Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, from Square Enix and HEXADRIVE Inc., arrives at an interesting moment for the franchise. Dragon Quest XI, still one of my personal standouts of 2018, remains the last mainline entry, while Dragon Quest XII has been announced for years with little news to speak of. In the meantime, Square Enix has shown renewed care for the series through recent HD-2D remakes, putting Dragon Quest back in the spotlight. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined fits squarely into that renewed momentum. Check out our Dragon Quest VII Reimagined review!
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined brings a timeless classic to life in a whole new way with charming diorama visuals, updated gameplay mechanics, and a streamlined story,.
For seasoned adventurers, rediscover a tale of plucky companions that is brimming with joy and heartbreak. For fledgling heroes new to the series, this is a great place to begin your DRAGON QUEST journey.
Dragon Quest VII ‘Reimagined’?
Rather than a strict remake, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is best described as a modern retelling. The game is built around the main events and narrative beats of the original Dragon Quest VII (titled Dragon Warrior VII when it came out in 2001), reworked with modern technology and quality-of-life improvements while staying faithful to the structure and identity of the source material. This approach makes it clear early on that this is a respectful modernization.
A Personal History With the Franchise
I have been a long-time fan of the Dragon Quest franchise, having played and enjoyed many entries over the years. Despite that, I completely missed the original PlayStation release of Dragon Quest VII, making this reimagined version my first real experience with the game. That places me in a somewhat ideal middle ground: familiar with the series’ conventions, but without nostalgia tied specifically to this entry.
Opening Hours and Pacing
The opening hours of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined are undeniably slow. During the first hour, players will encounter only a single tutorial battle, with the next one arriving closer to the two-hour mark. Long conversations and slow text scrolling further stretch this introduction, making it easy to wish for more battles and hands-on gameplay early on.
Narratively, this is justified by the fact that the starting island is free of monsters, but the contrast with Dragon Quest XI is striking. In XI, tutorials, exploration, and multiple battles are all comfortably introduced within the first hour. Here, the “real game” only truly begins to open up around the two-hour mark.
Story Structure and World Progression
The world is divided into small, bite-sized islands, each featuring a handful of locations such as towns and dungeons. Every island tells its own self-contained story, complete with its own conflict and resolution. Early on, this structure can make the experience feel closer to a sequence of side quests rather than a unified narrative. Over time, however, the broader story begins to take shape. The slow buildup is deliberate, even if it lacks the immediacy of more modern Dragon Quest entries.
Characters and Party Dynamics
As expected, the main character is silent, serving as the player’s avatar rather than a narrative driver. That role largely falls to Kiefer, the prince and one of your closest companions. Lonely, curious, and eager for adventure, Kiefer often feels like the true lead character in the early hours, pushing the party forward and questioning the world around him. Mirabel stands out with a strong and assertive personality. She knows what she wants and is not shy about expressing it. Other colorful companions join the team later on.
Level Design and Exploration
Exploration reflects its PlayStation-era roots, with isometric environments and a freely adjustable camera. Occasionally, changing camera angles is necessary to spot hidden chests or doors. Luckily, the game relies on this sparingly.
One welcome addition is the Zoom spell, unlocked very early and usable to fast travel between any discovered location. This single feature goes a long way toward smoothing out exploration and backtracking.
Combat System and Quality of Life Improvements
Combat is classic Dragon Quest through and through. Characters attack or cast spells based on player input, with the option to assign various AI behaviors depending on how hands-on you want to be.
Modern quality-of-life features make a big difference. Auto-battle can be triggered instantly, battle speed can be adjusted across three settings, and weaker enemies can be defeated automatically by making contact in the field, reminiscent of EarthBound. These additions streamline the experience without altering the core combat system fans expect.
Accessibility Options
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined offers several accessibility options that can significantly ease the experience without penalizing the player. Damage dealt, damage received, and experience gains can all be adjusted.
The standout option is automatic HP restoration after battles, which greatly reduces the pressure of long dungeon crawls where save points are few and far between. One notable omission, however, is the lack of a faster text speed option, which would have helped alleviate the slow pacing of conversations.
Visual Presentation and Performance
Built in Unreal Engine, the game runs at a stable 60 frames per second and presents a colorful, polished world. Character and enemy designs based on the Akira Toriyama art style are expressive, and seeing equipment changes reflected directly in battle is a welcome touch.
Enemy designs feel quintessentially Dragon Quest, with some sporting a Saturday-morning-cartoon villain vibe that fits the series perfectly. Environments are well detailed, and water effects in particular stand out.
Music and Voice Acting
The orchestrated soundtrack is strong, featuring many familiar themes from across the franchise. While the battle music is solid, it does not quite reach the heights set by Dragon Quest IV, V, or XI. English voice acting is consistently excellent, with well-chosen accents that add charm and personality to the cast without feeling overdone.
Trophies
This game is a retail release, and that means we’re getting a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy waiting for you. The list is a long one, and it includes 54 Bronze trophies, 5 Silver trophies, and a single Gold trophy.
There are plenty of objectives to complete on your journey toward that shiny Platinum trophy. Along with the trophies that pop as you complete specific quests, there are also trophies for earning 100 quick wins, defeating 2,000 monsters, defeating every monster on the monsters list, defeating 30 metla monsters, changing vocation for the first time, mastering a beginner vocation, or completing the spicy level of Lucky Panel.
Conclusion
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a loving modernization of a classic. While its age is most apparent in its slower opening and more traditional structure when compared to Dragon Quest XI, patience is ultimately rewarded. Its charm, presentation, and steady sense of discovery remain firmly intact, making this reimagined journey well worth taking for fans willing to meet it on its own terms.
And if this reimagining is any indication of where the series is headed, one can only hope that a Dragon Quest VIII Reimagined is next. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is out on PlayStation 5 with a $59.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Dragon Quest VII Reimagined review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy provided by Square Enix.
