MeinMMO editor Niko had little contact with Dragon Quest, but he had an incredible amount of fun with the latest remake on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and the Nintendo Switch 1 and 2. This was mainly due to the story and mechanics that are based on the old strengths.
What game is it? On October 30, 2025, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake was released on various platforms, a remake of the first two titles in the role-playing series. I checked it out and quickly fell in love, even though it is a 39-year-old game on paper. Dragon Quest 1 was released on May 27, 1986, in Japan and is therefore the senior among JRPGs.
But this classic feeling has been pleasantly refreshing because it prevents an annoying aspect of many modern role-playing games.
You can find a trailer for the game here:
A Playable Fairy Tale
Right from the start of the remake of Dragon Quest 1, I feel comfortable because the story premise is simple but charming. The Dragon Lord is threatening the land with new monsters, and as a descendant of the hero Erdrick, I must stop him. There are no complex relationship structures and the most important thing: no lengthy intro.
Nowadays, role-playing games take an incredibly long time to let players loose on the world. A bad example is the new Pokémon. You get textbox after textbox and many tutorials that you don’t need even as an inexperienced player. The new remake of Dragon Quest feels completely different and doesn’t annoy me with too much exposition.
After a short time, I know the story premise, I can skip tutorial texts, and if necessary, I can reread them. The adventure begins quickly, and as a lone hero, I embark on the journey to save the world. It sounds simple, but it also prevents the story from becoming inflated over several hours.
The villain doesn’t always need complex motives, nor does the hero. The battle of good vs. evil has always been good and works to this day. This makes the remake of the two games feel like a playable fairy tale, as charm oozes from every pore.
The game is supposed to be lighter than other complex stories, and it succeeds excellently, also because a lot of detail was done to modernize the two classics.
Modern, but still classic
Isn’t the game completely outdated? Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake relies on the HD-2D optics that Octopath Traveler has established. It takes the well-known pixel look but builds a diorama world that creates a modern atmosphere with light effects.
And honestly: I’d rather have these HD-2D pixel remakes than any loveless 3D remakes. The core idea and atmosphere can be better conveyed this way, and as a pixel lover, I just feel comfortable. I must especially praise the lighting of the game world because everything looks so incredibly valuable.
I also really liked the gameplay. It relies on a classic turn-based combat system, but offers various options to build the game as you like:
- You can make the battle speed faster at any time.
- Cutscenes can be skipped.
- There are 3 difficulty levels.
- You can set orientation aids like markers on the map, even display secrets.
- Spells and items can be assigned to quick access buttons.
As a result, you build your own RPG experience. If you want it to be completely old school, you turn off all aids. If you want to grind quickly, you adjust other settings, and if you just want to be amused, you set everything to Easy
and make yourself unbeatable. You can experience frustrating moments, but you can also cushion them if you don’t feel like grinding for hours.
However, I must say that Dragon Quest 1 does get a bit tiring over time, as you only play one character. The strategies are limited, and especially with the later bosses, you have to switch between 1 and 2 attack spells and healing.
However, I found the party settings particularly cool, especially in part 2 when you have 4 characters. You can set tactics to whether you want to control one character completely yourself or let it act automatically. This function allows you to create your own adventure in which you can care about everything or nothing.
As a veteran of the series, you can also look forward to new dungeons, story content or a new playable character in Dragon Quest 2. There are also voiced cutscenes, but I would have liked to see all sequences voiced and not just some.
It should also be said: If you don’t like pixel art and turn-based combat systems, you probably won’t like this remake. However, if you have an affinity for both, you will have a good time with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. I enjoyed it because I felt so damn comfortable.
The Perfect Title for the Evening and the Cold Season
Although the series is so old, it is still special today, as it approaches the presentation of monsters and heroes quite differently. Every second in Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, you feel like you are experiencing a particularly charming game.
The German translation is a big highlight for me, as the text was not simply translated 1 to 1, but an attempt was made to convey its own character and humor. Some characters have a dialect and are memorable, even though they are not so relevant, and the German monster names are fantastic puns. You constantly have to smile.
Monsters are also the stars of the games. They are wonderfully animated, and the designs, which originally came from Akira Toriyama, are fantastic. As a big Dragon Ball fan, it is simply great to see how the art style looks in a completely different genre and how much love is put into it.
Finally, I must also praise the remastered music of composer Kōichi Sugiyama, who passed away in 2021, as all the previously mentioned points would not work without the soundtrack. The fairy tale story works so well because the music emphasizes heroism and hope.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake has been and currently is the perfect evening game for me. After a long day, it’s simply great to dive into such a feel-good RPG that offers me a simple story but is incredibly satisfying. Appropriate to the season, you can hardly do anything better than curl up in a blanket and play some Dragon Quest on the Steam Deck.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake was the perfect introduction to the series for me, and I will take a look at the previous parts and also the upcoming Dragon Quest VII Reimagined because despite the long history, the series is a pleasant change from all the role-playing games that tell grand and complex stories.
Anyone who is a fan of old JRPGs or is interested in the history of the genre will not go wrong with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. You can find a somewhat different role-playing game and the potential Game of the Year 2025 here: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in Review – The most emotional RPG of the year, but you have to earn the story
