Editing Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox VG
|title=Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
|type=Main series games
|image=[[File:Dragon_Quest_VII_Reimagined_logo.png|325px]][[File:DQVIIR key artwork no logo.jpg|320px]]
|caption=
|developer=[[Hexadrive Co., Ltd]]
|publisher=[[Square Enix]] 
|designer=[[Yuji Horii]]
|artist=
|composer=
|engine=
|released='''[[Nintendo Switch]]'''<br />{{vgrelease|INT=Febuary 5, 2026}} '''[[PlayStation 5]]'''<br />{{vgrelease|INT=Febuary 5, 2026}} '''[[Xbox Series X/S]]'''<br />{{vgrelease|INT=Febuary 5, 2026}} '''[[Steam]]'''<br />{{vgrelease|INT=Febuary 5, 2026}}
|genre=[[Wikipedia:Console role-playing game|Console role-playing]]
|modes=[[Wikipedia:Single-player|Single-player]]
|ratings=
|platforms=[[Nintendo Switch]], [[Nintendo Switch 2]], [[PlayStation 5]], [[Xbox Series X/S]], [[Steam]]
|media=
|requirements= 
|input=
|series={{Main Series}}
}}
'''Dragon Quest VII Reimagined''' is the second remake of {{Dragon Quest VII}}, announced on September 12th 2025. Unlike the [[Nintendo 3DS]] remake released in 2013 that implemented modest balance adjustments compared to the original, ''Reimagined'' is a total reworking of the adventure that changes several elements to provide a different experience. Certain aspects that were added in the Nintendo 3DS remake have been retained, such as [[Ruff]] riding on the back of his adoptive mother and the unnamed {{Faerie}} guide dwelling in the [[Shrine of Mysteries]], newly dubbed [[The Caretaker]]. A demo that covers up to the conclusion of the [[Ballymolloy]] scenario was released on January 7th, 2026.
==New features==
===Presentation changes===
*Characters are displayed in a handcrafted artstyle and the environments are presented as dioramas, not unlike Square-Enix's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasian Fantasian]
*The proportionate size of characters in relation to the environments has been returned to the original [[PlayStation]] scale, compared to the compressed 3DS version
*A character's weapon and shield are now displayed in battle similar to {{Dragon Quest VIII}} and {{Dragon Quest XI}}
*Characters can equip alternate outfits similar to {{Dragon Quest XI}} ''S''.

===Character changes===
*[[The Caretaker]] has more personality and a defined backstory, no longer being just a means to simplify the Shrine of Mysteries
*[[Pollock]] now has light brown hair instead of black
*[[Pike]] stockpiles water from [[Rainbow Cove]] to sell to his marks, terminating the infamous empty bottle problem from the original
*[[Barbatos]]es and [[fandangow]]s now have their usual appearance, compared to both prior versions of the games where the former monster was flesh colored and the latter monster was blue colored.

