Square Enix just dropped extensive details about the new content coming to Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, and it’s far more substantial than anyone expected. Launching October 30th for Switch 2, Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, the remake doesn’t just give the 1986 and 1987 classics a gorgeous HD-2D makeover. It fundamentally expands Dragon Quest I with numerous new scenarios centered around Rubiss, the goddess who created Alefgard and played a pivotal role in Dragon Quest III, plus entirely new dungeons, challenging monsters, original characters, and story connections that tie the entire Erdrick Trilogy together in ways the originals never did.
Rubiss Takes Center Stage
The most significant addition to Dragon Quest I is a complete storyline focused on Rubiss, the great spirit said to have created the land of Alefgard. In Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, Rubiss appeared as a major character, but in the original Dragon Quest I from 1986, she was only briefly mentioned in certain versions. This remake bridges that gap by making her integral to the hero’s journey.
Summoning the Goddess
To save the world shrouded in darkness by the Dragonlord, players must seek Rubiss’s aid and borrow her divine powers. This isn’t a simple fetch quest. The journey to summon Rubiss requires visiting the faeries, mysterious beings with deep connections to the goddess, and earning their trust despite their suspicion of humans.
Rubiss herself, voiced by Kelly Hotten in the fully-voiced remake, communicates through dreams, bestowing messages to guide the hero toward saving Alefgard. Her presence adds mythological depth that elevates Dragon Quest I from a straightforward hero-versus-evil story into something richer and more connected to the broader Dragon Quest universe.
The Faerie Village
Players will discover the Faerie Village, a hidden settlement populated by faeries who remain deeply suspicious of humans. Gaining their trust becomes essential to learning Rubiss’s whereabouts and unlocking the power needed to confront the Dragonlord’s darkness.
The Dream-Whisperer, voiced by Yuriri Naka, leads the faeries and serves as the only one who knows how to summon Rubiss back to the mortal world. However, she’s disappeared, creating a mystery within the mystery that players must solve. This subplot adds meaningful narrative complexity to a game originally designed as a relatively linear dungeon crawler.
New Characters and Encounters
Beyond the Rubiss storyline, Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake introduces encounters with people not featured in the 1986 original title. These additions breathe life into Alefgard and create a world that feels populated rather than empty.
Tantegel Soldiers
Players will now interact with soldiers from Tantegel Castle, the starting location where the king sends you on your quest. These soldiers provide context about the kingdom’s military situation, the Dragonlord’s threat, and the desperate state of affairs that led to a lone descendant of Erdrick being humanity’s last hope.
The Key-Researching Mage
A new mage character appears who researches magic keys to help the sick. This addition creates gameplay opportunities for side quests and adds humanitarian context showing how the Dragonlord’s invasion affects ordinary people beyond just monster attacks.
Cave-Dwelling Dwarves
A group of dwarves inhabiting a cave represents another new encounter. Dwarves have appeared throughout Dragon Quest history, so including them in the first game creates better continuity with later entries while expanding Alefgard’s racial diversity beyond just humans and monsters.
Entirely New Dungeons
Alefgard has undergone significant changes with multiple new dungeons appearing throughout the world. These aren’t just palette-swapped versions of existing locations. Square Enix describes them as entirely new explorable areas featuring hidden caves and sparkly spots containing items imbued with the power of nature.
More Challenging Monsters
These new dungeons house more formidable foes than anything in the original Dragon Quest I. Some towns across Alefgard are now under siege by powerful monsters, creating urgent scenarios where players must liberate settlements rather than just wandering freely.
The addition of enemies from Dragon Quest II and III creates fascinating lore implications. Seeing monsters that weren’t introduced until later games suggests the Dragonlord had access to a broader bestiary than originally depicted. It also helps visually connect the trilogy in ways impossible when each game was developed years apart on different hardware.
| New Addition | Description |
|---|---|
| Rubiss Storyline | Goddess from DQ3 now central to DQ1 with summoning quest |
| Faerie Village | Hidden settlement where players earn faerie trust |
| Dream-Whisperer | Faerie leader who disappeared, knows how to summon Rubiss |
| New Characters | Tantegel soldiers, key-researching mage, cave dwarves |
| New Dungeons | Multiple entirely new explorable areas with hidden caves |
| Enemy Additions | Monsters from DQ2, DQ3, and later entries added to DQ1 |
| Towns Under Siege | Powerful monsters attacking settlements creates liberation quests |
Connecting the Erdrick Trilogy
Square Enix explicitly states that numerous scenarios have been added to deepen connections within the Erdrick Trilogy. Dragon Quest I, II, and III tell the legend of Erdrick (called Loto in some translations) across three generations, but the original games were developed years apart with minimal narrative coordination beyond broad strokes.
The HD-2D remakes change that. With Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake released late last year to critical and commercial success, Square Enix clearly decided to treat these three games as a unified narrative experience rather than separate adventures that happen to share a setting.
What This Means for Dragon Quest II
While this latest information dump focuses on Dragon Quest I additions, Square Enix previously revealed that Dragon Quest II also receives substantial new content including an underwater storyline scenario. The Prince of Cannock, infamously weak in the original, has been significantly buffed. The Princess of Moonbrooke joins as a full party member with more prominence than before.
Monsters from later Dragon Quest entries appear in both games, creating visual and lore cohesion across the trilogy. The Five Sigils, which were just story progression items in original Dragon Quest II, now provide battle effects in both games, fundamentally changing combat strategy.
Combat System Overhauls
The additions aren’t purely narrative. Dragon Quest I’s combat received a complete redesign to accommodate fighting multiple enemies simultaneously rather than the original’s one-on-one encounters. This change alone fundamentally alters game balance and pacing.
