Individuals on the web wish to say “God provides His hardest battles to His strongest troopers,” and I believe that assertion applies to individuals like me who love RPGs however cannot earnestly suggest them to associates as a result of so many are a number of dozen hours lengthy.
This downside is commonly worsened by remakes or re-releases of previous RPGs, which add new content material that extends their already substantial playtimes. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined from Sq. Enix is a captivating exception to this pattern, because it takes a famously 100+ hour sport from 26 years in the past (which already received an expanded remake on 3DS in 2013) and truly condenses it down right into a format that is much more digestible for gamers who do not wish to dedicate that a lot time to a sport.
Sq. Enix went as far as to chop total areas and storylines out of the sport, and likewise accelerated the improve mechanics. The tip result’s a a lot leaner, faster, nearly entry-level model of DQVII. It is a terrific sport for Dragon Quest first-timers like me, however admittedly, it left me desirous to see what was left on the chopping room flooring.
A novel island-hopping journey
It is an actual looker.
Credit score: Sq. Enix/Steam
We are able to debate the need of remaking Dragon Quest VII for a second time this century, however there isn’t any query that its premise and construction make it one of many extra compelling video games within the venerable RPG collection. For that motive alone, I am glad Sq. discovered a technique to get this sport in entrance of individuals once more.
Initially of the journey, the silent protagonist and his associates stay on a small island with a few cities, a fort, and a mysterious shrine. So far as they’re involved, that is the complete identified world. There are not any different islands or continents within the huge ocean, and nobody actually is aware of why and even cares to ask about it. Earlier than lengthy, although, you will end up utilizing the aforementioned shrine to journey again in time to islands that used to exist, saving them from no matter perils they confronted, after which going again to the current to seek out them restored.
Whereas DQVII does have a essential plot hanging over all of this, in observe, it feels extra like a brief story assortment than many different RPGs. Every island has a bit narrative to inform you can get via in an hour or two, and as a reward, you get to revisit the island once more within the current to see how your actions prior to now affected it. It is an innately fascinating technique to construction a sport, and it makes DQVII Reimagined much less intimidating.
One other side of DQVII that makes it stand out in comparison with later entries (just like the also-excellent Dragon Quest XI) is that its story has a considerably darker tone. You are not at all times in a position to remedy each particular person’s downside cleanly. A number of tales finish in both outright tragedy or no less than in a bittersweet vogue; one that basically caught with me concerned going to the current to seek out the long-dead corpse of an inventor I helped prior to now nonetheless being attended to by a robotic that did not perceive the idea of dying.
It is usually unhappy with out ever resorting to overly edgy ways, and in a means that marries properly to the late, nice Akira Toriyama‘s colourful and personality-laden artwork course.
It is exceedingly chill, nearly to a fault
I just like the fight, however there isn’t any denying that it may be fairly low-impact.
Credit score: Sq. Enix/Steam
The considerably clashing narrative tone and bubbly character designs really feel in step with Dragon Quest normally, because the whimsical, humorous vibe the collection has at all times had additionally contradicts its nature as one of many definitive “sit again and watch numbers go up” video video games.
DQVII carries ahead the identical fundamental turn-based fight the franchise has had since day one. The primary-person perspective of the older video games has lengthy since been changed by a extra trendy third-person view with glorious assault animations, however mechanically it is nonetheless a sport about doing no matter you’ll be able to to make the mathematics work in your favor.
You may accomplish that both by grinding to turn into overpowered or by fastidiously outfitting your characters with sure gear that can make in any other case random battle results happen extra steadily. Both means, you are manipulating numbers in service of constructing larger numbers come out of enemies while you assault them.
I completely dig this strategy, as do many different individuals, judging by the enduring reputation of Dragon Quest each in Japan and elsewhere. There isn’t any denying, nonetheless, that I spent a lot of DQVII Reimagined with auto-battle turned on and the fight velocity set to the max, primarily watching the sport play out in entrance of me as a substitute of actively collaborating in battles.
Arguably, that is how the collection is supposed to be performed (after all, I turned off auto-battle for boss encounters), however I may perceive why trendy players would possibly query a sport you barely play within the conventional sense.
