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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Celebrating with fireworks. |
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