Earlier this month, I finally dived into Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on my Switch. Somehow, I missed it before. Two things hit me right away. First, the sprite work—wow. Some of the best I’ve ever seen. Second, it’s as grindy as games from that time tend to be. So, yeah, I switched to “Dracky Mode.” Don’t judge me.
This happened after I tried a 25-minute demo of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake on PlayStation 5 at PAX East 2025. Wanted to check it out before writing this preview. This might read a bit different because, honestly, there’s not a ton mechanically to break down. But the concept? Super intriguing.
Okay, so in the Dragon Quest I demo, I went from starting town to this open field and then a cave. Did some battles, roamed around, and didn’t catch much new stuff. It looks stellar, though. Like, seriously good. The new tweaks, like being able to fight more monsters, add cool complexity to the original game.
Now, II? Gorgeous as well. Feels like the Dragon Quest III remake vibes—low camera, voiced cutscenes, the whole shebang. Which is great because if you’ve played II, you know it’s pretty divisive. It’s this weird stage between the grind of Dragon Quest and the expansive feel of III.
After a few minutes with a game, what can you really tell, right? But if Square Enix gave II the same love as III (faster battles, difficulty options, comfier experience), it might finally click for fans who have mixed feelings about it.
The standout bit? The remake’s devs worked hard to make I & II feel like a sequel to III, which dropped last year. III is about Erdrick, and it’s a prequel for I & II. So, you’re following his descendants. Besides matching III’s look, I & II will have new content to connect the trilogy and make playing III, I, and II in order feel seamless.
A Square Enix rep I talked to said playing these two new remakes together should be as long as last year’s Dragon Quest III remake—which was a 30-40 hour gig if you went with default difficulty. The rep lit up when I mentioned the chance to make Dragon Quest II more laid back; they said that’s what the team focused on specifically.
And today, ’cause it’s Dragon Quest Day (didn’t know that was a thing), Square Enix spilled that Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will drop on October 30. Even the new Switch 2 is getting it! On the surface? Looks like another win. But dig a bit, and you see Square Enix is dreaming big with this remake. Totally worth watching.
