The Dragon Quest games have hewed to tradition over the past four decades. Series creator Yuji Horii, inspired by Ultima and Wizardry, aimed to bring role-playing games to the masses with simplicity and a smile.

For gamers young and old, returning to games made decades ago poses a unique challenge: to appreciate dated graphics and archaic gameplay with modern eyes. Square Enix took up this challenge by resurrecting the classic role-playing game Dragon Quest II for today's gamers — though its preserved mechanics may turn off some players used to conventional RPGs.