Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake producer says "getting the balance right" is crucial when modernizing a classic, so you don't have fans complaining, "'We've got the original one, we don't need the new game'"

Artdink and Square Enix's Team Asano are revitalizing two more beloved JRPGs in Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake, and producer Masaaki Hayasaka thinks it's crucial to get "the balance" of changes right when it comes to modernizing older games.

Speaking with him at at Gamescom 2025, I ask Hayasaka what he believes is the most important thing when it comes to maintaining the original feeling of classic games while also bringing them up to date. "I really think the most important thing there is getting the balance right, obviously, between what you change and what you don't change, and getting that decision right," he responds, via interpreter. "Because you can look at it in different ways."

Hayasaka notes that "if you go, 'OK, we need to change everything, make everything new or different,' then there's people who are going to say, 'But that's not the same game anymore, we don't want that.' And on the other hand, if you're too protective about it, too conservative, you keep basically everything the same, people go, 'Well, we've got the original one, we don't need the new game.'"

As such, he reiterates, "getting that balance right is something you really have to think about very hard, work out exactly what to change and whatnot. Everyone's got a different answer."

Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake isn't without its changes. In fact, Hayasaka has also teased a "new twist" that'll come as a "really big surprise" for veteran fans, so even those who played the original games all those years ago have more to look forward to.

Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake reminded me why I love turn-based battles, but after 40 minutes with the game, I'm desperate to know what "really big surprise" the devs are hiding.