But what about other outlets? Well, let’s start with our sister site Push Square, who scored the HD-2D Remake an 8/10, acknowledging the glow-up both games have received, but still noting their NES origins:
“Its offerings are traditional perhaps to a fault, and while modern conveniences have smoothed away some of its rougher edges, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake does require a certain old-school mindset to be properly appreciated.”
Console Creatures‘ review is full of praise for the new content and modern adjustments, also giving the package an 8/10, noting some of those classic difficulty spikes and — once again — the NES caveats.
“You might ask why the Erdrick trilogy is the focus of its series over the last few years, and I can tell you it’s worth sticking through to the end. The trilogy reunites the scions of Erdrick for a new generation, delivering a simple tale with bells and whistles.”
Let’s jump up a little, shall we? IGN has scored the game a glowing 9/10, saying that the Remake “beautifully concludes” the trilogy. Again, RNG and difficulty does briefly come up, but this one’s full of praise otherwise:
“Both games adhere to old-school turn-based combat that holds up despite being fairly simple, with the first offering a tightly focused solo adventure and the second being more expansive with its party-based structure – not to mention its stronger emphasis on storytelling and character development.”
Game Informer is another site awarding the duology a 9/10 rounding out the review with a more than appropriate summary: “But it’s good to know his Dragon Quest legacy is in fine form.” Yes, indeed.
“This collection is a treat for RPG freaks, but especially fans like me, who get to relish new content, stories, and a complete UI overhaul from two games they’ve loved since childhood.”
Back to the 8/10 trail we have RPGFan (well, 80/100 in this case), where praise and criticism is similarly dished out. Dragon Quest II is once again singled out here, with Dragon Quest I’s frustrations becoming much more apparent in the remake [Note: The author of this article is a former writer at RPGFan].
“[Dragon Quest II] might take over 40 hours to complete now, but the additional time feels organic and essential. Put simply, Dragon Quest II is the crown jewel of the two games here, and finally worth playing as more than just a history lesson.”
Lastly, on the lower end of the scale is GameSpot, which scored the games a respectable 7/10. This is one of the few reviews that criticises some of the new narrative additions and padding, recommending last year’s III remake over the upcoming one
“The simple base narrative and lack of other party members makes little room to connect with these mostly forgettable characters with one-note personality traits, and the extra locations and quest objectives (with new boss fights) feels less like an expansion of the world and more like an attempt to pad out the game as much as possible.”
However you shake it, though, it sounds like DQ I & II have been much improved on their NES — or even their Switch — counterparts. At the time of writing, on Switch 2, the game sits at an 85 average on Metacritic (from 19 reviews) while OpenCritic’s multi-console approach sits at an average of 83 (after 41 reviews).
Famitsu’s review from earlier today falls in line with many other critics, and Switch 1 impressions seem more limited at the time. But, basically, if you like Dragon Quest and like traditional RPGs, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is a no-brainer.
Let us know if you’re getting the game on Switch 1 or 2 tomorrow in the comments.
