Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined will feature completely new visuals that stick to the original’s aesthetics while also bringing up its graphics to modern standards while still maintaining the Akira Toriyama-inspired roots of the original. Aside from the visuals, the title will also feature refined gameplay as well as improvements to the pacing of the original story.

As its title might imply, the story in Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined has been changed up a bit over the original. Generally speaking, Square Enix has described the changes made to the main story as being a streamlined attempt at the same plot. Along with the big adventure serving as the centrepiece of the title, there will also be optional side quests, stories, and minigames for players to experience.

The combat has seen a major overhaul over the original Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. In Reimagined, the turn-based combat system will feature an updated vocation system, as well as the addition of a mechanic dubbed Moonlighting, which allows characters to take on two vocations at the same time. Other additions to the combat system include a new Let Loose ability that allows a character to unleash more of their power, as well as a brand new Monster Master vocation that revolves around summoning powerful monsters to bolster your party.

When it came out all the way back in 2000, Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past was the first game in the franchise to come to the original PlayStation. Its story revolves around a fisherman’s son, and his two friends – rebel prince Kiefer and the spoiled daughter of the richest merchant in town, Maribel. The core premise revolves around how the town that the story starts out with has no contact with the overall world beyond the small stretch of land it is situated in.

As one might expect, a call to adventure prompts our three protagonists to set off on an adventure that will have them discover the wider world at large, while also having to take on the forces of Demon King Orgodemir.

Alongside being available in the form of a Standard Edition, Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined will also have a Collector’s Edition available exclusively through the Square Enix store. The Collector’s Edition includes a physical copy of the game itself, along with a SteelBook case, a Smile Slime Plush, a Ship in a Bottle figure, and in-game items like the Road of Regal Wretches, Luminary’s Livery, Jam-Packed Swag Bag, and Ruff Costume.

A Digital Deluxe Edition is also available for pre-order, which gives buyers 48 hours of advanced access to Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined.

The remake is also believed to be an ambitious one. Rather than just being a remaster with higher-resolution textures and widescreen support, the remake will instead be at least on the tier of Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D Remake, which makes use of visual techniques and technology that was first seen with Octopath Traveller.

In a ResetEra thread discussing the report, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has also thrown in his own thoughts, where he said that the assumption that Square Enix wants to bring back older Dragon Quest games through remakes is a safe one. He also, however, noted that these remakes, including the rumoured Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, will not be as ambitious as the ongoing Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

“I think it’s safe to say that Square wants to remake as many DQ games as possible for modern platforms,” posted Schreier. “Doesn’t mean all or any of them are going to be big ambitious revamps like FFVIIR.”

When it comes to the Dragon Quest franchise, Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D Remake is the next big release in line. The game, slated for an October 30 launch, is coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and the Switch 2, and will be priced at $59.99.

There is also a new mainline Dragon Quest game in the works, dubbed Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate. The game was originally announced all the way back in 2021. However, since then, Square Enix has been quiet about the RPG. Back in May, however, director Yuji Horii apologised for not having more concrete news about the status of the title.

“Yes, indeed, I can’t say anything, I apologise,” said Horii when asked about development progress on Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate. “I am making it, putting lots of work into it. I can only say that the next work will be great too, working really hard. Please look forward to it, is the only thing I can say.” In the same interview, Horii also spoke about potentially bringing the sequel to the Switch 2, saying, “Yes, I believe it could be compatible with Switch 2 as well.”

Announced during the Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary special livestream in 2021, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate is being developed on Unreal Engine 5. While release platforms haven’t been confirmed yet, Square Enix’s recent approach to multi-platform releases would indicate that it is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The long awaited Nintendo 3DS remake of Dragon Quest 7 is almost here – it launches in a couple of weeks, in September – and ahead of its release, Nintendo have shared a brand new trailer inviting you to explore the Haven.

The Haven is a concept that should be familiar to players of Xenoblade Chronicles– much like Sector 6 in that game, the Haven is a town that is initially empty, but gets populated slowly and over time as the player completes various quests (mostly involving finding and identifying various kinds of monsters). The more quests the player completes, the more the town grows- at its most bustling, it is a very populated hub, with a lot of facilities and dungeons available for the player to peruse.

Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is due out on September 16th, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS. You can check out the new trailer for the game for yourself below.

It’s been a long wait, but it’s almost over- Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, the Nintendo 3DS remake of the classic PlayStation RPG, will finally be releasing in North America and Europe on September 16, allowing fans to play a modernized rendition of the famously obtuse RPG at long last.

The game doesn’t look spectacular, but no one who will play Dragon Quest will do so for the graphics. Instead, it’s for the old school RPG goodness that this game is bound to provide that fans will undoubtedly be devouring this game. If you are a fan of Dragon Quest, you should definitely look into getting this game- particularly since Square Enix has hinted that the localization of Dragon Quest 11 may hinge on these other Dragon Quest games’ success.

After this game has launched, Nintendo will be launching arguably the most popular Dragon Quest game on 3DS too, with Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King due out for the 3DS by this year’s end. So, RPG fans have loads of Dragon Quest goodness to look forward to.