most of their lines fully voice acted, and with these games being as iconic as they are, I expected the same thing. While most of the primary story beats are voice acted, and we understand that nameless NPCs don’t need to be voice acted, there are plenty of important moments that are silent throughout. It feels like with such an important remake such as this, Square Enix could have at least covered the bill for a few extra lines.

TL;DR

• DQ1 is still a slog to get through
• Old RPG foibles can’t be avoided
• Voice acting sparsely peppered throughout

Final Score: 8/10

I said it before and I’ll say it again: my hat goes off to the teams behind this remake, considering the source material they had to work with. It’s a remake done right in almost every sense of the word, staying true to the original but bringing it to modern audiences with modern expectations. But just because the remake aspect is pulled off with such perfection and grace, that doesn’t necessarily fix all of the issues that came with design sentiments almost four decades ago. For those looking to get into the series but who are less familiar with old-school RPG fundamentals, you may be left wondering what’s so special about these games; but if you’re curious about their roots (warts and all), then Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is truly a superb remake.

Thank you for checking out our Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Switch review, thank you to Square Enix (via Bandai Namco AU) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

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