Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

As the name suggests, this is a complete remake of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (2000). A 3DS remake was released in the mid-2010s. However, this reimagined version features new character models and handcrafted 3D dioramas, providing a fresh visual aesthetic while retaining the charm and style of the original designs.

The storyline has also been streamlined to improve pacing and accessibility, while maintaining narrative depth. The original game featured seven story arcs. Four of these have been made optional, but the team has also added new storylines to further develop other characters. As players progress through the story, they discover towns, dungeons, fields and secrets, find side quests and minigames, and take on foes. Enemies are visible on the field (no random encounters), and once touched, a battle commences unless the enemy is weaker than the player.

The protagonist and their party members can master a variety of vocations, each offering unique spells and abilities to be used in battle. Although combat is turn-based, the battles are quite fast-paced. Battle speed can be adjusted, and there is also an auto-battle feature. The new Moonlighting feature allows each team member to equip up to two vocations. As each vocation offers different spells, abilities and stats, each combination expands the range of strategic possibilities. It is important to mix and match the party members' vocations.

There are also plenty of quality-of-life features. As well as automatically defeating weaker foes, players can set tactics for the team, enabling them to battle according to a particular strategy without the need for direct commands. Fights can also be sped up. Square Enix aims to attract new audiences to Dragon Quest, including younger players and PC gamers. To this end, they have updated the traditional window-based user menu system to a more familiar and intuitive tab-based system.

The game, developed by Square Enix and Hexadrive and published by Square Enix, will be released on 5 February 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S. Physical boxed versions of all console editions will also be available in retail stores.

Conclusion

Square Enix raises the bar with this remake, appealing to both newcomers to the Dragon Quest series and those who have played Dragon Quest VII before.

Features

• Full remake with new content as well
• Two vocations and lots of quality-of-life features
• Unique art style that stays close to the original