DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined Review Summary

Engaging Story and Characters: The story is engaging and well-paced, with added plot elements and improved narrative arcs. Characters are well-developed and the voice acting is highly praised.

Enhanced Graphics and Visuals: The game features significantly improved graphics, including detailed environments, charming character designs, and a visually appealing art style. Players appreciate the doll-like graphics and the overall visual presentation.

Improved Gameplay Mechanics: The remake includes streamlined gameplay, smoother combat, and easier navigation. The game has been modernized with quality-of-life improvements, making it more accessible and enjoyable.

Excellent Soundtrack and Audio: The game features a beautiful soundtrack recorded with a live orchestra. The voice acting is exceptional and adds emotional depth to the story.

Customizable Difficulty Settings: Players appreciate the detailed and flexible difficulty adjustments, allowing for a highly customizable gaming experience. This includes adjustable battle speed and difficulty settings.

Content removal and simplification: Many elements from the original game, such as islands, puzzles, casinos, and character rankings, have been removed or simplified. This has led to a sense of content being cut and the game feeling less rich and engaging.

Technical issues and bugs: The game suffers from various technical issues, including crashes, long save times, and compatibility problems with certain hardware like ultrawide monitors and specific controllers. These issues detract from the overall gaming experience.

Excessive handholding and streamlining: The game is criticized for being too hand-holdy, with excessive guidance and streamlining that reduces the challenge and sense of discovery. Players feel the game is dumbed down, making it too easy and less engaging.

Difficulty and challenge reduction: The game's difficulty has been significantly reduced, making it too easy and less challenging. This includes the removal of grinding, item limits, and the simplification of combat mechanics, which has disappointed some hardcore fans.

Repetitive and sanitized gameplay: The gameplay is criticized for being repetitive, too sanitized, and lacking the depth and variety found in other RPGs. This includes reduced combat challenge and linear story progression.

Exploration and puzzle-solving: The game emphasizes exploration and puzzle-solving, with secrets to uncover, treasures to find, and stone tablet puzzles. The puzzle-solving aspect has been simplified compared to the original.

Turn-based combat system: The game features a traditional turn-based combat system with new changes and difficulty settings. It includes a vocational system with unique skills and spells, and AI-controlled battles.

Removed and simplified elements: Certain elements from the original game have been removed or simplified, such as the Monster Meadows, Casino, and some puzzle-solving aspects. This streamlining aims to improve the gameplay flow.

Story and narrative improvements: The game features an engaging story with improved pacing and narrative structure. It includes added plot elements, side job systems, and emotional story beats.

Difficulty and accessibility adjustments: The game offers detailed difficulty adjustments, making it more accessible for RPG beginners. It includes features like auto-battle, frequent save points, and fast travel.

Performance and Optimization: The game runs smoothly on various platforms, including Steam Deck and Linux systems. It maintains stable FPS even on high settings, though there are occasional performance issues like stutters and crashes.

Game Errors and Bugs: Players experience various errors, including graphical settings not saving, town reversion errors, and frequent crashes. These issues can disrupt gameplay and require fixes.

Graphics and Visuals: The game features modernized graphics with crisp visuals and good optimization. However, there are issues with resolution support, ultrawide monitors, and occasional graphical errors.

Compatibility Issues: There are compatibility issues with Proton versions and certain controllers. Additionally, there are reports of Denuvo anti-tampering errors affecting gameplay.

Controller and Input Support: There is a lack of support for certain controllers and features like rumble support. Players have requested better controller compatibility.

Highly recommended for JRPG fans: This game is praised as a must-play for fans of classic JRPGs and rich storytelling. It is recommended for both new players and fans of the series, offering a rewarding experience for those who enjoy traditional turn-based combat.

Controller support and gameplay tips: Players recommend using a controller for the best experience, with native support for Xbox controllers. The game is also suggested for those who enjoy long adventures and immersive gameplay.

Demo and purchase recommendations: Players recommend trying the demo to get a good impression of the full game. It is also suggested to buy the game on sale or through other means if the price is a concern.

Recommendations for specific player groups: The game is recommended for various specific groups, including kids, casual gamers, and those with limited gaming time. It is also suggested for players looking for a relaxing and healing game experience.

Future remakes and updates: Players express hope for future remakes of other Dragon Quest games and updates to address minor issues. There is a desire for similar remakes for other installments in the series.

Steam Deck: The game generally performs well on the Steam Deck with stable frame rates and good optimization. However, there are notable issues with graphical settings not being saved, anti-cheat errors, and launch problems such as black screens and crashes. Additionally, the game causes significant battery drain, and there is a desire for better controller support. These issues impact the overall user experience and require attention.

External guides: The primary issue identified in the user feedback is the excessive handholding in the game. This aspect is frequently mentioned and significantly impacts the user experience, making it less enjoyable for many players.

Language setting issues: There are reports of problems with language settings specifically on the Steam Deck. This issue may affect the user experience for players using this device.

Early impressions shared: Some reviews are based on initial impressions rather than full reviews. These reviews may not provide a comprehensive evaluation of the game.