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| Dragon Quest VII Reimagined begins its long adventure with a journey that slowly opens the world beyond Estard Island. |
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined opens without making a big deal out of itself. You’re on Estard Island, surrounded by water, going about everyday life while everyone around you insists this is all there is. There’s no opening crisis or dramatic hook. You’re just in this small place, listening to people who seem very sure nothing exists beyond the shoreline.
As you spend time there, things stop lining up. Ruins hint at something missing. Conversations don’t quite match what the world is showing you. The game doesn’t rush to explain any of it. You move forward because you’re curious, not because something is forcing you to act.
That approach carries through the rest of the game. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined opens up piece by piece as you move between the past and the present and start seeing how small decisions shape what exists later. The world isn’t falling apart. It feels unfinished. If you’re willing to move at its pace, the bigger picture comes together on its own.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Details
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch 2
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Role-Playing Game
Game Mode: Single-player
Stories That Grow Through Individual Places
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined breaks its story up by island, and each one plays out like its own little arc. You head into the past, deal with a specific problem, then come back to the present to see what changed because of it. Sometimes that change is obvious right away. Other times it’s small, and you don’t fully notice it until much later.
Some islands deal with familiar fantasy setups, monsters causing trouble or people stuck in bad situations. Others stick with you because of the choices you make and how those choices keep coming back. The game doesn’t stop to point at these moments or make a big show of them. You’re expected to notice the connections on your own as you move from place to place.
Early on, it can feel like you’re just helping people one island at a time without a clear sense of where it’s all going. As you keep going, those loose threads start to tighten. Characters show up again in different roles, past decisions matter more than you expected, and ideas introduced early on gain more meaning. By the time the larger conflict takes shape, it feels earned because you’ve already seen how the world changes step by step.
It’s a story that works best if you let it unfold naturally. The payoff comes from spending time in the world and watching those individual stories slowly add up instead of being rushed toward a single dramatic moment.
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| Each restored town reflects the changes made in the past, with small details that show how the world has been shaped over time. |
Keeping Things Moving Without Getting Confusing
Playing Dragon Quest VII Reimagined follows a familiar pattern. You head to an island, deal with what’s happening there, push things forward, then move on. That structure stays in place, but the situations change enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re doing the same thing over and over.
Moving around the world stays straightforward. You can spot enemies before running into them, paths are clear, and going back through older areas doesn’t slow things down once your party has some strength behind it. Smaller fights stop getting in the way, while tougher encounters still make you pause and think through your choices.
Combat sticks to classic turn-based battles, but it keeps things moving. Turns don’t drag, menus stay simple, and most fights wrap up without overstaying their welcome. As you unlock more options, you get more freedom in how your party works. You can shift roles, mix offence and support, and adjust based on what a specific area or boss asks of you.
What stands out is how forgiving the game is with your time. You can put it down for a while, come back later, and still know where you were and what mattered next. Even far into the game, it keeps the focus on playing rather than relearning systems.
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| Combat stays easy to read, with clear turn order and spell effects that don’t interrupt the flow of a fight. |
A World Built from Small, Intentional Spaces
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has a look that matches how the game is laid out. Towns and islands are compact, not sprawling, and everything feels deliberately placed. You’re not wandering through huge empty spaces. Each area feels like its own stop on the journey, with enough detail to make it stick before you move on.
The character designs stick close to classic Dragon Quest style, with that slightly toy-like look the series is known for. Expressions come through clearly during conversations and battles, and enemies are easy to recognise the moment they appear. Even when fights get busy, it’s still clear who’s acting and what’s happening.
The music fits the pace of what you’re doing. Town themes are relaxed and don’t distract while you’re exploring or talking to people. Battle music keeps things moving once fights start without becoming tiring over long stretches. Voice acting adds personality to key moments, then steps back so it doesn’t take over every scene. Together, the sound design supports what you’re doing without pulling focus away from the game itself.
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| The diorama-style layout keeps each island compact and readable, making it easy to understand space and scale at a glance. |
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Makes the Long Road Manageable
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined keeps the long structure the game has always had. You’re still in it for a long haul, moving from island to island and slowly piecing things together. What’s changed is how easy it is to stay oriented as you go. You always know what you’re working toward, and picking things back up after time away doesn’t feel like starting over.
There are stretches where the game repeats familiar ideas, and some threads take a while before they really come into focus. That’s part of how Dragon Quest VII has always been built, and this version doesn’t try to smooth all of that away. Instead, it makes those slower parts easier to live with by keeping the systems clear and the moment-to-moment play straightforward.
If you’ve ever been curious about this entry but bounced off older versions, this one finally makes sticking with it realistic. It lets you take the journey at your own pace and rewards you for staying with it rather than asking you to push through just to see what’s next.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Review Summary
Liked
- Island-by-island storytelling that builds momentum through consequences
- Clearer early structure that points you toward the bigger journey
- Readable exploration and visible encounters that keep progress smooth
- Turn-based combat that stays quick and easy to track
- A diorama-inspired look that gives each location its own identity
Didn’t Like
- The long structure can repeat familiar patterns across multiple islands
- Some ideas take a while before the larger connections become clear
- If you want an RPG that moves fast, the slow build may test your patience
Overall Assessment of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
Gameplay: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆ (4.5 / 5)
Presentation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆ (4.5 / 5)
Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆ (4.5 / 5)
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (5.0 / 5)
Fun Factor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆ (4.5 / 5)
Overall Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆ (4.5 / 5)
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