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Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (edit)

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==Setting==
==Setting==
''Dragon Quest VII'' is best known for its immense playtime. Without completing its side quests, a single game of ''Dragon Quest VII'' can take 100 or more hours. The main flow of the game is different than other ''Dragon Quest'' games; instead of exploring one large world, the party goes to separate continents by placing stone[[fragment]]s into their appropriate pedestals in the [[Shrine of Mysteries]]. Once all of the missing shards are located and placed for a particular pedestal, the party is transported to the trapped location centuries in the past. After solving whatever problems plague the region, the party then travels back to the present. From there, they can travel via boat, carpet, or skystone to the modern version of the location they just saved. These saved lands appear on the main map, although the originals (from the past) can only be revisited through the ruins.  
''Dragon Quest VII'' is best known for its immense playtime. Without completing its side quests, a single game of ''Dragon Quest VII'' can take 100 or more hours. The main flow of the game is different than other ''Dragon Quest'' games; instead of exploring one large world, the party goes to separate continents by placing stone [[fragment]]s into their appropriate pedestals in the [[Shrine of Mysteries]]. Once all of the missing shards are located and placed for a particular pedestal, the party is transported to the trapped location centuries in the past. After solving whatever problems plague the region, the party then travels back to the present. From there, they can travel via boat, carpet, or skystone to the modern version of the location they just saved. These saved lands appear on the main map, although the originals (from the past) can only be revisited through the ruins.


==Plot==
==Plot==
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*A.I. strategies can be assigned to specific characters now instead of group-wide orders.
*A.I. strategies can be assigned to specific characters now instead of group-wide orders.
*The menu for spells and skills have been split into three categories--''Offensive'', ''Defensive'', and ''Other''.
*The menu for spells and skills have been split into three categories--''Offensive'', ''Defensive'', and ''Other''.
*Status buffs and debuffs for allies and enemies now expire after a number of turns, along with {{Paralysis}}.
*Status buffs and debuffs for allies and enemies now expire after a number of turns, along with [[Paralysis]].
*{{Cursed}} equipment has been reinstated, requiring the use of a priest to remove.
*{{Cursed}} equipment has been reinstated, requiring the use of a priest to remove.
*''VII'' includes '''thirty-four''' Monster Vocations compared to the previous game's two, which can be unlocked by using the appropriate Monster Heart at the {{Alltrades Abbey 7}} or by mastering prerequisite Monster forms. This allows a party member to transform into a monster during battle, gaining the resistances (and vulnerabilities) of that species.
*''VII'' includes '''thirty-four''' Monster Vocations compared to the previous game's two, which can be unlocked by using the appropriate Monster Heart at the {{Alltrades Abbey 7}} or by mastering prerequisite Monster forms. This allows a party member to transform into a monster during battle, gaining the resistances (and vulnerabilities) of that species.
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==Development==
==Development==
[[File:Tomes of Torment.jpg|border|left|thumb|250px|The ''infamous'' planning document for VII. Every line of dialogue, plot synopsis, character connections, item purposes, and battle details were written by hand over the course of development.]]
[[File:Tomes of Torment.jpg|border|left|thumb|250px|The planning documents for ''VII''. Every line of dialogue, plot synopsis, character connections, item purposes, and battle details were written by hand over the course of development.]]
''Dragon Quest VII'' was designed by series creator [[Yuji Horii]] and directed by Manabu Yamana. Shintaro Majima signed on as art director, while series veterans [[Akira Toriyama]] and [[Kōichi Sugiyama]] designed the characters and composed the music respectively. Horii has stated in interviews since the game's release that the team focused more on the puzzle solving aspect and the individual stories of the antiquated towns than the game's overarching story. For inspiration, the team pulled from the Old Testament of the ''Bible'', incorporating several judeo-christian themes into the backstory and the scenarios of several plagued towns.  
''Dragon Quest VII'' was directed by Manabu Yamana, with Shintaro Majima as art director. Series veterans [[Yuji Horii]], [[Akira Toriyama]] and [[Kōichi Sugiyama]] returned as designer, character designer and composer respectively. ''VII'' was designed to have a different feel from previous games, with a greater emphasis on puzzles.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000711025440/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q2-2000/062300b.html "Dragon Quest VII Interview"]. ''RPGamer''. </ref> The towns were also written to have episodic, individual stories instead of an overarching plot. Several towns have backstories and scenarios inspired by the Christian Old Testament.


