Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake [Review]

Maybe the best way to make lightning strike again is to recreate the same environment from the last time and wait for nature to do its work. Dragon Quest I & 2 HD-2D Remake not only progresses the story that has started on last year's amazing Dragon Quest III HD-2D remake, but also delivers a satisfying conclusion to one of gaming's most iconic stories – add to that great voice acting, pretty graphics and amazing battling (on DQ2): the lightning has struck again.

The third one is a prequel, and this collection definitely expected me to play in the 3 ⇾ 1 ⇾ 2 order, like how it was released. It is confusing for someone who hasn't followed the releases of these modern remakes. Still, playing in the “logical” progression of the game titles can also be rewarding in its own way, but Dragon Quest II is undoubtedly the climax and conclusion of it all. So yeah, the first isn't actually the first.

Dragon Quest as a series is absurdly charming. The sound effects, names, the Shakespearean dialogue even for mundane moments, how the writing, music and overall ambiance makes everything click. It is magical, whimsical, but surprisingly dark and sometimes even violent under the guise of a fairy tale. Having that said:

The first game on the collection, Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake, has a one party member system and somewhat simplistic gameplay, all things considered. There are spells and abilities that are unlocked from leveling up, and some that can be learned with hidden scrolls, but the player-named-silent-protagonist is a jack of all trades that excels in most scenarios.

This simplified gameplay can be a bit jarring when compared to the game that came before this one (Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake), and adding more systems or maybe even more unexpected weapons and gear could spice things up. The gearing is not bad at all, with nice equipment to find and questlines to follow where really rare stuff is rewarded, but nothing really defies the battling rules and by the end of DQ1, some encounters felt samey.

There's a new mechanic on the battle system that appears in both 1 and 2 that is the ability to make some spells stronger if the square button is pressed at a correct time and if the character is with less than 50% of life. I ADORED this system on DQ1, it is available early and make some battles really enjoyable, but staying with low life is always dangerous, so it creates a good balance of danger and safety. Still, one party member is not enough to really make things incredible, but additions like this keep the game fresher.

The progression through the game is basically a quest for a series of McGuffins that will result in the world being saved. It is on the “reason” of these McGuffins that this remake really shows its teeth, adding much needed story, context and worldbuilding to everything that is required to become the Legend that I've been told since the first scene of the game.

It is very well done how “the world” denies the Hero's first attempts of heroism due to sheer skepticism and lack of empathy, and the story is way more personal than I imagined it to be. Unfortunately, the overarching arc of Dragon Quest 1 felt more like a bridge between the previous one (DQ3) and the next one (DQ2, in this collection as well), and while most definitely not forgettable, it kills a bit of its own pacing just to contextualize things that are really more important in DQ2 than 1.

The map is good enough for the length of the game – it took me about 17 hours on Dragon Quest difficulty (the 'Normal'). Unfortunately, the balancing issues that somewhat appeared on last year's game are here again, and there is some grinding to it. That's it, I said it. I had to sometimes grind some Metal Slimes and interact with this system, and it isn't as bad as one might imagine when playing on Dragon Quest difficulty, not here nor on last year's game, but still, it would be nice to simply receive more experience from the fights… Really, it could be an item that gave more experience for a short while or something, to be used when exploring to level up naturally.

A shorter Dragon Quest game with no post-game, it comes in a bundle with the DQ2 for a reason, and that's fine. Rating it alone, it is a bit worse than 3 and 2, but it embellishes the world and makes everything special. Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake doesn't have the lush systems of last year's game nor the party system of DQ2, but for expanding the world and bridging these two other games, it finds its place inside the trilogy.

8/10 — For Dragon Quest 1 HD-2D Remake.

The great-grandchildren of legend! After all the events of Dragon Quest 1, 100 years passed, and the spawns of the savior of the realm – the Scions of Erdrick – need to face a real world ending threat that has been teased since the first game in the trilogy (last year's Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake).

While it lacks some of the most novel systems of DQ3, here, the first game of the franchise to have party members, the whole investment is precisely on them. The Princess and Princesses of the World – all cousins, btw – gather to fulfill the role of Erdrick once again, as the forces of Evil destroyed one of the kingdoms in a ruthless attack, putting the entire story in motion.

The opening events are bombastic and very well produced. Dragon Quest 2 HD-2D Remake keeps the pixel art style of the previous ones of course, but it is the one that most uses the 3D environment for dramatic story-telling, and that is present since the beginning of the game.

While the silent main character that I named is not graced with the gift of magic, nothing really stopped him to traverse the world and defy what being of the “Legendary Line” really means. That entire concept is woven throughout the game's narrative, be it with the main villain, but also with the side stories that accompanies the game.

The cousins of the main character are superbly well written and voice acted, and that alone brought so much life to the game. All of them have very visible growth and rewarding story arcs, while also progressing and being as strong in the battling as the silent protagonist. They also have suggested names (that I've kept), but I could rename them if I wanted.

Dragon Quest 2 HD-2D Remake goes above and beyond to flash out the Luminaries of the Legendary Line, and has one of the strongest party members that I've ever seen in an RPG. The story doesn't shy away from dark themes and the world can sometimes be violent due to the ruthlessness of the Demons, but it is on compassion and empathy that we can reach the legend, not on bloodline. It is a game mostly about growth and forgiveness, and it also so masterfully subverted with my expectations from some cast (and supporting cast!) that I can't stop but smile and chuckle when I think about them.

The battling gets all the new additions from DQ1 but add them way later in the adventure, that is surely bigger, clocking around 40 hours for me (including the post game that is mandatory to see the true ending). Having 4 party members is super nice, and since the three of them have a similar “jobs” inside the fight, that can't be changed, no one felt rigid, because everyone did everything but the magic-less silent protagonist, that always focused on big numbers.

There is so much enemy variety that it is shocking. Each area is filled with specific monsters and the map is huge – not only encompass the continent of the first game, that is here 100 years after, but also the whole world, finally traversable through a boat acquired at the end of the first act. Because of the length this was the game with the least amount of grinding in the trilogy but, again, it happened, and if I got here knowing how to farm metal slimes anyone can.

DQ2 (and DQ in general) rewards curiosity in big ways, but I wish that there were some more varied activities to do in this game, like how it was on DQ3. Still, because the battling is so good and the characters so likable, I ended up not minding it and just simply regard this entry in the franchise as a more combat heavy one. And the combat is often challenging, another truth for the entire trilogy, which is really welcomed.

I was speechless by the true ending of DQ2, and felt insanely rewarded for playing it and finishing it. It is a special game that even if it lacks some systems and has some grinding, in the end, it is memorable, filled with adventures, stories, and emotions. I couldn't recommend it enough, but playing the previous 2 games may be advised.

9.5/10 — For Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake.

I feel that my final verdict of this bundle is a solid

9/10 — For Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake

(for reference, my favorite was II because of the story and cast, but III has the best gameplay and systems, it is really impressive)

I can't STOP THINKING about Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, that will be released early next year. I will be there.