Anecdotes, in its indigenous Japan, Dragon Quest is said to be more popular than Final Fantasy, which is popular overseas. This is most obvious to fans of fantasy anime who find undeniable influence over the Dragon Quest genre, from slime-like monster designs to other fantasy ropes pioneered by early Dragon Quest games.
As someone who grew up mainly in the US, I’m in a camp for gamers who are familiar with the Final Fantasy series. Furthermore, new entries like Dragon Quest 11 are received enthusiastically from fans, but for people like me who are more interested in the legacy of the series, it is the old Dragon Quest game that holds a particular air of its history and mysticity.
It also means that it was a very good year for me as Square Enix finally reworked these old, beloved Dragon Quest games for a modern system and features a fresh new look. Rather than a complete polygonal upgrade, Square Enix is reviving games like Dragon Quest 3 for modern viewers, taking advantage of a retro-modern fusion called HD-2D from the Toctopath series. And it continues with the next remake, the Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D remake, which will be coming later this year.
Despite being released before Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest 1 and Dragon Quest 2 are actually sequels. So you play Dragon Quest 3, 1, and 2 and are chronologically correct within the game’s universe. I recently got the chance to play the next two on my PlayStation 5, and was even more excited to finally discover these early Dragon Quest titles.
The best way to play the original Dragon Quest game
The first three Dragon Quest games form the “Eldric Trilogy,” named after the heroes of Dragon Quest 3. It’s not a spoiler to say that in Dragon Quest 3, Eldrick is successful in his mission to save the kingdom from evil. Then play as a descendant of Erdrick in Dragon Quest 1 & 2. So Square Enix actually releases these games chronologically.
Until these remakes, these have only been released as ports for mobile and specific gaming consoles, but unless you really want to have a classic experience, you don’t have to worry about them.
How Square Enix modernizes Dragon Quest
Given the legendary status of these games, Square Enix has to take a bit of a tightrope walk that tries to maintain the parts that fans already love, while modernizing some of the older bits. Apart from art style, these changes are said to be generally related to gameplay and storytelling. For example, in Dragon Quest 1, the series didn’t have a party system yet, so the entire campaign will play using a single character who will fight one enemy at a time. This has changed so that players are still solo, but face multiple enemies at once.
Additionally, the two games are “short” compared to the latest RPGs, and while there is time to clock Dragon Quest 1 in around 10 hours, Dragon Quest 2 dials up to 16 hours of playtime. Square Enix says it has bolstered some of its content and cutscenes to try to raise those numbers a little, but don’t expect to suddenly play a 100-hour RPG.
Looks even better than Dragon Quest 3 HD-2d
Certainly, the main attraction of the remake is its visual style. Square Enix defended this HD-2D art style. Here we have a pixelated 2D player character model in a vibrant 3D world. In this art style, I’ve already played games like Octopath Traveler 2 and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D, but it looks even better in future collections.
The texture is even more crisp, with a contrast between 2D pixels and 3D World Starcar, but as a result, it’s even more impressive. I also received an upgrade of 2D pixels, but you may not notice it at first. I’ve compared some of the screenshot Square Enix sent in a copy of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D running on the Switch, but the PixelWork in Dragon 1 and 2 HD-2D looks much more detailed and refined than the pixels in Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D.
The character models are a little larger, and more detailed with the armor and weapons, especially refined in the new remakes. I found an art style combined with gorgeous music and was completely drawn into the world of Dragon Quest. Square Enix delivered some chips during the preview event. I found myself munching while completely engrossed in the story of a hero’s party that discovered the remains of a fallen kingdom.
In a way, let’s say Dragon Quest is easier to watch than perhaps ten years ago, with the “classic” storyline and trope-like setting. With graphics nowadays advancing and storylines looking to compete with the biggest films and TV shows, Dragon Quest reminds us that it is timeless for several stories. I look forward to playing both of these HD-2D remakes when it was released on October 30, 2025 for all major systems, including the Nintendo Switch 2.
Matt Kim is Passthecontroller’s senior feature editor.