New Skills and Abilities
Players can now learn abilities like Dragon Slash and Kacrack by finding ability scrolls in side quests, treasure chests, and hidden areas. The original Dragon Quest I had a relatively limited moveset, so expanding combat options helps the game feel less repetitive during the 10-15 hour adventure.
The Five Sigils System
Each sigil grants special battle effects. The Sun Sigil makes abilities deal critical damage. The Moon Sigil helps spells go haywire for critical damage. The Star Sigil lets allies recover MP when defending. The Water Sigil enhances item effects. The Soul Sigil temporarily upgrades certain skills and spells under specific conditions, like transforming Dragon Slash into Double Dragon Slash when selected under a green marker.
This system adds strategic depth that didn’t exist in 1986, when Dragon Quest essentially established turn-based RPG combat conventions that hundreds of games copied but few improved upon.
Quality of Life Improvements
Beyond content additions, the HD-2D remakes include numerous modernizations that respect the original design while removing outdated inconveniences.
Full Voice Acting
Like Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, both games feature complete voice acting with James Bradwell voicing the hero and Annie Warburton voicing Princess Gwaelin in Dragon Quest I. This elevates the emotional impact of key story moments that were entirely text-based in 1986.
Visual Indicators
Players can now view enemy info during battle by clicking the right stick. Targeting monsters with elemental attacks they’re weak to displays a red marker, while resisted elements show blue markers. These simple additions eliminate guesswork and reward strategic thinking.
Orchestral Soundtrack
Koichi Sugiyama’s iconic Dragon Quest melodies receive full orchestral treatment, bringing the legendary compositions to life with instrumentation impossible on 1986 hardware. The music alone justifies the remake for longtime fans who’ve heard these tunes in MIDI format for decades.
Improved Cave Visibility
Torches now fully illuminate caves, eliminating the need for the Glow spell that was mandatory in original versions. This seemingly minor change dramatically improves dungeon exploration pacing.
Bonus for Dragon Quest III Owners
Players with existing save data for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake receive bonus in-game items in both Dragon Quest I and II. Square Enix hasn’t specified exactly what these bonuses are, but rewarding players who purchased the previous release encourages picking up the entire trilogy.
Release Date and Platforms
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake launches October 30, 2025 for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. This simultaneous multi-platform release ensures everyone can experience the definitive versions of these legendary RPGs regardless of their preferred gaming device.
The inclusion of Nintendo Switch 2 on day one demonstrates Square Enix’s commitment to supporting Nintendo’s new platform from launch. Dragon Quest has deep roots with Nintendo dating back to the NES era, so this partnership continuation makes perfect sense.
Why These Changes Matter
Dragon Quest I is historically significant as the game that popularized console RPGs in Japan and established conventions the entire genre built upon. But stripped of nostalgia, it’s a brutally simple, repetitive game by modern standards. You fight one enemy at a time. Dungeons are basic corridors with random encounters. NPCs provide minimal flavor text. The story is rescue the princess, find the legendary equipment, kill the Dragonlord. That’s it.
Square Enix could have just slapped HD-2D visuals on the barebones original and called it a day. Instead, they’re fundamentally expanding the narrative, adding dungeons, introducing characters, creating mythological depth, and tying Dragon Quest I into the broader Erdrick Trilogy in ways impossible when each game was developed years apart by different teams on different hardware with different design philosophies.
The Rubiss storyline alone transforms Dragon Quest I from a historical curiosity into a game worth playing for reasons beyond just respecting its legacy. These aren’t cosmetic changes. They’re structural improvements that honor the original while acknowledging modern players deserve more than minimal text boxes and one-on-one random encounters.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake release?
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake launches October 30, 2025 for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
What is the Rubiss storyline in Dragon Quest I?
Rubiss, the goddess who created Alefgard and appeared in Dragon Quest III, now plays a central role in Dragon Quest I. Players must summon her by earning the trust of faeries and finding the Dream-Whisperer to borrow her divine powers against the Dragonlord.
What new content is in Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake?
New content includes the Rubiss storyline, Faerie Village, new characters like Tantegel soldiers and cave dwarves, entirely new dungeons, monsters from later DQ games, towns under siege, and numerous scenario additions connecting the Erdrick Trilogy.
How is combat different in Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake?
The hero now fights multiple enemies simultaneously instead of one-on-one. New skills like Dragon Slash and Kacrack are learnable. The Five Sigils provide special battle effects. Visual markers show enemy weaknesses and resistances.
Do I need to play Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake first?
No, though Dragon Quest I & II chronologically take place after Dragon Quest III. Playing III first provides better context for the Erdrick legacy and Rubiss’s significance, but each game tells a complete story.
Is Dragon Quest I & II one game or two?
It’s both games packaged together in one purchase, similar to how Dragon Quest I & II were bundled for Super Famicom. You can play them in either order once the combined package launches.
What bonuses do Dragon Quest III owners get?
Players with save data from Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake receive bonus in-game items in both Dragon Quest I and II, though specific item details haven’t been revealed yet.
Conclusion
Square Enix isn’t just remastering Dragon Quest I and II with prettier graphics. They’re fundamentally expanding these foundational RPGs into richer, more connected experiences that honor their legacy while acknowledging modern design sensibilities. The addition of Rubiss as a central figure transforms Dragon Quest I from a historical artifact into a mythologically compelling adventure. New dungeons, characters, monsters, and scenarios create a world that feels alive rather than empty. The complete overhaul of combat systems, sigil mechanics, and skill variety prevents the repetition that plagued the originals. And tying the entire Erdrick Trilogy together through deliberate narrative connections creates a unified saga worthy of the Dragon Quest name. With Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake proving this approach works commercially and critically, October 30th can’t come soon enough for JRPG fans eager to experience the beginning of Dragon Quest history remade for 2025.