Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined lives up to its name, as it completely overhauls the 2000s PlayStation classic from the ground up. From its Studio Ghibli-esque diorama-style visuals to major quality-of-life changes, this is one of the best JRPGs to launch in 2026.
Stunning Visuals in Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined
The first thing players will notice when booting up Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined for the very first time is its stunning art direction. Square Enix describes it as diorama-style, but for me it felt very reminiscent of a 3D Studio Ghibli film. In the game’s opening hours, I found myself constantly pausing the game just to take in the scenery because it looked so unbelievable.
This is easily the best RPG art style I’ve experienced since Square Enix introduced HD-2D in 2018’s Octopath Traveler. However, the real standout for me is the new character animations in Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined. Square Enix has managed to faithfully bring Akira Toriyama’s iconic designs to life with an incredible burst of energy.
I couldn’t stop smiling each time I recruited a new member to my party, because it was amazing to see these classic characters’ personalities in a way that wasn’t possible in the original game. I could go on for days gushing about the game’s visuals. So how does Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined play?
A New Dragon Quest for a New Generation
Let’s get this out of the way. Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is partly designed with new players in mind. This might ruffle the feathers of some hardcore Dragon Quest fans or those looking for a really difficult JRPG. As someone who has been playing Dragon Quest since the 90s, I personally was not bothered by what was overhauled. In fact, I actually preferred many of the new changes in Reimagined.
Right off the bat, one of the major improvements is the game’s opening segment. In the original 2000s release, it took a lot longer to get into the adventure. In Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, the opening is much more streamlined and has much better pacing. Instead of having to track down armor, the main Hero now teams up with Prince Kiefer to find the missing pieces of the tablet needed to unlock the Ancient Ruins. This not only makes the tutorial less cumbersome, but also establishes your relationship with the royal prince in a more effective manner.
Gameplay has also been made a lot more accessible. For example, Reimagined now lets you change your vocation, or job class, anywhere. You can even equip two vocations on a character at the same time! Another major improvement is that Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined now has healing statues placed sparingly throughout the game’s story. As a result, you aren’t having to grind out battles just to obtain money for healing items.
If you are worried about difficulty, the game has that covered as well. There is now a new difficulty setting options, which let you determine how much Gold or XP you get from each enemy encounter. Basically Square Enix lets you choose how grindy you want Reimagined to be or not. However I found the new vocation system to be big game changer. Being able to mix and match dual classes for each character gives your team a lot of strategic possibilities.
Combat Changes in Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined
Speaking of battles, one of my favorite aspects of the game is how much more depth combat now has. Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined introduces the new “Let Loose” mechanic. It’s essentially “Limit Breaks” from Final Fantasy VII. When you have enough energy, you can now unleash a powerful attack or spell buff. But what’s really great about this new mechanic is that each character has their own unique power or ability.
For example, Maribel has the Shrewd Operator, which reveals an enemy’s weakness. The Hero, on the other hand, has a healing buff that protects the entire party from the next attack. As you can imagine, this can be incredibly useful if you are in a major boss battle and know they are about to unleash a devastating move. Overall, this is classic turn-based JRPG combat. However, I found the quicker pacing a major improvement over the original.
Exploring the Past and Time Travel Mechanics
The main gameplay loop of Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is finding tablet fragments, which then let you create maps in the Ancient Ruins. Once a map is complete, you are then able to time travel to the past location of the map you’ve crafted. Each world narratively serves as a new chapter. After defeating the boss of that lost world, the island then reemerges in the present time.
Being able to jump back and forth between the past and future was a mechanic ahead of its time in 2000. However, in Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, it’s just a really fun story. Getting to revisit these locations to see how your actions have changed the future is really neat.
You can also access items and areas you might not have been able to when initially completing the section. Reimagined also doesn’t make you wait long to access to your ship. From the very jump, the game thrusts you into a grand adventure, and then lets you loose to explore the game’s world.
Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined Review – Final Verdict
From its beautiful graphics to its improved gameplay, Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is one of the best remakes to have ever been released. Some hardcore JRPG fans might find it too easy. However, Square Enix has found a fair balance between old and new fans with this reimagining. Whether this is your first Dragon Quest game or your 20th time playing the classic JRPG, Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is an absolute modern JRPG masterpiece.
Verdict: Best In Its Class (5/5)
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined will be available February 5, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Xbox Series X|S. A code was provided for the sake of review. Reviewed on PS5.
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