The Dragon Quest series is clearly a passion project, and the frequent updates and remakes of its classic games prove it. Now, the developers are going above and beyond with one of their most popular titles, and it could set a new standard for how studios revive their older games.
Originally launched in 2000, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past isn’t just a simple update. It’s been completely rebuilt, offering a brand new experience within the familiar world fans love.
If you’ve played this series before and are excited to revisit it, or if you’re completely new and looking for a fun experience, it’s helpful to know what the game offers. We’ll walk you through the key features to help you decide if it’s right for you. Let’s begin!
1. Bringing A New Art Style to Estard
If you remember how the game looked back in 2000, you’ll likely be amazed by this updated version. Even the first glimpses show how the new art style, inspired by dioramas, makes Dragon Quest VII feel completely fresh and new.
This isn’t just a superficial update; it truly enhances the experience for anyone exploring this world, and it complements other upcoming improvements perfectly.
2. Meet The New Character Models
Honestly, the character models in this game are incredible. They didn’t just make them, they actually scanned in real, hand-crafted dolls for each character! It’s seriously impressive. And it gets better – they used actual real-life materials when they built the armor and gear, so everything looks super detailed and realistic. It really pulls you into the game.
This version of Dragon Quest VII looks fantastic, offering a fresh and updated take on familiar characters with noticeably improved details. It has the potential to be the definitive edition.
3. Voices to the Faces
The game now features full voice acting for every character, available in many different languages. Each translation has been carefully crafted to feel genuine and add depth to the experience. This detail perfectly complements the game’s fresh new direction, and the ability to customize characters to truly match their roles is fantastic for drawing players into the world.
4. A Reimagined Pace
Okay, so the original game was really long, and the developers heard us loud and clear! For this ‘Reimagined’ version, they’ve cut out a few areas – places like Grondal, El Ciclo, and Providence – to make the game flow better. They figured those spots weren’t essential to the main story, and trimming them would make the whole experience smoother and more enjoyable. Honestly, I’m okay with that – a tighter, more focused game sounds great!
It’s great that the developers are focused on quality, but some fans might be disappointed not to see those characters included, especially with a potential new look. However, streamlining a large game to improve overall quality is a good strategy, and this decision could benefit the game in the long run.
5. The Top-Down Aesthetic
We’re bringing back the original overhead perspective to Reimagined. This choice helps showcase the beautiful new diorama-style art and makes exploring the world feel more natural. Unlike the closer camera angle in the 3DS version, this view lets you see more of your surroundings and strategize your next move.
I’m really excited because this improvement pairs perfectly with a cool new gameplay change they’re going to announce soon! It feels like everything is coming together nicely.
6. It’s Easier To Uncover the Past
Finding collectible fragments used to be difficult, requiring a lot of aimless searching. Now, it’s much simpler. The game features helpful minimap markers that show you exactly where the fragments are, and the locations of important tablets have been made easier to reach.
This update will significantly reduce repetitive tasks and allow players to experience more of the game with less effort. The developer clearly focused on creating a smoother, more streamlined experience. However, players who prefer the original game might notice some changes and missing content, so it’s worth considering if you’re a traditionalist.
7. Master More Vocations
We’re thrilled to introduce the ability to equip a second Vocation to your character, giving you a whole new set of skills to use in battle. We can’t wait to see how players combine different Vocations and discover powerful synergies – it’s a fantastic way to revitalize the gameplay experience for our long-time fans.
The ‘Worked Up’ mechanic is a clever addition to the game’s battles, encouraging players to think strategically. By repeatedly attacking and defending, characters can gain either a helpful boost or a hindering effect, potentially changing the outcome of a fight. These features are fantastic and promise to make combat feel fresh and engaging when the game launches.
8. Automate Your Party
To make the game feel more modern, developers now let you automate your party’s actions. This lets them focus on specific tasks during battles, speeding up gameplay and fixing a common issue players had with the original game.
It saves you time by letting you avoid battles, and allows you to skip easy fights against weak enemies if you have more pressing matters to attend to.
9. Controlled Battle Encounters
Similar to the 3DS version, you can now see battles on the map before they happen. This lets you either steer clear of them completely, or carefully approach enemies to gain a surprise attack, potentially defeating them instantly and skipping the battle.
While we generally favored the earlier system with random battles, this new approach will pair nicely with the overhead perspective, giving players greater control over how they spend their time in the game.
10. More Options for Beginners
Beyond simply automating your gameplay, this version lets you fully heal your team and customize the difficulty. This makes it easier for anyone to pick up and play, which should help it reach players on all kinds of devices.
This small update helps bring the classic game into the modern era, making it surprisingly enjoyable even after all these years.
11. Set the Pace of Battles
You can also save time by changing the battle speed. This helps you progress through the game faster without spending too much time leveling up your character.
You’re going to find farming out Vocation XP and other important materials is a lot faster.
12. Things Are Still Quite Challenging
Don’t worry about the game becoming too easy despite all the recent changes. Initial impressions suggest the bosses and enemies will still be challenging, forcing you to use every ability and item to protect your team and the characters you encounter.
If you’re new to the Dragon Quest series, expect to struggle often, even on the normal difficulty setting. Experienced players will also want to come prepared for battles. After all, a true Dragon Quest game challenges you to improve your skills!
13. An Old Friend Returns
Lizard Gecko has returned! But the team hasn’t figured out a good role for him in the game yet, so he’s currently just a background character. You’ll still see him featured in the hero portraits, though—he hasn’t been removed from the game entirely, unlike in the 3DS version where he was cut completely.
Honestly, they could have just stuck with what was working, but I really appreciate that the developers went the extra mile and included that little reference. It shows they care about the fans and the details!
14. PC Requirements
To play the game on PC, you’ll need Windows 11 on a 64-bit processor (like an AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i3-6100). It also requires 8GB of RAM and a graphics card with at least 15GB of free space – options include the AMD Radeon RX 460, Intel Arc A380, or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750. Note that the Intel Arc A380 specifically needs 16GB of RAM to run the game.
Okay, so if you want this game to run well, you’re looking at needing at least an AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or an Intel Core i3-6100 processor. You’ll also want 16GB of RAM, and for the graphics card, something like an AMD Radeon RX 580, Intel Arc A750, or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 should do the trick. That’s what I’m aiming for, anyway!
15. Close To 100 Hours For The Main Campaign
Okay, so even though they’ve made the game pretty smooth and easy to get into, I’m already predicting I’m going to be sinking a lot of time into this one. I’d say if I really want to see and do everything, I’m looking at around 100 hours of gameplay. It’s gonna be a long adventure, but I’m excited!
This game is huge and filled with captivating side stories and activities. It’s easy to get lost in them, and that’s a big part of why it’s still so beloved by players.
That covers everything you need to know about Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. Now we just have to wait for the game to come out!
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2026-01-08 14:14