Dragon Quest VII Reimagined review: Bold, brave and brilliant

Dragon Quest VII is one of the most beloved games in the long-running series. Ripping up the original and reimagining it is quite a bold and brave move from Square Enix.

The turn-based role-playing game is renowned for having a great story, strong monster design and a unique time-travelling adventure with one gripe being that it's perhaps a bit too long and bloated.

Changing up something that's already loved by so many, even with its flaws, so drastically might be considered a risky move, especially with how highly it's regarded among fans.

But Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is brilliant. It successfully refines the story, brings it in line with modern expectations and to a new audience.

A review code was provided by the publisher and was played through on a base PS5.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is quite the risk from Square Enix, switching up a beloved classic / Armor Project, Bird Studio, Square Enix

What's the story like in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?

At its core, the story is largely similar to the original in that a group of young heroes discover their island is the only landmass in a desolate, ocean-filled world.

They travel back in time to alter the course of history to restore the island to the modern world with engaging stories told about the main characters and others they encounter along the way.

But the way it's been packaged this time around is quite different. Dragon Quest VII was already streamlined in a 3DS release but even that has been switched up in Reimagined.

The order of the story in some cases has been changed completely, giving it a new feel.

In some cases, players can now choose which order previously fixed scenarios play out before progressing and this helps to give players a bigger sense of freedom and develop aspects of the story they want to at certain times.

Some scenarios which didn't have as much relevance have been cut out completely to streamline the game but some new content has been added too.

Developers want this to appeal to both new and existing fans and it feels as though Square Enix has found that sweetspot here.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined looks brilliant visually with a vibrant colour palette really standing out / Armor Project, Bird Studio, Square Enix

How does Dragon Quest VII Reimagined look visually and perform?

The most immediate striking change is how Dragon Quest VII Reimagined looks. It's not in Square Enix's renowned 2D-HD style but is a 3D game with rotatable camera with the characters being rendered from dolls.

Dragon Quest VII already has its own distinct style as characters look more cutesy than in other entries and they look even more so this time around.

It gives Reimagined its own identity away from the original in this regard.

In terms of how the game looks in action, it doesn't miss a beat. The colour palette is vibrant with colours popping off the screen and the unique art style is a feast for the eyes.

The user interface (UI) has been remade to bring it in line with what you'd expect from a modern RPG, navigating through different tabs instead of lots of text.

On a base PS5, the game runs flawlessly at 4k resolution and 60 fps (frames per second). Not once did I encounter a noticeable stutter or any issues on that front.

The sound of the game is great too. The soundtrack has been completely redone and there is voice acting.

Battles are brilliant on the whole but enemy variety in some dungeons can feel a little repetitive / Armor Project, Bird Studio, Square Enix

What’s the gameplay like in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?

Core gameplay is turn-based combat and navigating the world while exploring. At the start, you can alter specific difficulty settings such as damage dealt, experienced earned, monster strength and more.

Starting with the combat, you can auto-battle if you wish, attack, use skills to heal or buff characters, use items or defend. Pre-emptive strikes can be landed on enemies too.

Playable characters can also be set up with different focuses, such as all-out attack, healing and not expending any MP, so you don't have to manually input commands all the time.

There are no health bars either, just enemy names turning different colours as you continue to deplete their HP to indicate how close you are to beating them.

As all good combat mechanics should do, it starts quite simple before developing to the point where you're having to juggle a lot of things and keep on your toes to take down more powerful enemies as more characters, abilities and options unlock.

For example, characters can get 'worked up' which activates a perk from their vocation for a few turns.

It successfully remains engaging throughout with a big help from some key quality of life improvements.

These include the battle speed and the auto-battle ability so you don't actually have to take on enemies who are levelled much lower than you.

Battle speed helps to stop battles against enemies, particularly in dungeons, from ever feeling slow or tiresome and cutting down enemies much weaker than you helps to maintain a decent pacing.

Some enemy variety did feel a little repetitive at times which sometimes gives a feeling of going through the motions to get the same outcome but quickening the battle speed helped with this.

A big change from the original is that this time around, playable characters can have two jobs at once when you reach a certain part of the game.

This is a great quality of life feature as it means you can switch between jobs to level them up and it makes them feel more unique.

In terms of navigation and exploration, Reimagined follows the same layout as Dragon Quest VII in that sections are not completely open and are split into different areas which keeps a more traditional Dragon Quest feel.

This is a key element in making it a reimagining rather than a remake like we've seen with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is bold and brave in the risks it takes but is brilliant in the way it lands them / Armor Project, Bird Studio, Square Enix

What’s the verdict on Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a brilliant reimagining of a classic Japanese RPG which takes a lot of risks that land.

The story has been streamlined effectively, it has its own unique identity and the gameplay is mostly engaging throughout.

Enemy variety can feel a little repetitive at times which gives a feeling of going through the same motions to get the same outcome in some dungeons.

But this doesn't detract too much from what's a brilliant JRPG.

9/10

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake review: Brilliant bundle with the secret sauce
• Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is the best Nintendo Switch 2 port yet - here's why

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