===Scenario changes===
*The Castle [[Estard]] bank has been replaced with a [[mini medal]] exchange, granting players access to prizes much sooner
*The process of opening the [[Shrine of Mysteries]] has been altered considerably:
:*[[Kiefer]] has filched the [[sizzling stone]] off of [[Pike]] and brought a tablet fragment with him, using both on the statue after his late mother's ring doesn't work, saving the player the trouble of walking back and forth across Estard to acquire them
:*A voice speaks through the statue and instructs the {{Hero 7}} and Kiefer to complete puzzles hidden through the island to obtain three fragment shards in order to be granted access to the shrine. Eventually, the voice that instructed them through the statue is revealed to be The Caretaker when Auster and Kiefer finally gain access to the Shrine of Mysteries.
:*[[Dermot]] the hermit has locked the way to one of these puzzles after being unable to complete it in his youth
*Beyond the opening the game is considerably more non-linear than before, allowing players to tackle the problems of the past in nearly any order provided the requisite tablet fragments have been found
*The player also has more agency within a given island scenario than before. For example the player's decisions influence the strength of the [[Maeve|boss]] sealing [[Ballymolloy]] and the ending of that adventure can be slightly altered
*The [[Rainbow Cove]] is now accessible from the overworld, instead of needing to enter through the [[Shrine of Mysteries]]
*Fragment locations have been changed and a checklist has been added to the system menu to keep track of them
*The story of the present-day [[Roamers]] has been altered so that [[Aishe]] joins the party much sooner than in past versions
*New scenarios that elaborate on the {{Hero 7}} and [[Maribel]]'s childhood have been added
*New scenario featuring an older [[Kiefer]] has been added
*A battle arena has been added, with one section including the three archfiends from the [[Erdrick Trilogy]]
*Several new monsters have been added to the game's bestiary in addition to the three archfiends, ranging from common enemies such as [[slimecicle]]s and [[Toady|toadies]] to boss characters such as [[Atlas]], [[Robbin' 'Ood]], and even [[Xenlon]]
*The fog over [[Vogograd]] at [[Mount Gora]] by [[Gasputin]] is now generated by [[hammerhood]]s instead of [[forky pig]]s

===Cut content===
*The woodcutter and his cabin east of [[Pilchard Bay]] have been removed
*The [[El Ciclo]], [[Gröndal]], & [[Providence]] scenarios have been removed
*The casinos, the [[Excellence Grading Organisation]], the [[The Haven|Immigrant Town]], and [[Monster Meadows]] sidequests have been removed, though the prizes originally acquired through these sidequests have been retained and are available through other methods. Bonus equipment that was added in the Nintendo 3DS remake is also retained<ref>Q：本作取消了如怪物公园、世界排行榜协会之类的功能，社区中一些玩家对这些删减感到惋惜，那为什么会有这些删减？原作中这些系统下的奖励内容，在重制版中能以其他方式获得吗？

A：为了让玩家有更“浓密”（原文为浓密，或指内容密度够多）的剧情体验，我们有考虑过如何调整这些剧情以外的游玩内容，最后选择重新构筑这些内容。这次的重制版保留了“幸运面板”（ラッキーパネル）的内容，同时也对战斗玩法进行了翻新，增加了“斗技场”玩法，他们都以支线形式进行添加，让游戏更具乐趣。

至于那些原有系统的奖励，包括3DS版的那些奖励装备，也都会包含在这次的重制版中。在获取这些装备的过程中，玩家也能有与原版不太一样的体验。https://www.gamersky.com/news/202511/2048812.shtml</ref>
*The vocation uniforms seen in the 3DS version have been removed, with characters retaining their default appearance as in the PSX original

===Battle changes===
*All five heroes can now travel together, with the fifth being a backup character to be swapped in at will during battle
*Just like the 3DS remake, random encounters have been replaced with on-screen monsters
*The player can now attack monsters outside of battle for minor damage and even one-shot weaklings, similar to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Mario_(video_game) Nintendo's Paper Mario]
:*Monsters defeated this way can still drop their items as normal
*Characters now have their actions selected individually once their turn comes up as in {{Dragon Quest XI}}, instead of the party's actions being selected together at the start of a turn 
*New spells have been added, such as the [[Crag]], [[Deceleratle]], [[Frizz Cracker]], [[Kerfrizz]], & [[Moreheal]] spells, and fourth-tier attack spells such as [[Kaswooshle]]
*The [[Woosh]]-family of spells now target random foes instead of a single group. The range increases by tier, such as Woosh hitting 2~3 foes & [[Swoosh]] hitting 2~4
*New skills have been added, such as [[Clap Trap]], [[Hip Drop]], [[Hymn of Light]], and [[Kiss Me Deadly]]
*Certain abilities have had their MP cost rebalanced, such as [[Maelstrom]] taking 16 MP instead of 12
*The {{Charm}}, {{Deftness}}, {{Magical Mending}}, and {{Magical Might}} stats have been added
:*As a result the {{Style}} and {{Wisdom}} stats have been removed
*Shields have a chance to block 100% of a physical attack's damage as in {{Dragon Quest IX}}, {{Dragon Quest X}}, and {{Dragon Quest XI}}

