Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake (30th October 2025)

[Julius]

WHAT?!

Horii the biggest industry insider confirmed? 

Edited Tuesday at 07:14 AM by Julius

[Jonnas]

I really like DQ1, and I believe DQ2 has a lot of room for improvement. Looking forward to see what comes of this!

[Dcubed]

Weird that they're releasing these remakes in story order, rather than release order, but ok.

Excited to finally see these games get the quality remakes they deserve, and none of that mobile port junk!

[Julius]

The Steam Page for the game is already up, and with it comes a super clean and presentable image of the protagonists for the first two games with Erdrick nicely cropped out and the logos popped in, and it looks real good. 

For whatever reason that wasn't on the S-E press release page so I'm not sure if someone working on the Steam page jumped the gun or went the extra mile, but I'll take it! 

1 hour ago, Dcubed said:

Weird that they're releasing these remakes in story order, rather than release order, but ok.

Eh, Konami seem to be doing the same thing with how they're starting over with Snake Eater, too. 

I think it makes some sense when the story is known and has been for a few decades in the case of Snake Eater and the Erdrick trilogy, just to reorder things to make it approachable for newcomers. It does expose them to potential issues with story payoff if there's something in that later game that's now coming first, but I think there are other ways they could manage that, too. 

[Jonnas]

I personally feel like the original order (1, then 2, then 3) makes sense, and builds into the most satisfying climax... But Horii-san asked really nicely to play it in this new order, so I'm okay with it.

[Ike]

I think they did III first because of DQXI.

DQ1 is pretty short so they probably realised development won’t take too long and you may as well do DQII while you’re at it.

[Julius]

Seems like some details went under the radar from TGS this year which might go some way to explaining the released order of the HD-2D Erdrick Trilogy. 

Per Automaton, reporting based on Famitsu:

Quote

During Tokyo Game Show 2024, Dragon Quest series' creator Yuji Horii hinted that the upcoming Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will include additional elements that will be a "new discovery" for players and come as a "bit of a surprise" (as reported by Famitsu).

Quote

The original Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest 2 and Dragon Quest 3 were released in 1986,1987 and 1988 respectively. However, Dragon Quest 3 was a prequel story, so in terms of chronology, the titles are ordered 3 → 1 → 2. Square Enix's upcoming HD-2D remake trilogy takes this into account, as the remake of Dragon Quest 3 is set to launch first, in November this year, while Dragon Quest 1 and 2 will follow in 2025.

Quote

Horii mentions that he wanted the new playing order of the trilogy to contain a surprise for players, which led to some new elements being added. It seems that the end of the Dragon Quest 2 remake in particular will give players who are going in story-order some kind of unexpected revelation.

Very curious.

Like @Ike mentioned, the remake of III was teased in XI, so perhaps some sort of tie-in to the Zenithian Trilogy (or later games) in order to tease those games being revisited in a similar way? Or heck, maybe it's even setting up XII in some weird way? 

[Glen-i]

35 minutes ago, Julius said:

Yuji Horii hinted

Who let him out again? The guy just can't help himself!

Oh man, I wish this wasn't releasing a mere week after Mario & Luigi. Might not be able to play it straight away (I mean, I could, but generally, playing 2 RPG's at once isn't the wisest move).

[Julius]

Still just 2025, but today's teaser trailer from the Direct:

Quote

Erdrick's legacy is passed down through the ages.

DRAGON QUEST & HD-2D Remake isa stunning reimagination of the first two legendary adventures in The Erdrick Trilogy, brought together in one package.

New adventures await the descendants of the hero, Erdrick!

Coming to Nintendo Switch", PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam®, Microsoft Store on Windows in 2025.

 

[Julius]

Firstly, think this looks incredible. Still waiting on that release date so I can figure out when I'm playing III HD-2D (though honestly I might just play it over the summer...if it gets a Switch 2 boost I might even play it on a handheld!)

My favourite touch from the trailer was at the end, with the 'III' splitting into the 'I' and 'II' in the logo – such a simple yet effective way to speak to those characters being descendants of Erdrick, and the games taking place after III.

Super classy. Reminiscent of that initial reveal for I & II following the latest trailer for III where they continued to pan from the art for Erdrick to unveil the heroes of I & II. 

