Forging something new from the fragments of the past.

Few long running series envelop my heart the way Dragon Quest has in recent years. As someone who has been slowly submerging myself into these slime infested worlds and had never played the original release of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past on PlayStation and only a few hours of the 3DS version, my excitement for Reimagined continued to bubble as 2026 encroached. Having little to zero knowledge of what this cast of characters would be getting up to in this time-hopping trek to save the world my approach to this entry wasn’t clouded by comparisons but instead as a newcomer. That’s not to say I didn’t periodically investigate changes but as someone who personally didn’t experience the earlier versions of this game, some of these changes may be more impactful or divisive to series stalwarts. Alas, with fresh eyes and a thirst for adventure I navigated through the seas and skies eager to chart my own opinion.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined as the name suggests is a completely retooled version of this classic tale. The visuals, the gameplay, and even the structure of the narrative have all been tinkered with to create something that feels more streamlined and modern for veterans and newcomers alike. It’s impossible for me to begin anywhere other than the visual overhaul that took Akira Toriyama’s designs and turned them into real life dolls creating a unique identity to this Dragon Quest game– and I adore it. Often throughout my time in Reimagined I’d catch myself slowing down and taking a moment to admire the aesthetic that overtook the entire journey because of these style choices. A visual design that evoked familiar feelings of dumping out a crate of action figures and plunking hours into adventures as a kid.

It was so easy for me to dissolve into this world with how well the diorama effect coupled with the alluring art direction aided the gameplay and narrative. Moving around in this world just feels good. It transported me back to the early 2000s without ever feeling like I was playing an old game. Smooth, unencumbered, and expressive each time you entered a town, explored the overworld, or engaged in battle. Combat felt fluid and what you would expect from a modernized Dragon Quest with how it handles jobs, dealing with groups of enemies, and random encounters. Once you unlock the ability to change jobs and add a second job, referred to as Moonlighting in this game, it continued to open up more avenues for party building and building a team based around your preferences. An additional perk of jobs in this game were “Let Loose” where you would be able to activate a special job-specific skill once a party member had been sufficiently “worked up.” Some of these would be party wide buffs, while others might allow you to attack with only critical hits for a specified duration. These additional tools in battle could help you turn the tide in some of the more difficult battles on your quest. Although, I never had too much trouble with the difficulty on my adventure, there is a rather robust difficulty slider that will allow you to tweak the game to offer the challenge you are seeking. Needless to say, whether I was playing at normal speed, auto-battling, or grinding up job levels each spell cast and every enemy vanquished further lured me into this toy chest.

The narrative of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined revolves around a group of friends who grew up on Estard Island– the starting area of this adventure. The protagonist is a young boy who’s following in his father’s fisherman footsteps and is joined by the prince of Estard, Kiefer, as well as Maribel, the mayor’s daughter. All three of them create the main party and are eager to set out on an adventure and see what lies beyond the coasts of Estard Island especially after discovering some broken stone tablets.

The main flow of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined revolves around you gathering these fragments, piecing them together to reveal maps, and travelling to these new islands in both the past and present day. Each one accompanied with its own set of stories, characters, and challenges as you work towards finding answers to why the world has become the way it has. The overall conceit of collecting tablets, travelling back and forth, and seeing how the world around you reacts to this is compelling and intriguing. It doesn’t always bare the most unctuous fruit but there were moments and islands that were inhabited by interesting stories and characters that kept me curious and craving the next completed tablet.

Although the narrative had its highs and lows, what stood out to me and left the most impactful impression were the main party members journeys. Recovering old worlds and defeating monsters aside, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined hovers around the theme of purpose and the choice to pursue just that. It’s a tale of childhood, about expectations and responsibilities, and ultimately about being fearless and unafraid of forging your own path. Still not perfect and did leave me wanting just a tad more for each of them, there were still beats that resonated with me. Kiefer’s story specifically dealing with understood privilege but wanting to find his own purpose outside of his duty and Maribel who similarly doesn’t want to be confined to the life she has were two of those threads. On the surface these can seem juvenile but as they stuck with me the nuance unraveled connections that latched on. Not all of this is delved into as far as I am pulling, but the feeling of yearning for your own destiny and trying to realize it twinkled between the lines. Some of the characters choosing even harder paths when ones less prickly are aplomb with privilege and at your fingertips is particularly powerful when it’s young characters making these choices with their gut.

The major things that weighed Dragon Quest VII Reimagined down for me were some of the slower moments in the pacing of the adventure. Although loving this tale and being swept up in the world of Dragon Quest is a welcome dalliance, there were a few stretches that may have lasted just a smidge too long before both gameplay mechanics and story progress could really blossom. Having maxed out the starting jobs for the party early on, the lead up to being able to acquire more and change jobs grew tiresome knowing I was wasting valuable experience with each passing battle. In addition to that, there were times where it felt like you would be traversing to and from waypoints that were clearly marked without much exploration or narrative progression where maybe the purpose was to just speak to someone or pick up a fragment you previously couldn’t. In that same vein, certain dungeons also felt straightforward offering little challenge other than the enemy encounters. These little hiccups along the way were some of the key reasons that kept Dragon Quest VII Reimagined from being an experience that truly soared.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined isn’t the best game I’ve played in the series but showcases the essence of Dragon Quest— or at least what it is to me– in abundance. The vibes are palpably pungent punching pure slime effervescence throughout my nervous system. The wonder and magic of Dragon Quest is bursting through the seams even despite its shortcomings. The narrative highs and lows, the flow of movement and combat, existing between islands in the past and present, and spinning the camera to investigate each corner of a small town or dungeon never bored me. A party worth traveling with and enemies that fluctuate between iconic and demonically delightful dance alongside music and sound design that capture the spirit of adventure. Somehow Dragon Quest VII Reimagined transports you to the early 2000s while also never once allowing you to feel the shattering of rose tinted glasses falling off your face to the ground.

We reviewed Dragon Quest VII Reimagined on Xbox Series X with a code provided by the developer. Dragon Quest VII Reimagined releases on February 5th, 2026 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Windows.

For all things Dragon Quest and RPG gaming related, be sure to keep it locked to Pass The Controller. We also reviewed Dragon Quest VII Reimagined on episode 507 of the Pass The Controller Podcast and will have a spoiler filled episode dedicated to Dragon Quest VII Reimagined shortly after launch. For a deeper dive on all things gaming and nerd culture, listen to the Pass The Controller Podcast with new episodes weekly on your favorite podcast platform. Want to continue the conversation with us and our community? Join our official Discord server.