===Vocation changes===
*Vocation advancement is no longer based on the number of battles fought while in a given profession, instead using a secondary experience point system where stronger enemies award more points than weaker ones
*New exclusive starter vocations have been added for every character to increase their ability repertoire in the early portions of the game before accessing {{Alltrades Abbey 7}}
:*For example Ruff starts in the [[Wolf Boy]] (オオカミ少年) vocation and Aishe begins as [[Destiny's Dancer]]
*Characters can now take up two vocations simultaneously in a featured dubbed moonlighting
*All vocations now feature exclusive perk abilities that trigger when a character is thoroughly worked up in battle and selects the [[Let Loose]] command, ranging from powerful attacks to life-saving buffs
*All spells and skills learned through a vocation are now tied to that vocation, meaning for instance that a [[Pirate]] will not be able to perform the [[Flying Knee]] skill unless the character is also moonlighting as a [[Martial Artist]]. This restriction is stricter than that found in the Nintendo 3DS remake, in which all abilities learned through beginner-grade vocations were permanently available to a character, but it also adds another layer of strategy in assigning vocations and reduces the overabundance of techniques that cluttered a character's command menu in past versions of the game
:*The {{Hero 7}}'s exclusive spells, [[The Great Leveller]] and [[The Greater Leveller]], are permanently tied to him regardless of his vocation
*Monster vocations have been removed and [[monster heart]]s have become a new type of accessory that grant monster-themed traits to characters, similar to the Monster Battle Road badges in ''Dragon Quest X'' and [[List of medals in Dragon Quest Treasures|medals in ''Dragon Quest Treasures'']]
*The [[Monster Master]] vocation replaces the [[Monster Masher (vocation)|Monster Masher vocation]]
*Characters can change vocations on the fly after being given the [[career sphere]] by [[High Priestess Jacqueline]], which is automatically assigned to a shortcut button.  Using it will allow Jacqueline to telepathically change a character's vocation, and in the present her descendant [[Jacqui]] will handle the duties

===Miscellaneous changes===
*You can pet the cats and dogs by interacting with them, in keeping with the [[Hero (Dragon Quest VII)|Hero's]] kindly nature.
*[[Zoom]] now functions as it does in the HD-2D remakes of the [[Erdrick Trilogy]], allowing the player to fly to shrines and dungeons as well as towns and castles. It can now be used in the past as well, though the player cannot travel outside of an island's scenario

==Development==
In a brief video published on the day of the game's announcement, producer [[Takeshi Ichikawa]] states that the subtitled of "Reimagined" was chosen as the game changed so much of the original's content. The narrative has been reworked extensively, with new scenarios being added while others were removed to improve the original game's infamous pacing. [[Yuji Horii]] notes that searching for [[fragment]]s is much easier than before. Real-life figurines were scanned to create the in-game models for the six main characters, with the developers dubbing this approach the "diorama style". These figurines were created by [https://www.st-nova.jp/ Studio Nova], a celebrated atelier company founded in 1970<ref>https://x.com/stnova1970/status/1971427702130577704</ref>, and the studio's work was then used as the template to base the secondary characters and monsters on. A panel previewing the game was held on September 26th 2025 for the Tokyo Game Show, and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVWhtrFifPA live-streamed on youtube]. During the panel Horii announced which scenarios and features from past versions of the game would be cut for this remake, in addition to showing footage exploring [[Aeolus Vale]].

