If you play the three Dragon Quest HD-2D remakes in chronological order, there will be a new “surprise” at the end, according to Yuji Horii  

During Tokyo Game Show 2024, Dragon Quest series’ creator Yuji Horii hinted that the upcoming Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will include additional elements that will be a “new discovery” for players and come as a “bit of a surprise” (as reported by Famitsu). 

The original Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest 2 and Dragon Quest 3 were released in 1986,1987 and 1988 respectively. However, Dragon Quest 3 was a prequel story, so in terms of chronology, the titles are ordered 3 → 1 → 2. Square Enix’s upcoming HD-2D remake trilogy takes this into account, as the remake of Dragon Quest 3 is set to launch first, in November this year, while Dragon Quest 1 and 2 will follow in 2025. 

It has already been confirmed that the Dragon Quest 3 remake will include new story elements, supervised by Horii himself, as well as new bosses, NPC dialogues and environments (such as the interior of the Pyramid dungeon). However, it seems that the creator has similar plans for the upcoming Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake as well.

Horii mentions that he wanted the new playing order of the trilogy to contain a surprise for players, which led to some new elements being added. It seems that the end of the Dragon Quest 2 remake in particular will give players who are going in story-order some kind of unexpected revelation. 

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is scheduled to launch on November 14 for the PC (Microsoft Store), Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The Steam version will come out a day later, on November 15.