Fresh off the heels of last year’s remake of Dragon Quest 3, the reimagined Dragon Quest I & II are just a little over a month away, and it appears there may be a significant surprise in store.

During a group interview at Gamescom, as reported by GamesRadar, producer Masaaki Hayasaka discussed the extensive effort that has gone into these remakes. Notably, it includes what Hayasaka describes as a “really big surprise” twist that even long-time fans of the series will not anticipate.

“We aim to astonish and please all Dragon Quest enthusiasts out there. Naturally, both myself and the original creator Mr. [Yuji] Horri engaged in detailed discussions about this because we aspire to deliver that surprise, that new twist.”

Additionally, Hayasaka mentions that the storyline for the two titles has been significantly expanded and enriched to a considerable extent. He states, “The initial version had tens of thousands of words on their own. We’re now in the millions for the remake.”

That remains quite vague, making it hard to determine what the new twist could involve, but it’s intriguing to ponder. Although they are the first two titles in the series, chronologically Dragon Quest I & II take place after the third game. The earlier remake added new narrative elements concerning Erdrick’s father, suggesting that DQ I&II could incorporate new threads related to Erdrick. In line with that, Horri has previously hinted, as reported by Automaton, that experiencing the trilogy in “chronological” order will unveil new revelations.

The series is indeed well recognized for its twists as well, such as the infamous one occurring midway through Dragon Quest XI that drastically alters the world.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake launches on October 30 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.