When Dragon Quest VII Reimagined was announced during September’s Nintendo Direct, it was perhaps a surprise to those unfamiliar with the series that one its lead selling points was that it would be cutting content from the original game and streamlining its progression. This is because, while still a beloved entry in Square-Enix’s JRPG franchise, Dragon Quest VII is notorious for its slow pacing. With the game gearing up for release in just under three months, the game’s writer has detailed how the remake is tiding up the experience.
How Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is Streamlining the Story
It’s worth noting that Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is not the first remake of the 2000 PlayStation RPG, as there was a 3DS remake in Japan in 2013 (2016 worldwide) that rebuilt the game entirely in 3D graphics, as the original was a sprite-based 2D game. Reimagined seems to be building off this further, however from its inception the team has been trying to figure out how improve the game’s narrative pacing.
According to a Game Informer interview with the game’s lead scenario writer, Sayaka Tagaki, writing for the Reimagined began by outlining the core narrative overview of Dragon Quest VII and selecting the additional content around it. This involved rewriting scenes, switching the order of events, and ultimately cutting some content entirely.
The team started by selecting the parts of Dragon Quest VII they felt were most essential to its narrative. These included the various character arcs and moments that contribute to the overarching storyline, but also the smaller moments of development between its cast. This allowed the team behind the remake to identify moments that didn’t align with its vision for the reimagining, making the cuts a natural part of the process as opposed to deciding at the outset which parts were inessential.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined’s New Story Content
Tagaki also revealed that players will have more control over the events in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. They will be able at points to choose which islands they wish to travel to, as opposed to the original’s linear structure. This also required careful consideration of how narrative beats would be handled.
This allowed the team to explore new story ideas, like a recently revealed new ending that will be accessible depending on choices the player makes throughout the game. Details are scarce about the specifics of this ending (likely to avoid spoilers), but Game Informer’s coverage has confirmed that the ending will arrive a lot quicker this time due to the revamped progression.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will release for PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on February 5 2026.
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