==Trivia==
*The game's opening cinematic features a panning shot of the Hero, Maribel, & Kiefer resting on the steps leading to the Shrine of Mysteries. As the camera pans to Kiefer it lingers on him flicking a seed or nut into his mouth, a cheeky reference to his reputation as a "seed thief" (種泥棒) among fans

==Gallery==
===Promotional images===
<gallery><center>
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined opening movie Hero.jpg
DQ7R promo image 1.jpg
DQ7R promo image 11.jpg
DQ7R promo image 16.jpg
DQ7R promo image 17.jpg
DQ7R promo image 18.jpg
DQ7R promo image 19.jpg
DQ7R promo image 20.jpg
DQ7R promo image 21.jpg
DQ7R promo image 2.jpg
DQ7R promo image 3.jpg
DQ7R promo image 13.jpg
DQ7R promo image 24.jpg
DQ7R promo image 26.jpg
DQ7R promo image 4.jpg|
DQ7R promo image 22.jpg
DQ7R promo image 25.jpg
DQ7R promo image 27.jpg
DQ7R promo image 15.jpg
DQ7R promo image 30.jpg
DQ7R promo image 31.jpg
DQ7R promo image 32.jpg
DQ7R promo image 5.jpg
DQ7R promo image 6.jpg
DQ7R promo image 10.jpg
DQ7R promo image 12.jpg
DQ7R promo image 14.jpg
DQ7R promo image 29.jpg
DQ7R promo image 7.jpg
DQ7R promo image 8.jpg
DQ7R promo image 9.jpg
Maribel day off dress promo.jpg|Maribel's day off dress, available through the demo
File:DQVIIR Game Informer.png|Game Informer cover art
Tokyo Game Show 2025 VII Reimagined photo stand.jpg|Tokyo Game Show 2025 photo stand, featuring the [[Dragonlord]]
Tokyo Game Show 2025 VII Reimagined dolls.jpg|TGS 2025 display case housing the dolls used to create the main cast
Tokyo Game Show 2025 VII Reimagined dolls wide shot.jpg|A wider shot with the entire cast
Tokyo Game Show 2025 VII Reimagined dolls Maribel close up.jpg|A close up of the Maribel doll
Tokyo Game Show 2025 VII Reimagined dolls Maribel extreme close up.jpg|
Studio Nova twitter post.png|Studio Nova announcing its involvement with the game
Tokyo Game Show 2025 VII Reimagined monster poster ad.jpg|TGS 2025 poster ad revealing several newly added monsters
Square Enix Jump Festa 2026 booth.jpg|Jump Festa 2026 booth
Arus and Cloud Strife by Tetsuya Nomura.jpg|Collaboration art by [[Final Fantasy]] illustrator Tetsuya Nomura
File:Dragon Quest Eden Reimagined.jpeg|Promotional art by the Warriors of Eden author Fujiwara Kamui.
File:Yuji Horii and Yoshinori Kitase Famitsu double VII photoshoot.jpg|Yuji Horii and Yoshinori Kitase in a [https://www.famitsu.com/article/202601/63451| Famitsu interview]
</center></gallery>

===Characters===
<gallery><center>
Hero DQVIIR render.png|The {{Hero 7}}
Kiefer DQVIIR render.png|Prince [[Kiefer]]
Adult Kiefer promo image.png|Adult Kiefer
Maribel Mayde DQVIIR render.png|[[Maribel Mayde]]
Ruff DQVIIR render.png|[[Ruff]] and his adoptive mother
Aishe DQVIIR render.png|[[Aishe]]
Sir Mervyn DQVIIR render.png|[[Sir Mervyn]]
File:DQ7R Stone tablet guide.png|[[The Caretaker]]
</center></gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[https://www.dragonquest.jp/dq7r/ Official Japanese site]
*[https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/dragon-quest-vii-reimagined English press release]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTTfUC4MUZs Developer interview with English subtitles]

{{Dragon Quest series}}
[[Category:Dragon Quest VII Reimagined]]
[[Category:Microsoft Windows games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Switch games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Switch 2 games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 5 games]]
[[Category:Steam games]]
[[Category:Xbox One games]]