October is when the Erdrick Trilogy will be complete.

Square Enix officially announced Oct. 30 as the release date for the Dragon Quest I and II HD-2D remake, launching nearly a year after the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. The game will release on PC and all major consoles, including both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

This remake reimagines both Dragon Quest I (1986) and Dragon Quest II (1987) in the HD-2D format Square Enix has used in the Octopath Traveler games. The Dragon Quest III remake launched in November 2024, garnering high praise from critics and fans.

A digital-only release of the all three remakes will also launch on the same day.

Along with the release date, Square Enix also announced the opening of preorders as well as two editions for the games: standard and collector’s.

The standard edition will include the remake along with a preorder bonus of the Trouble-Free Travel Kit, a collection of items for the game.

The collector’s edition adds a acrylic character and monster blocks; an outfit kit; and digital wallpaper. This version is unique to the Square Enix store.

Square Enix revealed it would remake the first two games in the Dragon Quest franchise nearly a year ago during a Nintendo Direct. At the time, the developer had already announced its DQIII remake previously.

The remakes had sat with the “2025” designation since that announcement even after the DQIII remake.

These remakes follow a recent push from JRPG developers to either remake or remaster older titles. These include the Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster, Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune, Star Ocean The Second Story R, Lunar Remastered Collection, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, and many others.

Reacting to the News

It is nice to finally have a release date for these two remakes. With Dragon Quest III‘s remake being a success, it was a bit interesting to see Square Enix wait to announce the dates. In that same vein, it makes sense as these games garner a lot of interest from players who grew up with these titles.

It’s also worth mentioning that Square Enix is reportedly amid a three-year restructuring plan after its recent releases failed to meet internal expectations.

This release date also comes on the heels of the developer’s unveiling of Kingdom Hearts IV screenshots while also cancelling Kingdom Hearts Missing Link a few weeks ago.

I mention all of this because it’s interesting to see how this release date fits into the larger puzzle that is Square Enix. That restructure seems to have a focus on quality over quantity and so it makes sense it would take its time.

Furthermore, Square Enix seems to have done a great job at throwing the scent off of the lack of Dragon Quest XII news, which hasn’t seen anything other than a title reveal since 2021.

There seems to be a rising call among aging JRPG players for developers to return to “what made them great in the first place.” These releases should help satisfy that need.

Lastly, these remakes highlights an inaccuracy in the idea that Square Enix doesn’t do turn-based games anymore. Many complain that the developer has chased the trend of action gameplay over turn-based combat.

Certainly Square Enix isn’t above scrutiny, but this notion of an abandonment of turn-based gameplay simply isn’t accurate with the likes of Dragon Quest, Bravely Default, and Octopath Traveler all getting attention in recent years.

It’s really nice to see increased accessibility to older titles, especially with a fresh coat of paint that captures the idea of the past but with a modern flair.

Source: Square Enix

Featured Image: Square Enix

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