Dragon Quest I HD-2D Play Diary #02: Kantada the Thief and the Stolen Key! – Riri Ititama / Vtuber
Welcome to part 2 of my Dragon Quest I HD-2D play diary!
(The play session is also on video, so please enjoy that alongside this diary♪)
Last time, I pushed myself a little too hard and made it all the way to the town of Rimuldar.
After that, I leveled up properly and got my equipment all in order!
So now there’s no way I’d lose to the small-fry monsters around here… probably! Right?
Now then, let’s look back on this adventure~!
📘Game Info
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© ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SPIKE CHUNSOFT/SQUARE ENIX
Title: Dragon Quest I (HD-2D Version)
Maker: Square Enix
Genre: RPG
Console: Nintendo Switch, etc.
Release Date: October 30, 2025
🌟Story
The hero Riri reached the town of Rimuldar
But battles with mighty foes were waiting for her there!
With her levels raised and the finest equipment in hand,
Riri now sets her sights on the Mountain Cave
To the south of Tantegel.
A Village Destroyed, and Treasure Hunting in the Mountain Cave!
Heading south from Tantegel Castle, I found a village that had been destroyed by monsters.
And who should be there but Sarai!
He really does travel all over the place, doesn’t he?
And then, on to the Mountain Cave!
In the original game, I remember it as a place you basically only visit to grab items (especially the Warrior’s Ring!), but of course I went in this time too.
I collected every single item inside the cave!
Getting the Nose for Treasure scroll was a lovely bonus – it makes exploring so much easier✨
Lost for a Whole Hour!? The Shrine of Rain and Rubiss’s Oracle
This was honestly the part I struggled with the most this time.
I’d completely forgotten what the King of Tantegel had told me, and I ended up wandering the map for a whole 1 hour… (lol)
At the Shrine of Rain, which I finally reached, the Sage of Rain gave me an errand: bring him the Silver Harp, and in exchange he would give me the Staff of Rain.
Up to here it’s the same as the Famicom version, but this is a remake after all – a proper new event had been added!
When I stayed the night, I dreamed an oracle telling me to summon the spirit Rubiss.
My goals for now became: get the Silver Harp, receive the Staff of Rain, and summon the spirit Rubiss.
By the way, I picked up a Crack scroll along the way… but I’d already learned Crackle, you know (lol).
The order’s a bit off there!
Reporting to the King, and the Dragonlord’s Deep, Cool Voice!
I went to report to the King of Tantegel about the Sphere of Light having been stolen.
It seems the King’s side already knew what was going on, and it came out that Princess Lora had been abducted while on her way to the Shrine of Rain, carrying the Sphere of Light.
The King also told me about Rubiss’s prophecy.
And here, the Dragonlord finally appears!
He’s voiced by Yoshitada Otsuka. Such a deep, cool voice…!
Although, if you trace it back, the Sphere of Light the Dragonlord stole did originally belong to the Dragon Queen, didn’t it?
So why has he come here now, of all times? The mystery deepens.
The King formally asked me to rescue Princess Lora, and I got some information about keys, too!
The flag has been safely raised!
Kantada Appears!? The Lying Legend of Erdrick and the Sorcerer
In the town of Garai, a crooked merchant tried to sell me the Thief’s Key at a rip-off price.
I mean, his name is literally “Crooked Merchant" (lol).
Later, at an inn on the southern road, the same merchant was there, and this time he told me: “The thief Kantada stole my key!"
I left the merchant be for the moment (lol) and went to the Mountain Cave, and there he was…
It was Kantada!
After I gave him a good thrashing, he fell into the classic “Forgive me! Please! Please!" loop.
According to him, there’s a family legend that says the hero Erdrick was once the top disciple of his ancestor.
That’s a total lie!!
Your ancestor Kantada, I mean!
He got beaten up so badly back then, didn’t he!?
Well, I suppose the descendant who believes it means no harm.
After that, I went to rescue his henchman who had been attacked, and the culprit turned out to be a Sorcerer!
That’s a monster that didn’t appear in the Famicom version, you know.
In a way, maybe it’s a little touch hinting at a connection to Dragon Quest II?
Little added details like this really get the speculation going!
Slightly Scheming? Meeting the Fairies and the Magic Key
To find out how to summon the spirit Rubiss, I asked the fairies, and they agreed to help me.
Although, they did say something a little scheming-sounding… (lol).
I always pictured fairies as mischievous, but scheming is a new one for me.
According to the fairies, “the elder of the spirits knows how to perform the summoning" and “the dwarves might know where the elder is."
Also, there was a wizard in Rimuldar who can make a Magic Key, but apparently, to complete an unbreakable Magic Key, he needs the help of a dwarf acquaintance of his.
On top of that, I also decided to go to the dwarf village to have the dark miasma on a swordsman examined.
All roads lead to the dwarves, it seems!
💬Riri’s Impressions
Well, I did end up wandering around for about an hour (lol).
Once I reached the Shrine of Rain, the story finally started moving again.
It might be my own fault for skimming through what the King said… but it was a little hard to follow, maybe?
Still, I was amazed at how much had been added that was never told in the Famicom version or the previous remakes!
The background of Princess Lora’s abduction, especially, was never depicted in detail in the Famicom version, so it felt fresh.
I’d thought, “It’s the first Dragon Quest, it’ll probably be over quickly~" – but it looks like I’ll be enjoying this for a long while yet!
Next time, I’m heading to the Dwarf Cave to get my hands on the unbreakable Magic Key!
Will I be able to get the key safely!?
Please look forward to the next play diary too~!✨
●For readers in Japan, Dragon Quest I & II for Nintendo Switch 2 (online code) is here♪ *This is the Switch 2 version only.
A Request from Riri
Thank you for reading to the end✨
I also stream games and all sorts of things on my YouTube channel!
This time I’ve uploaded the video [Dragon Quest HD-2D #02], so please come and see me in motion too💖
👇Watch the video here👇
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