Square Enix announces Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D remake release date
Square Enix has announced that Dragon Quest I & II will be the next in the series to get the HD-2D remake treatment. The new collection bundles both games and gives them the visual enhancements of the Dragon Quest III HD-2D remake.
The game's developer, Artdink Corporation, announced that the collection will be released on October 30, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Microsoft Store on Windows.
When asked why they chose to remake Dragon Quest III first, the developers said it was because III is chronologically the first game in the series, set many years before the events of Dragon Quest I. With the remakes of I and II now on the way, Square Enix has dubbed this the "Erdrick Trilogy."
It's not just visual enhancements, either. Dragon Quest I, for example, has an overhauled combat system that pits you against multiple foes. The original game had no party system, and random battles were 1v1 against an enemy.
The remake changes that. You are still on your own, but multiple foes face off against you, making the game potentially more challenging. In addition to that, both games also feature new stories, areas, and tons of quality-of-life updates and enhancements.
I and II use the same HD-2D visual style as III, developed by Square Enix's Team Asano. It's a combination of pixel art mashed with 3D backgrounds, which sounds odd on paper but works when you see it on screen.
It builds on top of what games like Octopath Traveller and Live A Live remake accomplished and allows old pixel art games to be fresh visually without changing too much of the art style.
Source(s)
