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With both the original PlayStation version and the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII largely inaccessible due to outdated hardware and digital storefront closures, the timing of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined couldn’t be any better. This second remake of the classic Japanese RPG game has been streamlined to be an approachable experience. While its new art direction and mechanics make gameplay more engaging than ever before, the lack of challenge may put off veteran players. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is smooth sailing, but this ship’s edges are sanded off a bit too much.
The game starts off with our main protagonist, who’s been given an ancient map fragment, indicating that a long time ago, there were multiple islands aside from their own small home of Estard. Looking for a way to travel back in time to explore these islands, he and his friends actually manage to find it. By solving various issues plaguing these islands in the past, the cast’s meddling manages to restore them in the present. It’s a nostalgic story that’s reminiscent of the games released in the early Y2K era like Kingdom Hearts, and one that’s also aged gracefully. It retains the whimsical, childlike wonder while balancing apocalyptic stakes that make players feel heroic.
One of the most notable aspects of this remake is the change in presentation. Instead of going for a HD-2D pixel sprite route like the recent Dragon Quest I, II, & III remakes, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined keeps the 3D graphics, but with doll-like and handcrafted character models. What really elevates the presentation is the brand new voice acting, which the original Dragon Quest VII games lacked. It adds a lot more charm and personality to the characters, like highlighting Sir Mervyn’s wisdom and conveying Prince Kiefer’s stubbornness.
This new art direction takes some time to get used to, but I ended up adoring it. Sure, the characters’ heads look a bit big, but they strike the perfect compromise between faithfully recreating the original 3D models and the more realistic proportions of recent entries like Dragon Quest XI.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined keeps the franchise’s classic turn-based combat, but the highlight is the new Moonlighting feature. It expands on the original’s job system, and now lets characters equip two Vocations instead of one. This opens the floodgates for so much creativity, flexibility, and customization. It’s really fun to mix and match the different Vocations to see which ones synergize the best. Want a character to handle both offensive and defensive magic? Equipping the Mage and Priest combo is the way to go. You can also choose which Perk (ultimate attack) to unleash when you have two Vocations equipped, which lets you change strategies on the fly, adding layers of depth to battles. Additionally, if one of your equipped Vocations is maxed out, extra proficiency points earned from defeating enemies are instead transferred to your other Vocation. That way, it feels like I’m not letting my points go to waste.
But within that rub contains this game’s biggest flaw: It’s too easy. In particular, the Mage job gets access to the non-elemental multi-target spells, Bang and Boom, incredibly early. It makes normal battles an afterthought, as these spells pretty much function as auto-delete buttons against many enemies. Plus, you can avoid normal encounters altogether by toggling the setting to not have enemies chase you in the open field, removing much of the game’s friction.
Thankfully, boss battles still pack a punch, and require careful play so as to avoid getting steamrolled. There were moments where I barely achieved victory by the skin of my teeth, providing immense satisfaction.
Despite the general lack of challenge outside of boss battles, I do appreciate the variety of difficulty options that this remake provides. There are easy, normal, and hard mode presets, as well as the ability to toggle different parameters separately like EXP and damage modifiers to tailor your experience. Additionally, the much-appreciated objective marker makes story progression and finding map fragments less frustrating endeavors this time around.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has just as much heart as its previous iterations, but is now also much more welcoming and modernized. The presentation is endearing, and the new gameplay mechanics, as well as the plethora of modifiers, will help new players navigate uncharted territory. Even if the challenge isn’t always there, those who’ve set sail on this adventure before will find plenty to love in this latest expedition.
