Where Does This Fit In The Dragon Quest Lore?

At first glance, it seems like a bit of an odd choice from Square Enix to release DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake first before I & II, but chronologically it makes sense. III is the prequel to both games, and releasing them now completes the Erdrick trilogy remakes.

And it makes sense to release DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake in the one package too. II has received several updates, more in-line with what was added to III. I, not so much, in comparison, but there are good reasons for that. It doesn’t take anything away from it though; these remakes are still among the best RPGs you’ll play this year.

Set many generations after the events of Dragon Quest III, Dragon Quest I sees you playing as a descendent of Erdrick. The world of Alefgard has known peace for a long time but now the Dragonlord has returned and, in turn, kidnapped the princess. Your timely arrival at the Castle sets the main story going. In order to defeat the Dragonlord you will need to recover various artifacts, rescue the princess and help out throughout the world.

A Primitive But Excellent First Game

What was surprising when first starting Dragon Quest I is that you are the sole protagonist. There is no party to accompany you; just you on a solo quest to save the world. It makes the first game feel a bit primitive as a result, but that is by no means a bad thing. If anything, it showcases that the remake has nailed the feel of the first game by not filling it with bloat.

It is a much shorter experience too, with you able to wrap the main story up in less than 15 hours. A short time for a JRPG indeed.

Both games come with a few difficulty options; the standard difficulty is still quite the challenge. But even if the easiest difficulty is still too challenging, you can turn invincibility mode on. This means you never drop lower than one HP.

The second game takes place many years later. Spoilers, but after you save the world in the first game, future descendants of your hero decide to start their own kingdoms. Unlike almost every other story containing adjacent kingdoms, these three actually get on quite harmoniously.

Their bond comes to the forefront when one of the kingdoms is attacked and their castle is destroyed. Because each of the princes and princesses in their respective kingdoms are cousins – many, many times removed – they party up to take on this new evil that is threatening their world.

More Improvements In The Second Game

It is in the second game that you can feel where most of the work has gone into. Visuals aside – which I will wax lyrical about shortly – that are the same across both games. But the UI, which is again identical across both games, feels more suited to a party situation. There are options for healing all members quickly, or selecting which party member should learn the new magical ability from a scroll. These options are redundant in the first game, but make much more sense in the second.

And then we get to the voice acting, which feels much more prevalent in the second game too. It is, fine. Arguably unnecessary, but fine nonetheless. Would I prefer these old-school JRPGs to just be text-based? Yes. But the voice acting is at least used sparingly, only saved for cutscenes and other major moments.

The second game does also come with some new features from the original release. There is a new party member to recruit later down the line, along with a brand-new area beneath the waves to explore. These take a bit of time to get to however, particularly if you play through the first game first. But they are incorporated into the game well enough that they do not feel tacked on for returning players.

Even returning players from DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D REMAKE will be given a treat in the form of dog and cat suits for these two games. These outfits not only humourously change the wearers appearance in the game, but is a valuable piece of armour to get you through the first few hours of each game.

Looks And Sounds Stunning

Both games in the DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake have been given the HD-2D love though, and once again, this artstyle looks utterly beautiful. Square Enix have used this on a number of titles now – Octopath Traveler, TRIANGLE STRATEGY etc. – but it shines best on the Dragon Quest titles. Getting out on the world map to see the rolling green fields is never not a sight for your eyes.

Similar too for the redone soundtrack, if you replace your ears for your eyes. There aren’t that many tracks that you would maybe expect from two sprawling JRPGs, but what is there has once again been re-recorded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. And it matches the visuals, sounding as great as it looks. Which, if it isn’t obvious, is stellar.

A Remake Done Right

DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D REMAKE on Xbox may be a remake of games nearly 40 years old, but the work gone into their re-creation makes them instantly playable. They are rooted in turn-based random encounters, which if you aren’t a fan of, may be a problem.

But, if you are new to turn-based play, particularly after the renaissance of the battle mechanics in 2025, these two games showcase the early machinations of it in a modern package that looks sublime.

Important Links

The Erdrick Trilogy is Finally Complete as DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake is NOW AVAILABLE – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-erdrick-trilogy-is-finally-complete-as-dragon-quest-i-ii-hd-2d-remake-is-now-available/

DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake Confirmed for October 2025 Release – https://www.thexboxhub.com/dragon-quest-i-ii-hd-2d-remake-confirmed-for-october-2025-release/

Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/dragon-quest-i-ii-hd-2d-remake/9NF2KMV0RTPP/0010

The Erdrick Trilogy Collection is available too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/dragon-quest-hd-2d-erdrick-trilogy-collection/9NP5H2FRHQ5N/0010