[Ike]

So my theory is that the "new" character is the Princess of Cannock based on that they meet in the castle and the Hero is alone so it's probably when he's searching for the Prince. Plus is keeps it inline with the theme of the game. And they are both blonde.

She doesn't seem to appear in the cutscenes though so not sure if she's actually in the party properly or it's some new side quest. Plus it looks like she's standing apart from the main party in the key art which seems a bit sus.

 

[Julius]

Random Tuesday wins out (well that or it being DQ's anniversary) – this releases October 30th! 

Thought they'd accidentally reposted about III at first glance 

Some previews:

 

Edited Tuesday at 07:10 AM by Julius

[Julius]

Switch 2 SKU confirmed for the first time? Wonder if this will be a Game Key Card? 

NOW TELL ME WHAT YOUR PLANS ARE FOR III ALREADY

Edited Tuesday at 07:15 AM by Julius

[Dcubed]

20 minutes ago, Julius said:

Switch 2 SKU confirmed for the first time? Wonder if this will be a Game Key Card? 

You jinxed it Julius…

[Ike]

Was hoping it would be a little sooner then that, but at least we have a date now.

Collectors edition: https://gb.store.square-enix-games.com/dragon-quest-i-_-ii-hd2d-remake

[Julius]

12 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

You jinxed it Julius…

Greeeeeeeat, another one just like III where I'm going to need to wait to see what their plans are for the "upgrade" of the OG Switch version on Switch 2 (boost, dedicated patch, Switch 2 upgrade) before I make a decision on platform  

Kind of funny how the advent of Switch 2 is making me buy less games, or at least be more selective about my pick-ups...

9 minutes ago, Ike said:

Was hoping it would be a little sooner then that, but at least we have a date now.

Collectors edition: https://gb.store.square-enix-games.com/dragon-quest-i-_-ii-hd2d-remake

I mean if they want to keep the DQ train rolling around that October/November window, XII next year (finally) would be lovely  or IV remake or whatever they have planned, but I think an annual DQ release in the build-up to Christmas would be great moving forward! They'll probably file in some spin-offs along the way if that's the plan though, I imagine

Looks like a fun little CE. Did you end up picking the one for III, Ike? I can't remember 

Edited Tuesday at 07:47 AM by Julius

[drahkon]

3 minutes ago, Julius said:

decision on platform  

 

[Hero-of-Time]

9 minutes ago, drahkon said:

 

 

[Ike]

11 minutes ago, Julius said:

Looks like a fun little CE. Did you end up picking the one for III, Ike? I can't remember 

You have to ask? 

I went with the Switch 2 version this time, not sure the case will fit the Collectors Case from the first set.

All 3rd party games are going to be Game Key cards in Japan btw, doesn't necessarily mean they will in other regions.

Also the Symphonic Suites are be added to streaming services. Confirmed.onlybfor Japan so far.

 

13 minutes ago, drahkon said:

 

[Hero-of-Time]

3 minutes ago, Ike said:

 

[drahkon]

55 minutes ago, Ike said:

55 minutes ago, Ike said:

I went with the Switch 2 version

[Dcubed]

1 hour ago, Ike said:

 

Hey! At least there’s still Steam Deck for your portable version

Edited Tuesday at 09:54 AM by Dcubed

[Ike]

DQI is no longer 1v1, so either the Hero got a buff, enemies nerfed or they aren't telling us something.

[Julius]

Ooo, so the previewers only had 15 minutes per game, and one of the people who went hands-on with the game says that they went off the intended demo path (Daniel Bloodworth from Easy Allies accidentally did something similar as he didn't hear them saying to load up an existing save and started a NG ) and that there is a reference to the Zenithian trilogy from Dragon Quest IV/V/VI (09:04 of the below video). 

Wouldn't be shocked by Zenithian remakes coming, but this seems to be our first real hint of it. 

Probably one of the more informed previews I've watched so far, given he actually has experience with the games being remade, so it's one I recommend watching. 

6 hours ago, drahkon said:

 

[Dcubed]

5 hours ago, Ike said:

DQI is no longer 1v1, so either the Hero got a buff, enemies nerfed or they aren't telling us something.

Orr…. This version is gonna be rock hard