Dragon Quest’s New Remake’s Are a Head Scratcher

During the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, Dragon Quest fans were delighted to see the return of the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. After its announcement three years ago, this remake of perhaps the most influential entry in the Dragon Quest series went silent for a worrying amount of time. The same can be said for the still-unaccounted-for Dragon Quest 12, though the return of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is probably a good sign of that as well. With a November 2024 release date set, Dragon Quest 3 should delight a whole new generation of fans in its best form yet.

The good news doesn’t stop there, however, as Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake was also revealed, coming some time in 2025. Players will be able to enjoy the same enhancements Dragon Quest 3 is getting in Dragon Quest 1 and 2, both of which chronologically follow Dragon Quest 3 to form an entire trilogy around DQ3 hero Erdrick’s lineage. Aside from a western release for Dragon Quest 10 Offline or more news on Dragon Quest 12, it’s hard to imagine better Dragon Quest news arriving right now. All that’s dampening the situation is how strange it is that these games won’t be released together.

Dragon Quest 3 Has Been Separated From Dragon Quest 1 and 2

For whatever reason, Dragon Quest 3 is launching several months before Dragon Quest 1 & 2. There is enough content and replay value in DQ3 for it to earn a standalone release, but Dragon Quest 1 & 2 coming separately runs the risk of making Dragon Quest 3 look like it’s not the full package. There are no objections to these games getting HD-2D remakes, especially given Square Enix’s excellent track record with games like Live A Live and the Octopath Traveler series, but it’s still confusing why they are launching so far apart.

Why Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake Was Made

If Dragon Quest 1& 2 was a later development that started while DQ3 was underway, it’s likely because these games share a lot of sprite-based assets. Finishing remakes of both DQ1 and 2 after DQ3 laid their groundwork wouldn’t take as long as making an HD-2D DQ3 in the first place. That logic doesn’t result in a clear development time schedule, but it does help explain why 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake was made in the first place. Being less resource intensive, they could help recoup the initial DQ3 project’s costs. None of that gets closer to unraveling these games’ separate launch dates, however.

Uncovering Dragon Quest HD-2D’s Release Logic

​​​​​​There are a few more possibilities to explain the disparity between these releases, but they’re rather flimsy. First is that Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake will come out during the Nintendo Switch successor’s launch window. In theory, this would make up for the lower sales these games would otherwise get from being both the second release in their “series,” and from being lower priority games than Dragon Quest 3. However, this idea ignores the fact that these are multi-platform releases, as well as the common theory that Dragon Quest 12’s reveal is coming alongside the Switch 2’s.

Dragon Quest HD-2D’s Separate Launches Might Have A Simple Cause

A more mundane reason is that Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake simply isn’t done yet. Just because it began during DQ3 HD-2D’s development using recycled assets doesn’t mean it took less time to make. Standardizing each game’s mechanics, especially with how old and archaic Dragon Quest 1 is, would practically be its own project. There’s even a chance that Dragon Quest 1 & 2 will have to miss the Switch successor’s launch because they don’t meet Square Enix franchise quality standards yet. Regardless, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake should keep fans busy, even if it’s part of a situation that doesn’t entirely make sense.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake