Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Review

 I had played Dragon Quest VII ages ago on the 3DS and I remember it fondly. I was very excited for the remake and dove right in. We're introduced to the hero and his best friend Kiefer who happens to be the prince of Estard, the island where they live. Hero and Kiefer discover that Estard is the only island in the world, but find a pretty big secret that allows them to travel to the past where several missing continents still exist. Forcing herself to come along with them is their friend Maribel and she's as bossy as I remembered her from the original. I never liked Maribel and I still don't like her, but she is in some ways a good foil to the Hero and Kiefer.

Starting the adventure in Estard. 

The art style is different from the original with the 3D chibi models and the diorama landscapes and it looks great while keeping the game's original whimsy and charm. The trio of friends discover that things are really messed up in the past and it's up to them to fix those issues in order to restore the present timeline and bring the missing islands back. The battle system is typical Dragon Quest, but it's been overhauled a bit for the better and battles are actually fun. There's accessibility settings that in my opinion are amazing because you can make the game easier as well as have your party automatically heal after battles as well as add shortcuts on the controller for specific tactics to name a few.

Having each island be its own separate world is smart because allows you exploration without being overwhelmed and of course each area has various map shards that you can find and once you find all of the pieces you can put them together in the hidden sanctuary unlocking more islands. There are also special hidden map tiles that unlock specific challenges you can attempt if you wish.

Placing map pieces.

The job class system is great, because once you unlock a skill known as Moonlighting, you can have two different jobs equipped at once and can change them at any time. Both job classes earn experience at the same time and as you master them you can unlock more advanced job classes. You can also swap party members in and out making the party that works for you. The dungeon crawls are pretty straight forward and it's clear they streamlined them to make things faster and easier which works great because the dungeons are actually fun and not a chore. There are some puzzles here and there as well, but nothing terribly challenging. The game does a great job of allowing a lot of freedom to figure them out.

 

Figuring out a light puzzle. 

The story itself is still the same, but playing Reimagined it felt brand new because of the modern changes and I absolutely loved it. Toriyama's artwork is timeless and the pun filled monster names always make me laugh and smile. I loved that each island was completely different from the last with a different variety of monsters and lore that matched the theme of the area. You can talk to your party members about things you see on your adventure and they will even offer insight like where to go or what to do next. Maybe it feels a bit like hand holding in places, but I didn't mind it and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the game. 

We got to ride on a giant dragon!

Overall, I loved Reimagined and it reminded me of why I first fell in love with the Dragon Quest series when I was a kid (when it was known as Dragon Warrior) and why I still love it. They always tell great stories and are filled with interesting characters, villains, and lots of whimsical fun. There's a lot of side quests throughout the game as well which add to the fun. I finished the game in about 55 hours and liked the ending. There's also post game challenges you can do so you can continue having more adventures. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined did a fantastic job and I loved every bit of it. 

Celebrating with fireworks.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is available on the following platforms: Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam

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Mothergamer Plays The Day I Became A Bird

 *Note: I received the game for free for my honest review. Thank you so much to RenaissancePR for the PS5 game key!

The Day I Became A Bird introduces us to a young boy named Frank. Instantly I loved the art style for the game because it looks and feels like a whimsical children's book. There's a mini tutorial in Frank's bedroom on how to move him around, pick things up, and interact with surroundings. Frank even has a cute little dog that you can pet and feed before Frank heads off to school on his bike. This is where Frank's story begins and I loved the narrative pages as he tells his story because again it definitely feels like a lovely children's picture book. 

Frank begins his story. 

There's an introduction to a bike riding mini game here where Frank has to dodge puddles and ride through rings while collecting golden feathers on his bike ride to school. It's fun, but it went a little fast for me and I kept missing a ring or feather here and there. Luckily, the game doesn't judge you too harshly for that and gives you plenty of chances to get the number of rings and feathers you need. 

Trying my best at this minigame. 

Frank has a little trouble on his bike and crashes it in the park. Frank is okay and as he's sitting there he notices a girl singing to the birds. Frank is immediately drawn to this girl and can't stop thinking about her and how pretty he thinks she is. He gets to school and here Frank can talk to his classmates which gets information about the girl he saw in the park such as learning her name is Sylvia and that she's always drawing birds. There's little tasks you can do here like finding art supplies and putting together a picture that got torn apart. There's tile box style jigsaw puzzles you can do throughout the game that aren't too challenging, but definitely add to the game's charm. 

Frank notices the pretty girl singing to the birds. 

Frank comes up with a plan to get Sylvia to notice him. He decides that he will find a way to become a bird since she loves birds. There's a whole day at the park where Frank gathers the materials he needs for this like getting branches by shaking trees to knock them loose or gathering leaves from the leaf piles. Frank can also talk to all the kids there and do various tasks for them in exchange for items he needs for his bird project. The isometric navigation to 3-D is interesting with the straightforward gameplay. However, sometimes I would miss things visually and have to walk around several times before I found the item I was supposed to pick up. 

I also struggled with the minigame of Frank constructing his bird costume because the instructions weren't really clear about what I was supposed to do in order to cut out the shapes. I soon figured out that I was supposed to cut in between the dotted lines and I looked into the settings and discovered I could make the controls simplified which I greatly appreciated. That made things a lot easier for finishing this minigame and completing Frank's bird. 

The Day I Became A Bird doesn't pretend to be something it's not. It's direct and honest in the storytelling showing that this is not just a story about Frank, it's a story about that feeling of being a kid and finding first love. It does it in such a lovely and thoughtful way and the simplicity is what makes it beautiful and allows it to shine. I found myself smiling often at Frank's antics trying to impress the girl he likes while enjoying the story, the art, and the gameplay. The game isn't long at all. It's short and sweet; I finished it in about 45 minutes. I feel this works because the narrative for the story is nice and doesn't overstay its welcome with a wonderful ending that ties everything together beautifully. It was so lovely and I'm glad I got a chance to experience it. 

Become a bird! 

*The Day I Became A Bird is available on the following platforms: Steam, Playstation 5, and Nintendo Switch

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