The game was officially announced in 1996 and originally planned for the [[wikipedia:Nintendo_64DD|Nintendo 64DD]]. On January 15, 1997, it was announced that development had been moved to the {{PlayStation}}. By the next day, both stock in [[Wikipedia:Sony|Sony]] and Enix rose significantly in Japan. By 2000, ''Dragon Quest VII'' was predicted to be so successful in Japan that it would "create a 50 billion yen effect on the Japanese economy", said research firm DIHS. ''Dragon Quest VII'' would go on to be released on August 26, 2000 and sold 4.06 million games in Japan alone, becoming one of the highest selling games of all time and ''the'' highest selling title in the series until the release of ''IX'' in 2009.
The game was officially announced in 1996 for release on the [[wikipedia:Nintendo_64DD|Nintendo 64DD]]. On January 15, 1997, development was announced to have been moved to the {{PlayStation}}, causing a rise in stock prices for both [[Wikipedia:Sony|Sony]] and Enix in Japan.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130926113152/https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/01/17/enixsony-update "Enix/Sony Update"]. ''IGN''. January 16, 1997.</ref> By 2000, ''Dragon Quest VII'' was predicted to be so successful in Japan that it would "create a 50 billion yen effect on the Japanese economy", said research firm DIHS. ''Dragon Quest VII'' would go on to be released on August 26, 2000 and sold 4.06 million games in Japan alone, becoming one of the highest selling games of all time and ''the'' highest selling title in the series until the release of ''IX'' in 2009.
[[File:DQVII Purple Fairy.png|border|right|thumb|275px|The attendant of the shrine of mysteries was created to make navigating the time periods and fragment finding easier.]]
[[File:DQVII Purple Fairy.png|border|right|thumb|275px|The attendant of the shrine of mysteries was created to make navigating the time periods and fragment finding easier.]]
The game was delayed numerous times before its actual release. Work on the game was extended because the development staff wanted to perfect the game due to high expectations from the fans, and because the team only consisted of about 35 people. Before its release, it was ranked as the most wanted game in Japan and Square, knowing about ''Dragon Quest VII's'' release, moved its ''[[Final Fantasy]] IX'' game to come out on a later date so as not to hurt potential sales. Being the first game in the series to include 3D graphics, the team was also initially reluctant to include CG movies and cinematics due to letters written to Enix by fans fearing that doing so would change the overall feeling of the series.  
The game was delayed numerous times before its actual release. Work on the game was extended because the development staff wanted to perfect the game due to high expectations from the fans, and because the team only consisted of about 35 people. Before its release, it was ranked as the most wanted game in Japan and Square, knowing about ''Dragon Quest VII's'' release, moved its ''[[Final Fantasy]] IX'' game to come out on a later date so as not to hurt potential sales. Being the first game in the series to include 3D graphics, the team was also initially reluctant to include CG movies and cinematics due to letters written to Enix by fans fearing that doing so would change the overall feeling of the series.  
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Development of the 3DS Version first began with transferring the documentation for the game into a digital format from the handwritten notes seen in the picture above, which took approximately one year. Producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto personally made the photocopies of each page in order for a third party to scanned and archived digitally. Once this was completed and the information for the game could be readily accessed from at a mouse click, actual development time took approximately two and a half years. The largest structural change is in the beginning of the game, where the sequences of events that uncovers the ruins of Estard island is greatly streamlined to accelerate the beginning of adventure.   
Development of the 3DS Version first began with transferring the documentation for the game into a digital format from the handwritten notes seen in the picture above, which took approximately one year. Producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto personally made the photocopies of each page in order for a third party to scanned and archived digitally. Once this was completed and the information for the game could be readily accessed from at a mouse click, actual development time took approximately two and a half years. The largest structural change is in the beginning of the game, where the sequences of events that uncovers the ruins of Estard island is greatly streamlined to accelerate the beginning of adventure.   


The 2013 remake for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] was localized in 2016 under the title '''Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past'''. It was translated by UK-based localization specialists Shloc Ltd, and adheres to the tone and style set by the wonderfully silly [[Plus Alpha]]. Square Enix originally had no plans to localize the title due to the size of text being cost-prohibitive compared to potential sales, but Dragon Quest fans of France began a letter writing campaign to bring the game overseas that reached the CEO of the company as well as that of [[Nintendo]]<ref>http://archive.fo/6KBad</ref>
The 2013 remake for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] was localized in 2016 under the title '''Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past'''. It was translated by UK-based localization specialists Shloc Ltd, and adheres to the tone and style set by [[Plus Alpha]]. Square Enix originally had no plans to localize the title due to the size of text being cost-prohibitive compared to potential sales, but Dragon Quest fans of France began a letter writing campaign to bring the game overseas that reached the CEO of the company as well as that of [[Nintendo]]<ref>[http://archive.fo/6KBad "Why Dragon Quest VII 3DS Took So Long to Come West"]. ''Kotaku''. June 17, 2016.</ref>


