Embark on an epic journey to reforge the world in DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined

Today, Square Enix revealed new details for DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined, a remake of the 2000 PlayStation title, which was remade for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 (2016 worldwide). The game sees a group of childhood friends uncovering the secret as to why theirs is the only island in the world. The journey spans the past and present as they battle malevolent forces to restore the world.

On the sleepy shores of Estard Island, our bright-eyed protagonist and his best friend stumble upon strange fragments of an ancient tablet. When they place the fragments into a pedestal within a mysterious shrine, a magical light transports them to an unknown world. With every new tablet they discover, the world around them grows. What begins as a quest for answers soon turns into something far greater as they discover malevolent forces and the hidden, true nature of their world.

DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined features a new "hand-crafted art style", converting the original designs by Akira Toriyama into something resembling miniature figurines or the Your Story film. You can see comparisons between the original, 3DS, and Reimagined versions above, as this remake aims for a diorama style to enhance the cozy atmosphere.

The player takes on the role of a boy from Pilchard Bay, a fishing village on Estard Island. This curious lad (voiced by Isaac Rouse) is joined by Kiefer (Roly Botha), the proud and rambunctious prince of Estard Island, as well as Maribell (Becky Wright), a sweet if blunt girl intent to not miss out on any of the boys' adventures. Along their journey, they'll be joined by Ruff (Clare Corbett), a pure-hearted boy accompanied by a wolf, Aishe (Amrita Acharia), a roamer woman devoted to the Earth Spirit and skilled in dance and swordmanship, and Sir Mervyn (Nicholas Boulton), a member of the Holy Order of the Almighty who once fought the Demon King alongside his god.

The party will, of course, engage in battle many times during the adventure, and the battle system has undergone significant changes in DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined. For one, you can attack enemies as you traverse the world to defeat them without having to enter into battle. You can also speed up battles using the speed up feature and by setting up party tactics to take care of the fighting for you, all without the action pausing between turns. If you'd just rather not deal with that tiny slime in your way (though he is oh so adorable), there's also an auto-battle feature.

The Vocation system returns, though with a few twists. After reaching a certain point in the game, you can swap each character's vocation to learn new spells and abilities, but now each character can have two vocations at once, combining their pool of stats, spells, and abilities for even more strategic options in a fight.

Every vocation also comes with a unique perk that can be used to turn the tide of battle once certain conditions are met. For example, the new Monster Master vocation comes with the Positive Reinforcement perk, allowing the user to summon powerful monsters.

The game isn't just combat, however, and there's plenty to see and do as you sail the oceans of time and space. By finding fragments to complete tablets, you can open up a gateway to a new world and discover unique events and side stories. When saving the world's got you down though, there are plenty of places to take a break and relax, such as the battle arena or Lucky Panel minigame. Oh, and the UI has received a total makeover, featuring a modern, tab-navigation style.

When the game launches on February 5th, 2026, there will be three DLC packs available for purchase and a Collector's Edition. The first is The Road of Regal Wretches, which adds legendary foes from the Erdrick Trilogy to the battle arena. Defeating them will reward valuable items, including Erdrick's Sword.

The second is the Luminary's Livery, a selection of costumes from DRAGON QUEST XI. The protagonist gets the Luminary's outfit (the titular Luminary's Livery), Kiefer cosplays as Erik with the Spiky Sidekick's Costume, Maribel's mom lets her have two with outfits based on Veronica (Red Sisterly Smock) and Serena (Green Sisterly Smock), Ruff is at the forefront of smiling soldiers with Sylvando's Fully Fabulous Finery, Aishe is ready to kick butt in Jade's Warrior Princess Wardrobe, and finally Sir Mervyn finds his Auld Rogue's Outfit from Rab in mint condition.

The third pack is full of Jam-Packed Swag, containing a Slime Sword, a Slime Boomerang, a Slime Stick, a Metal Slime Heart which grants experience boost, and a Gold Golem Heart which grants gold boost. Less stylish but still useful are the 9 Medicinal Herbs, 3 ironically named Single Phials, and a seed of Strength, Resilience, and Life. As an early purchase bonus, the protagonist will also receive the Trodain Togs from DRAGON QUEST VIII and 3 Seeds of Proficiency. Purchasing the digital version will net you a uniquely colored slime shield: red for Nintendo, blue for PlayStation, silver for Steam, and green for the Microsoft Store. For having save data of the also upcoming DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake, you'll receive an Agility Ring.

Multiple versions of the game will be available containing different things and at different price points. The standard edition, both physical and digital, simply comes with the base game at $59.99 and any applicable purchase bonuses, while the digital-only Deluxe Edition ($74.99) contains all three DLC packs, 48 hours of early access, and a White Wolf Costume for Ruff. The DLC packs are available to purchase separately, and you can upgrade to the Digital Deluxe Edition for $15.

Finally, a Collector's Edition will only be available physically as it contains everything in the Digital Deluxe Edition, a steelbook case, a Smile Slime Plush, and a Ship in a Bottle Figure depicting the main trio onboard their vessel.

Stay tuned to GamingTrend for more info on DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined, as an on-stage event for the game will be held at Tokyo Game Show 2025 from September 25th to the 18th at Makuhari Messe in Chiba prefecture. The event will include a special panel discussion and gameplay commentary from the producer of the game as well as an exhibition area that showcases the dolls used as models for the in-game CG models.