This article was originally published in Italian on Thegamesmachine.it in 2016.
When Dragon Quest VII landed on PlayStation, it was the early 2000s, and people were wondering how Enix managed to pull out a title from the famous Dragon Quest series with an aesthetic even worse than the previous chapter, which had been born and developed in the comfort zone of Super Nintendo’s success.
Similar to Final Fantasy VII, the seventh episode of Yuji Horii’s series marked the franchise’s leap into the world of 3D, a technological effort that led to multiple delays in the hope of offering fans the most advanced product possible. Initially conceived for the marvelous Nintendo 64DD (which never reached the West), the project quickly moved to PlayStation when it became clear that the possibilities provided by Sony’s CD reader were far more interesting than cartridges. Moreover, the genre’s fanbase had already fully shifted to Sony’s new console, bolstered by famous names like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger (and its sequels), and Xenogears in its library.
On two discs and with over 70,000 pages of dialogue to translate (it’s said to be the J-RPG with the highest number of text strings!), Dragon Quest VII arrived in the United States the following year under the name of Dragon Warrior VII, failing to achieve even a fraction of the huge success it had in Japan.
Later, following the merger with Squaresoft and the birth of the eighth chapter under the new Square Enix, the production values of the Dragon Quest series certainly improved, leading to the international release of the most surprising incarnation of the saga with the next episode after the seventh, co-developed with the increasingly prolific Level-5 during the PlayStation 2 era. I’m, of course, talking about Dragon Quest VIII, a small cel-shading gem with a 1:1 scale 3D world that managed to make even the most hardcore old-school fans dream.
Due to this shift in direction, it’s no surprise that the franchise was revitalized multiple times with remakes that aimed primarily at refreshing the disappointing technological appearance the series was known for and, secondarily, to introduce the “almond-eyed” adventures to the West, a region where, historically, the Final Fantasy series had always had more of a following.
Fast forward to 2016, and after seeing the small (but talented!) software house ArtePiazza working on the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of Dragon Quest with their respective remakes for Nintendo DS, we find them working on one of the most convincing refreshes I’ve seen in recent times. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of a Forgotten World is undoubtedly a remake of the highest caliber, one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in recent years.
Square Enix really pushed the graphical upgrade of this unfortunate (in the West, as previously mentioned) iteration of the series, making the adventure of the three young protagonists feel almost like a completely new experience! Nothing that significantly changed the original structure of the game – except for a slight speeding up of the initial part – but with the modernization of some exploration mechanics, like the disappearance of random encounters, there’s plenty to be happy about! The story begins in the most classic way possible: the hero – mute and nameless, as tradition dictates – gets involved in an adventure of wide scope thanks to the curiosity of Kiefer, the prince of the kingdom and his best friend, and the desire for adventure of Maribel, the only girl in their village. The journey takes them to discover new lands and, most importantly, to grow through a narrative, always delightfully supported by a good Italian translation (although, unfortunately, in my experience with the 3DS, I enjoyed the dialects and slang of the English translation more, which were completely absent in the Italian script).
Each chapter of Dragon Quest presents a theme, a mechanism that advances the story differently from previous ones, and in the case of the seventh episode, everything revolves around the search and collection of fragments of worlds to reconstruct, save, and bring to light. The three protagonists live on what everyone believes to be the only island in the world, a scenario that is soon overturned by the adventuring spirit and determination of the party, initially consisting of just three characters, but over time expanding with many companions. In other words, a winning team never changes!
Let’s be clear, from a gameplay perspective, despite the surface refresh, Dragon Quest VII retains the series’ classic DNA, consisting of grinding, a difficulty level that is almost always manageable, a lot of humor, and mini-narrative arcs to complete before piecing together the puzzle and uncovering what lies behind an initially confusing situation. This fragmented and episodic nature of the narrative, essentially a real mosaic of mini-episodes that intertwine to “tell” the universe where the story takes place, makes the seventh iteration extremely suited for portable consoles, where each quick session could close a narrative arc like an episode of a Japanese animated series, with a “recent events” feature to recap the situation if you’ve been away from your console for a few days.
Thumbs up once again for the charming tone with which the characters come to life on the Nintendo handheld’s screens and for the dreamy atmosphere Square Enix managed to recreate with a 3D world that was born from the most classic isometry reminiscent of Xenogears. The fairytale atmosphere hasn’t been lost at all, and the graphic style used by the developers to characterize the game world and characters is highly convincing. Sure, it’s not at the technological excellence of Dragon Quest VIII and its saving cel-shading, but the elegance of the aesthetic is evident in every promotional trailer released in the past months.
The combat system benefits from the graphical update, showing the characters during battles as they launch attacks and magic, abandoning the increasingly outdated first-person camera. Additionally, it’s possible to “automate” battles by assigning tactics to each party member, limiting the player to only choosing the actions of the protagonist during each turn. If you don’t trust the AI, however, you can take control of the other party members after each turn.
The seventh episode of the series certainly deserved a makeover that could restore dignity to the characters and their adventures, one that would erase the memories of the original version released in the early 2000s, which in many ways was technically inferior even to the previous chapter for Super Nintendo. No worries, though, Square Enix has the solution to everything! In an operation similar to what happened with the fifth (beloved!) episode when it was ported to PlayStation 2 in a new polygonal form, it’s now the turn of the three mischievous protagonists of the seventh chapter to make noise in Europe, a region still unaware of what awaits in this chapter of the series, which was the last to arrive on the Old Continent.
Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of a Forgotten World’s structure consists of mini-narrative arcs that, once put together, tell the story of a broken world, once again corrupted by the invisible forces of an evil that is slow to reveal itself in the writing process. This storytelling technique fits perfectly with a portable gaming style, as you can experience each “chapter” of the story as an episode of an animated series, especially now, with such a beautifully crafted visual design.
Enix’s strong point is still the painstaking ability with which the creative team has managed to create a vast, lively world full of whimsical characters with a carefree appearance but never childish souls. The colorful world of Dragon Quest is often plagued by dramatic situations and painful events, yet from every situation, courage and the desire for redemption emerge in each of the main characters, in a celebration of humanity and its refusal to lose faith in the hope of a better future. An overwhelming optimism that never leaves the protagonists, even in the later stages of the game and after several events that will inevitably shape their growth.
Besides being one of the longest J-RPGs ever, Square Enix’s little gem is also a real test to see if you truly love the genre: it’s very common to deal with all the “flaws” typical of J-RPGs, from verbosity to criminal backtracking and grinding, activities that won’t bother hardcore fans, but which, at the end of 2016, could definitely discourage newcomers and players who have gotten used to the conveniences and automations typical of contemporary gaming.
While captivating players with a brand-new technical department, finally able to highlight the fairytale and timeless aesthetic of Akira Toriyama’s artistic direction (Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, and Arale), the heart of this production is firmly rooted in the past. That’s why those who finished the original version will feel right at home on the two screens of the Nintendo 3DS, despite a few adjustments to the initial part and some improvements to the class system and combat mechanics.
The degree of customization for the group of protagonists (four characters in battle, plus any temporary members) is so high that it puts to shame even titles released in recent years. Not only can each character virtually take on any class, but it’s also possible to hybridize their passive abilities and combat techniques to create moves that combine the abilities of one specialization with another. Of course, each class comes with its own power level to be increased from battle to battle, changes to the characters’ stats, access to unique abilities, and a different combat outfit for each character, though changes in equipment aesthetics are only visible for weapons held.
The combat system, classic as ever, involves turn-based fights against enemies visible on the screen during exploration, while the ability to see enemies on the 3D world map is a functional feature that alone modernizes the game and speeds up travel. However, you’ll quickly notice that, in interiors and dungeons, often little more than a series of tunnels and narrow corridors, battles are practically mandatory.
No problem: the game requires you to engage in battle after battle if you want to progress, imposing a very slow character growth rate with no escape. “No pain, no gain,” the Keel band once said in their album “The Final Frontier,” but fortunately, besides all the inherent flaws of the genre that have already been discussed, it’s nice to know that most low-level mob encounters can be automated by the AI, which can be assigned to any or all party members at the beginning of each turn (with the exception of the mute protagonist!).
For the first ten to twenty hours, the game may seem like a pure grinding fest without mercy, but the introduction of classes and new strategic possibilities in the second half spices up the battles that up to that point would simply end by repeatedly pressing the confirm button. Clearly, once you find the right combination of specializations, things get easier, but then again, it’s never been a hallmark of Dragon Quest to propose particularly complex gameplay solutions. Unlike many other J-RPGs, Dragon Quest VII places great emphasis on exploration: it’s no coincidence that the player’s curiosity is almost always rewarded with chests containing equipment to strengthen the party or uncover background stories related to the many small tales that make up the universe of Maribel, Kiefer, and the silent protagonist.
There’s a lot to get lost in, especially if you’re aiming for completion, both in the main quest and the side quests, including a new StreetPass feature that allows you to exchange “dungeons” with other players in the hope of finding rare monsters to recruit into your secondary team. So, if you’re looking for an antidote to boredom or a world to fully immerse yourself in for hours of 90s-style fun, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of a Forgotten World could be the perfect companion.
Technically speaking, as mentioned earlier, the work done by ArtePiazza to refresh the visual side is fully convincing, though I must point out a certain tendency to reuse graphic assets. The same NPCs can be found in nearly every town, and the locations, though central to a story about time travel, never differ significantly; an aspect that Chrono Trigger, twenty years ago, handled much more competently on a 16-bit console.
That said, I can confidently recommend this remake to anyone who wants to approach the classic spirit of the series without having to compromise with the isometry of the fourth, fifth, and sixth episodes on Nintendo DS, even preferring it over the PlayStation version. Unfortunately, the Western edition of the game lacks the orchestral soundtrack present in the Japanese version. The reason for this choice isn’t entirely clear (it could be a rights issue with the recordings), but the talent of Koichi Sugiyama, the series’ legendary composer, now at the venerable age of 85, is still magnificent even within the limitations of the MIDI format. Of course, this omission may annoy diehard fans, but considering the significant delay compared to the Japanese release – dated 2013 – and even the Italian localization, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.
Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of a Forgotten World is a great title, perhaps one of the best chapters in the series. Even with its brand-new technical profile, the Enix creation still carries the heart of a video game from a bygone era, when backtracking and grinding weren’t seen as genuine flaws. If you can come to terms with all the typical mechanisms of the genre – which are now often criticized by the public as mere relics of entertainment – you can easily find in Square Enix’s remake a portable adventure companion for hundreds of hours.
