Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is yet another remake of a classic, updating the ambitious JRPG for modern audiences.
Taking a significant jump from their remakes of Dragon Quest 1, 2 & 3, developers Square Enix have leapt all the way to remaking the seventh title, just over ten years since its previous 3DS remake in 2013.
Thankfully, fans of the series will be happy to know that the remake here is more than just a port of the 3DS version. This version of the game takes the next step, adding new content and reworking core features to make it stand alongside titles like Octopath Traveller 2 and the Persona series.
Last week, the lovely folks at Square Enix flew me up to Sydney to try out a few snippets of the game and get a feel for all the changes.
Admittedly, I’m not too familiar with the original version of Dragon Quest 7. However, I had played previous Dragon Quest entries and am no stranger to other Square Enix JRPG remakes. So, while I can’t speak as an authority on the original, as a Square Enix remake, I must admit, it’s shaping up to be an excellent port.
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That’s a good remake you got there
In the two sections of the game I got to play, I tackled some of the early game and a later section with a full roster boasting double vocations.
The first section we played was through the early area of Burnmont. If you’re familiar with the original, there isn’t a whole lot here that will change on your second time around, outside of some core features changing combat.
The second area featured the Highendreigh Tower dungeon and the challenging boss fight at the end.
What immediately struck me during my playtime was the impressive quality-of-life improvements introduced in this version of the game. While some carry over from the 3DS version, there’s plenty new here that make it worth picking up.
For this version of the game, the team over at Square Enix rebuilt Akira Toriyama’s characters as puppets, giving them that unique, charming design. Building off of this, the game is built like a massive diorama, giving players access to a full-360 degree camera to move your perspective around.
That means you can truly appreciate the details in the environment and avoid bumping into things you can’t see.
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As someone who gets lost all too often in JRPGs, I was beyond relieved that the map in this game is incredibly intuitive and will show you where to go when you get lost. This becomes all the more necessary as the open world is made available to you.
But what we’re all here for, I imagine, are those sweet, sweet combat changes.
A grindfest no more
Some of the new changes in the upcoming Dragon Quest 7 remake have made your usual dungeon grinding less of a chore. In the past, grinding out areas for levels would be a tedious task that could take hours before you were ready to take on the next area. While the new changes don’t eliminate the grind, it does make it less laborious.
The first new feature is that sometimes you don’t need to battle at all. Like Metaphor: ReFantazio, if you’re a high enough level, simply hitting enemies in the overworld will skip the battle and net you all that good experience.
Until you’re at that level, though, you’ll also be able to take advantage of two new features: Auto-battle and the ability to speed up combat on the go.
I won’t lie, I was a bit reluctant to try out the auto-battle, as in other games, the AI tends to spam all your mana and make some fairly questionable moves. However, the auto-battle was surprisingly competent here.
I picked the standard “all-out” mode, and characters did everything they were supposed to. Casters would switch between single-target and AoE spells depending on circumstances and would even switch to melee attacks to finish monsters off.
In battle, you’ll also be able to change the speed of combat from Normal, Fast and Fastest. The speed tends to go pretty quickly, racing through in-game text. It’s pretty easy to forget you left it on, so it’s probably good practice to toggle it off at the start of boss battles so you don’t miss any vital context clues for what their next attack may be.
You’ll also be thankful for the fast option, as another change Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined brings is letting characters equip a second vocation. So, if you’re keen to grind the classes out and equip even more spells and abilities, you won’t have to go through too much tedium while switching around.
Overall thoughts and feelings
Despite not having played the original Dragon Quest 7, I was still immensely impressed with what I got to try out.
As someone who’s played through the various renditions of Final Fantasy 4 and 6, I can’t help but feel green with envy that Dragon Quest fans are getting such a faithful and impressive remake here. While the remake wasn’t necessarily on my radar before, it’s quickly risen up the ladder to be a title I’m beyond excited to play through in full when it officially releases next year.
Of course, if JRPGs aren’t your thing, then I can’t imagine Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined will change your mind. In saying that, if you’re part of the small minority that dropped the original game, whether it was due to getting overwhelmed with the map or the levelling experience, I’m confident in saying that this version of the game adds enough to alleviate those pain points.
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined launches on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam on February 5th, 2026.
