Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined Makes the Classic Game Easier to Play

When companies remake games that people love, it’s like walking on a tightrope. They have to keep what made the original great while also making it better for today’s players. This is very hard to do, and most companies would only try it once. But Square Enix is doing it again with Dragon Quest 7.

Dragon Quest 7 first came out for PlayStation in the year 2000. It became a favorite game for many players. What made it special was how the story was told across many different islands. Each island had its own small story that eventually connected to the bigger picture. This also made the game very big – one of the largest Japanese RPG games ever made.

Thirteen years later, Square Enix made a new version for the Nintendo 3DS. This was the first time the game came to Europe. They called it an ‘abridged’ version because they cut out some parts to make it shorter. Now, thirteen years after that, they’ve made another version called Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined.

As the name suggests, this isn’t just a shorter version of the original. It’s a whole new way of thinking about the game. The changes are bigger and more important than what they did for the 3DS version. Remaking games that people love can be scary, but the people who made this version weren’t afraid to make big changes. They went all out and weren’t afraid to cut things out. The result is the easiest version of Dragon Quest 7 to play yet – but this comes with some trade-offs.

Reimagined doesn’t hold back. Because the story is told in separate pieces on different islands, it’s easy to remove entire islands without hurting the main story. This game does that. Some places have been cut down so much that they’re hard to recognize. The original Dragon Quest 7 was a game that didn’t hold your hand, which could leave players confused about where to go next, especially if they took a break from playing. Reimagined fixes this – your goals are now always clear. If there’s an important item nearby, it will be highlighted on your map. Talks between your friends both help you learn about them and make sure you don’t forget where to go next.

Fights are similar to the 3DS version rather than the original. You can see enemies on the screen and choose to fight them, instead of random battles happening all the time. Dragon Quest 7’s turn-based fighting is still the same satisfying style this series is known for, but it’s been made easier in many ways. Enemy weaknesses are shown to you right away when you first meet them. It’s much easier to heal your party, and it’s much harder for you to lose all your characters. Even if that happens, the punishment isn’t harsh. You get free healing more often at special statues, so you don’t have to worry as much about managing your resources.

You can even defeat weaker enemies without starting a fight if you’re strong enough. If you’ve played turn-based RPG games before, you know how much time this will save. In the end, failing has been made almost impossible and boring work has been mostly removed. You probably won’t need to worry about the game’s difficulty settings, because the normal setting is already easy enough.

All of this will definitely make different people feel different ways, especially since the original game was known for being complicated. But one thing everyone can agree on is how beautiful the new art style is. For my money, this is one of the best ways I’ve seen to bring the old pixel art and colorful designs into 3D.

These character models have an interesting story. Square Enix actually made small dolls of each character from Dragon Quest 7 and then scanned them to understand things like materials, lighting, and how they move. I think you can really tell – they look a little strange, but they’re also amazing. They show feelings and details in all the right ways while keeping the playful energy that makes Dragon Quest special.

When you look at everything – the easy-to-understand art, the gameplay that’s been smoothed out so it’s hard to get a grip on – it feels like Square Enix is taking one of their most loved Dragon Quest games and trying to make it into something that could be someone’s very first Dragon Quest game. This makes for an interesting comparison to the recent remakes of the first three games in the series. Those are more like the originals. This is different.

1of3

Caption

Attribution

This different thing isn’t bad. In fact, I think it’s pretty good. But it’s a different kind of good than the original versions of Dragon Quest 7. What was once a game filled with challenge, difficulty, and size – yes, maybe too much size – has now had all the rough edges smoothed down. It’s like when you put rubber covers on the sharp corners of your coffee table so your grandkids don’t get hurt.

I’m okay with that. The quick and happy journey here shows off Dragon Quest 7’s good points, letting even players who aren’t very familiar with these games travel from one island to another and enjoy the different stories. With how many changes they made, there was a risk of throwing out the good parts with the bad, but I think they mostly avoided that. There are some cuts that are sad to see. Players who know the game well might miss the challenge or the lack of guidance – but I also think this game isn’t really made for me. I was able to get through the earlier versions even when they were slow and repetitive.

In short, this is a new way to experience a classic game. While it’s not as amazing as the original, it’s definitely an easier and more modern way to understand why people loved it so much. I just wish, like with some Final Fantasy games, that this version could be played alongside the other versions on systems people already have. Both versions available, with players choosing which one to play, would be perfect. But this new version on its own isn’t bad either.

A copy of Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined was provided by Square Enix.