{{quote|style=1|quote='''''“We actually had no plans of releasing it at first. It was because the text was so huge that considering [the] cost and time that went in, we didn’t think it was worth it. Actually a lot of core fans from France approached us, and then we received letters, not just us but the CEO of our company as well as Nintendo, and everybody else that was involved, requesting a localized version of ''Dragon Quest VII''. They were even saying at one point that they’ll localize it themselves for us. Because of that high demand we realized we really had to do this thing.”'''''|source=Yu Miyake, series producer|console=|align=center|bgcolor=fffff}}
{{quote|style=1|quote='''''“We actually had no plans of releasing it at first. It was because the text was so huge that considering [the] cost and time that went in, we didn’t think it was worth it. Actually a lot of core fans from France approached us, and then we received letters, not just us but the CEO of our company as well as Nintendo, and everybody else that was involved, requesting a localized version of ''Dragon Quest VII''. They were even saying at one point that they’ll localize it themselves for us. Because of that high demand we realized we really had to do this thing.”'''''|source=Yu Miyake, series producer|console=|align=center|bgcolor=fffff}}
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==Remake==
==Remake==
The {{3DS}} remake presents the game in full 3D with polygonal models replacing the {{PSX}} version's sprites. The game has received the most modification of any remake or port in the series thus far, reworking the entire opening section to streamline the introduction to the story and characters to the point that approximately two hours have been removed. Additional conveniences and modifications have been implemented to remove the tedious nature of finding fragments.
The {{3DS}} remake presents the game in full 3D with polygonal models replacing the {{PS1}} version's sprites. The game has received the most modification of any remake or port in the series thus far, reworking the entire opening section to streamline the introduction to the story and characters to the point that approximately two hours have been removed. Additional conveniences and modifications have been implemented to remove the tedious nature of finding fragments.
*A radar has been added to make finding the stone shards easier than ever. A new character stationed in the Divine Shrine has also been added that gives players hints to finding them as well.
*A radar has been added to make finding the stone shards easier than ever. A new character stationed in the Divine Shrine has also been added that gives players hints to finding them as well.
*Streetpass stones, a place in the immigrant town to go online to trade them with other players. Bringing streetpass stones to the immigrant town unlocks new dungeons, and special story scenes. Players can also get Streetpass Stones by making a party of monsters from the monster park and sending them into a special randomly generated dungeon.
*Streetpass stones, a place in the immigrant town to go online to trade them with other players. Bringing streetpass stones to the immigrant town unlocks new dungeons, and special story scenes. Players can also get Streetpass Stones by making a party of monsters from the monster park and sending them into a special randomly generated dungeon.
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==Credits==
==Credits==
===Scenario & game design===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
*Yuji Horii
|+ Original {{PlayStation}} version
 
! Role
===Character designer===
! Staff
*[[Akira Toriyama]]
|----------
 
|Scenario & game design
===Music composer===
|Yuji Horii
*[[Kōichi Sugiyama]]
|----------
 
|Character designer
===Director of programming===
|[[Akira Toriyama]]
*[[Manabu Yamana]]
|----------
 
|Music composer
===Art director===
|[[Kōichi Sugiyama]]
*Shintaro Majima
|----------
 
|Director of programming
===Scenario===
|[[Manabu Yamana]]
*Yuji Horii, Sachiko Sugimura, Fuminori Ishikawa, Kazunori Orio
|----------
 
|Art director
===Programming===
|Shintaro Majima
*Manabu Yamana, Masayuki Kawamoto, Yasushi Watanabe, Hiroaki Suzuki, Hajime Ito, Makoto Hirashima, Yoshihiro Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Yoshida
|----------
 
|Scenario
===Graphic design===
|Yuji Horii, Sachiko Sugimura, Fuminori Ishikawa, Kazunori Orio
*Shintaro Majima, Hiroshi Muroki, Naoyuki Hayakawa, Tatsuya Takahashi, Yukari Umada, Masato Hirayama, Ruri Yamaguchi, Yoshihisa Nishimura, Rena Konaka, Keiichi Egawa, Kohei Matsushita, Katsuhiko Shiono
|----------
 
|Programming
===Graphic tool programming===
|Manabu Yamana, Masayuki Kawamoto, Yasushi Watanabe, Hiroaki Suzuki, Hajime Ito, Makoto Hirashima, Yoshihiro Matsumoto, Yasuhiro Yoshida
*Takeshi Sugimura
|----------
 
|Graphic design
===Sound design===
|Shintaro Majima, Hiroshi Muroki, Naoyuki Hayakawa, Tatsuya Takahashi, Yukari Umada, Masato Hirayama, Ruri Yamaguchi, Yoshihisa Nishimura, Rena Konaka, Keiichi Egawa, Kohei Matsushita, Katsuhiko Shiono
*Tsukasa Tawada
|----------
Monster Design Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Osamu Kaneko
|Graphic tool programming
Localization Programming Hiroaki Suzuki
|Takeshi Sugimura
Translation (Wordbox Inc.) Lucie Ishii, Hiroko Yoda, Jeff Gelbard, Wayne Lammers, Matt Alt, Jeremy Blaustein, Ryan Morris
|----------
 
