Dragon Quest VII Reimagined preview: Square Enix is nailing another remake

Remaking games so they deliver doses of nostalgia to returning audiences while enticing new people at the same time is no mean feat.

Doing that with iconic titles that are considered to be among the very best in that particular series, especially when the series has almost sold 100m units in total, is even more pressurised.

On this occasion, while the studio we're referring to is Square Enix, we're not talking about the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy here - but instead Dragon Quest VII Reimagined.

Square Enix has been busy working on remaking much older Dragon Quest games of late, with the Erdrick trilogy (the first three Dragon Quest games) getting the studio's renowned 2D-HD treatment.

But it's different with Dragon Quest 7 - much different. This isn't a 2D-HD remake but a 3D reimagining.

And indy100 has been hands-on with the game ahead of its release in February with the early signs being incredibly encouraging.

Boss battles keep you on your feet at all times / ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SQUARE ENIX

Dragon Quest VII is a turn-based role-playing game that's renowned for having a brilliant story, impressive monster design and a unique time-travelling adventure.

And Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is what it says on the tin, it's a reimagining of Dragon Quest VII with a new visual style and updated combat mechanics. It first released in Japan in 2000 before getting the 3DS treatment in 2013 where parts of it were streamlined.

That's because although it's loved by its community, the original was widely considered to be too long, taking more than 100 hours to complete and the 3DS version still taking around 80.

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa confirmed to indy100 in a translated interview Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has been streamlined even further, which may ring alarm bells to some, but he feels as though that magic has not been lost while improving its pacing.

Ichikawa said: "The original has a huge amount of content just to get through the story, around 100 hours, and it was structured quite uniquely, it was like an omnibus of short stories which played out in order.

"The main idea behind switching the order around of some of the storytelling and the construction is to make the tempo feel a lot nicer and the second to make each experience richer and deeper.

"We rebuilt the whole thing for it to feel like a completely new take on the original and in doing that, we've changed some of the scenarios which appeared in a fixed order which are now selectable to be played in any order you want once you get to a certain point before then progressing.

"Other scenarios which didn't have as much relevance to the main storyline have been cut out to make the story feel more compact and tight. It's not just removals, we've added some brand new character episodes too.

"I'm very confident it will appeal to both returning and new players, even though there have been changes around the edges, the core of the story and its atmosphere has not changed, that's exactly how it was."

The camera is fully 360 degrees when traversing / ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SQUARE ENIX

Ichikawa said streamlining the story is one of three main changes that has been made from the 3DS version.

"As well as the story, the other two big changes are the visual presentation and how the battles work," he said.

"The way we've improved the game makes it so much more accessible and easier to get into and play and that applies to people who are both new to Dragon Quest 7 and to people who would have played the original game as well.

"The art from all games in the Dragon Quest series is based on the original illustrations from Akira Toriyama and with Dragon Quest VII, the proportions are much more cute and it has its own distinct style already.

"When looking at what might fit those more adorable style of characters, we've noticed around the world recently there's quite the popularity among games where there are things based on puppets or dolls, so we thought that might make a good direction for Dragon Quest VII by going with dolls and rendering them.

"With battles, the big changes are the characters' moonlighting abilities, so they can take on two jobs at once when you get to a certain part of the game.

"It's much easier for players to casually switch between jobs and it also makes each job much more unique, adding that level of customisation where players can put their own spin on characters.

"We've also added being able to change the battle speed, the auto battle ability and if you're much stronger than an enemy, you don't need to engage with them in battle, you can just cut them down on the map screen."

The UI in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has been updated along with vocations and moonlighting / ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SQUARE ENIX

I played through two different sections - one early on in Emberdale at Level 6 and the other in Wetlock, challenging boss Gracos at Gracos Castle, at Level 21.

The first section saw me get involved with the Flaming Festival where the local Emberdale residents don't seem to be too fussed about a potentially impeding apocalyptic threat.

The first things that jump out are the brilliant renders of dolls being used for the characters, the camera can be turned a full 360 degrees and the soundtrack has been completely redone too.

The UI (user interface) has been successfully remade as well to bring it more in line with modern day expectations with tabs being the focus instead of text.

You go into the nearby Burnmount volcano where NPCs take part in the Flaming Festival while you battle your way into the volcanic depths before taking on a boss.

There's engaging turn-based combat with options to auto-battle where you can attack, use skills such as heal or buff characters, use items or defend. You can land pre-emptive strikes by hitting enemies too.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined follows the same layout in that worlds are not completely open and sections are split into different areas but that helps it keep that Dragon Quest feel.

Characters can get 'worked up' which activates a perk from their vocation for a few turns and this time, characters can have up to two different jobs.

Characters can individually be set up with different focuses so you don't have to input individual commands all the time. Options here include all-out attack, healing and not using any MP but I found myself manually inputting commands to keep the flow of the battle exactly how I wanted it at all times.

Enemies can be seen in the map and can be engaged with or run past. Enemy variety did feel a little repetitive in this section but battles can be made as fast or as slow as you want so it never felt like a real grind improving my party.

Boss Gracos will present a tough test / ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SQUARE ENIX

Moving on to the higher-levelled Wetlock, where more characters and elements have been introduced, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined grows in its complexity but that might be more to do with the stark jump experienced in this preview between sections.

The characters have so many more moves and abilities at their disposal and juggling what to do while catering to the needs of your party in terms of HP and MP as well as taking down more powerful enemies was much more engaging here.

At no point in this did I feel as though I was going through the motions and it kept me focused throughout, which I really enjoyed.

It becomes clear very quickly that a lot more care and attention is required to take on enemies pretty much at all times. Bosses are much tougher too and you've really got to manage your party and plot moves in advance to succeed.

Against the boss Gracos who I fought in this section, I was barely hanging on by the end before falling over the line, which drew a huge sigh of relief and a feeling of accomplishment getting the better of an enemy I thought was going to defeat me right at the final hurdle.

It makes it all the more thrilling when there's no health bar; you only know you're chipping away at enemies when their names change colour, in true Dragon Quest fashion.

There are also segments where you travel across the world map in an old-school JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) style too. Listening and reading the dialogue is key for knowing what to do next although there is a log if you get stuck.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is shaping up to be another iconic Square Enix remake / ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SQUARE ENIX

Although I've only played a couple of hours of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined so far, that Dragon Quest charm is in full swing and it seems as though there's going to be a lot here to keep players engaged throughout - but crucially not overwhelmingly so.

And it sounds like a lot of that bemoaned bloat has been cut out completely.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined releases on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and PC on 5 February 2026.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake review: Brilliant bundle with the secret sauce
• Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate finally gets update from series creator

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