Cities are rendered fairly gorgeously right here.
Credit score: Sq. Enix/Steam
For me, the enjoyable lies in continually working in the direction of one thing. DQVII Reimagined features a related job system to earlier variations of the sport. You may equip totally different character archetypes like Mage, Warrior, and Priest to any character you need, and the extra time you spend with that job geared up, the extra expertise you unlock for it. Mastering sure combos of jobs will even mean you can equip extra superior jobs with endearingly game-breaking talents.
DQVII Reimagined makes one main change to this technique, which is that after some extent, you’ll be able to equip two jobs to a personality on the identical time, reaping the advantages of each without delay. This enables for better flexibility in build-crafting (having a beefy tank who may heal is self-evidently helpful), nevertheless it additionally enables you to degree up jobs extra shortly, granting entry to end-game variants in an environment friendly method.
I used to be actually a bit shocked at how shortly you’ll be able to grasp jobs and unlock new ones. You wind up not spending a lot time in any respect with any given job, which provides to the sense of mechanical selection, however does additionally make it really feel extra transparently such as you’re enjoying simply to replenish a meter relatively than totally partaking with particular fight roles for prolonged intervals of time.
All of that mixes with the shortage of random encounters, as enemies now seem on the overworld. Which means you’ll be able to outright skip fights in the event you really feel prefer it, which works to extend the tempo of DQVII Reimagined. You can too swing a weapon at enemies within the overworld, and in case your degree is excessive sufficient relative to theirs, you will immediately take them out proper there as a substitute of transitioning right into a turn-based struggle.
That is maybe my least favourite gameplay mechanic within the remake, as I really feel that it is balanced a bit too generously within the participant’s favor. I spent big swaths of a number of late-game dungeons doing little or no turn-based fight as a result of I might simply take out enemies that means as a substitute.
I’m hardly ever the sort to complain a few sport being too simple. I’m an grownup man who not has something to show to anybody. I usually simply do not care about problem within the conventional sense. However there isn’t any denying that, by the tip of DQVII Reimagined, I yearned a bit for the primary story to supply extra problem than it finally does. Nonetheless, the expertise DQVII Reimagined gives is sufficiently nice and satisfying, placing it proper consistent with different video games within the collection.
Nearly as good as this remake is, it will by no means really feel full
These are actually lovingly rendered takes on Akira Toriyama’s character designs.
Credit score: Sq. Enix/Steam
Earlier than we wrap up right here, I do wish to shout out the visible presentation in DQVII Reimagined. Toriyama’s exceedingly charming character designs have been delivered to life in full, luscious 3D, because of using bodily fashions that the builders truly crafted after which scanned to be used within the sport.
The characters look incredible, and the entire traditional DQ monsters look nearly as good as they ever have. It is a vivid, colourful sport stuffed with verve in every single place you go, and among the extra trendy visible additions, like depth-of-field results, work to boost the look. The PlayStation 5 model I performed additionally performs flawlessly.
Lastly, I ought to point out that this model of DQVII solely took me about 35 hours to finish. That is a vital discount in time in comparison with different variations of this sport, largely attributable to issues like elevated fight velocity and with the ability to skip fight encounters. Nonetheless, I also needs to word that no less than just a few islands and storylines from the unique sport have been scrapped completely right here, whereas others have been made elective.
It leaves me in a bizarre spot the place I do sincerely actually like this model of DQVII, however as somebody enjoying it for the primary time, I felt a little short-changed. I now wish to return to the unique PS1 and even the 3DS remake to see what was eliminated. I applaud Sq. Enix for having the gall to make a shorter model of an infamously lengthy sport, however there isn’t any query that this is not actually a definitive model of DQVII.
Nonetheless, even with these caveats, DQVII Reimagined is a good time and a enjoyable technique to kickstart 2026 for RPG followers who need one thing that goes down simple relatively than a 100-hour juggernaut.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launches on Feb. 5 for PC, PS5, Xbox Collection S/X, and Nintendo Swap 1 and a pair of.
Credit score: Sq. Enix/Steam