|Sound design
===Enix America, Inc.===
|Tsukasa Tawada
====Localization manager====
|----------
*Mitsuru George Torii
|Monster Design
 
|Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Osamu Kaneko
====Product manager====
|----------
*John Laurence
|Localization Programming
 
|Hiroaki Suzuki
====Quality assurance lead====
|----------
*Jon Weisnewski
|Translation  
 
|(Wordbox Inc.) Lucie Ishii, Hiroko Yoda, Jeff Gelbard, Wayne Lammers, Matt Alt, Jeremy Blaustein, Ryan Morris
====Copy edit====
|}
*Chris Chymiy, Dustin Brown, Doug Hill, Sean Peters, Mike Tidwell
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 
|+ Enix America, Inc.
====QA translation====
! Role
*Masanobu Yoshida, Katsuko Bandur, Hisayo Tomiyama, Miki Yasui Marr
! Staff
 
|----------
====Play testers====
|Localization manager
*Zeb Clinton, Shawn Conard, T. J. Cowgill, Bryce Felt, Matthew A. Gillikin, Eric Ho, John Holes, Eric Junge, Ed Price, Jerry Pritchard, David Rieman, Dylan Sharp, Tom Shultz Jr.
|Mitsuru George Torii
 
|----------
====Sales & marketing manager====
|Product manager
*Andrew Stein
|John Laurence
 
|----------
====Accounting & credit manager====
|Quality assurance lead
*Misuzu McMillan
|Jon Weisnewski
 
|----------
====A/R analyst====
|Copy edit
*Yuri Kato
|Chris Chymiy, Dustin Brown, Doug Hill, Sean Peters, Mike Tidwell
 
|----------
====Administrative assistant====
|QA translation
*Emi Coughlin
|Masanobu Yoshida, Katsuko Bandur, Hisayo Tomiyama, Miki Yasui Marr
 
|----------
====President====
|Play testers
*Paul Handelman
|Zeb Clinton, Shawn Conard, T. J. Cowgill, Bryce Felt, Matthew A. Gillikin, Eric Ho, John Holes, Eric Junge, Ed Price, Jerry Pritchard, David Rieman, Dylan Sharp, Tom Shultz Jr.
 
|----------
===Enix corporation===
|Sales & marketing manager
====Technical Support====
|Andrew Stein
*Kenjiro Kano, Tomoyuki Iwai
|----------
 
|Accounting & credit manager
====Play testers====
|Misuzu McMillan
*Satoshi Sato, Hideyuki Nukui, Satoru Kubota, Joe Mitsuta, Takayuki Mibu, Iiro Kimura, Rie Iwao, Masaki Murashita, Shinobu Nonaka, Mika Endo, Takatoshi Akiyama, Ryuichi Nakamura, Mie Ohnishi
|----------
 
|A/R analyst
====Artwork====
|Yuri Kato
*Naoki Oishi, Takashi Kamimura, Arte Piazza
|----------
 
|Administrative assistant
====Public relations====
|Emi Coughlin
*Yū Miyake, Ryoichi Kuramochi
|----------
 
|President
====Special thanks====
|Paul Handelman
*TamTam
|}
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
====Localization coordinators====
|+ Enix corporation
*Daisuke Kobayashi, Jun Miyamoto, Yoshito Taniuchi
! Role
 
! Staff
====Producer====
|----------
*Taichi Inuzuka
|Technical Support
 
|Kenjiro Kano, Tomoyuki Iwai
====Executive producer====
|----------
*Yukinobu Chida
|Play testers
 
|Satoshi Sato, Hideyuki Nukui, Satoru Kubota, Joe Mitsuta, Takayuki Mibu, Iiro Kimura, Rie Iwao, Masaki Murashita, Shinobu Nonaka, Mika Endo, Takatoshi Akiyama, Ryuichi Nakamura, Mie Ohnishi
====President====
|----------
*Keiji Honda
|Artwork
 
|Naoki Oishi, Takashi Kamimura, Arte Piazza
|----------
|Public relations
|Yū Miyake, Ryoichi Kuramochi
|----------
|Special thanks
|TamTam
|----------
|Localization coordinators
|Daisuke Kobayashi, Jun Miyamoto, Yoshito Taniuchi
|----------
|Producer
|Taichi Inuzuka
|----------
|Executive producer
|Yukinobu Chida
|----------
|President
|Keiji Honda
|}
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
<center><gallery>
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