After the successful launch of Dragon Quest III\u2019s HD-2D Remake last year, Square Enix has returned to bring us the rest of the Erdrick trilogy for the modern age with Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. As someone who grew up on Akira Toriyama\u2019s animated work and whose interest in the Dragon Quest series has recently reignited, I was understandably eager to dive in and experience the games that started it all.<\/p>\n
Despite coming out before Dragon Quest III, both Dragon Quest I and II take place after the events of the third game, following the Erdrick bloodline as its members continue to perform heroic deeds throughout the kingdom. 1986\u2019s Dragon Quest follows a lone descendant of Erdrick as he journeys to defeat the revived Dragonlord and save the Princess, and the 1987 sequel follows three of his descendants as they team up to fend off evil that\u2019s spreading across the land.<\/p>\n
In our modern era, these stories may seem a little clich\u00e9: fight monsters, save the kingdom, get the girl. But that\u2019s because they were the first to do it, defining the JRPG genre for decades to come, and I think it\u2019s important to revisit that history. Although you can already play these games on mobile thanks to existing ports, this HD-2D remake not only overhauls the graphics but also adds extra story beats, gameplay features, and quality of life upgrades that bring it up to speed with the games we love today.<\/p>\n