Hands‑On With the Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined Demo: A Classic Reborn

As a newcomer to the Dragon Quest series, this demo completely won me over and now that the Deluxe Edition releases today, I’m ready to lock in!

The Year is 2026 and I still haven't finished my backlog! There are just way too many good games to play and focus on, and I think I might add another to the list of greatness - Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined. I played the demo for about 5 hours, and I just felt nostalgic, reminding me of games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Golden Sun, and even Pokémon. It was the sense of adventure seeing what you're going to unravel. With a charming funny group about becoming a hero and seeing the world expand before their eyes.

Surprisingly, I never played a Dragon Quest game before but was always interested in it. My brother hasn’t either till recently when he got to play the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and really enjoyed it, so I decided to jump in as well. It’s crazy since one of my favorite characters (and reveals) in Super Smash Bros Ultimate is Hero and love the Dragon Ball series so you would think I’d join in sooner!

The quick rundown of the story so far is that you and your friends have set out on an adventure beyond your homeland to discover the outside world. Along the way, you search for stone tablet fragments that form a map and eventually teleport you to an unknown land filled with monsters. It sounds simple but the twist is that it's in the past, so you'll learn about what happened to the town and the old famous hero before you. You’re then given the quest of defeating the evil – which has you cleanse the land and free the people there and bring peace once more making you and your friends Heroes.

I found it cool when traveling back to the present, and you see the changes that occurred. No monsters roaming around the lands, people are walking around enjoying the day and praising your heroic effort and thanking you for giving them the courage to do things right and not being afraid next time. The cool feature to me is seeing the world expanding, and the island you saved appears next to your homeland like it was lost in time or trapped. Not only that, but the game gets bigger, bringing in ship traveling mechanics like swimming around in Pokémon games. That is just one piece of the adventure that you get involved in throughout the story, so I know in the rest of the game things will get much more interesting, and I’m excited to explore more with that time travel twist.

I really enjoyed the characters/friends that you are introduced to and eventually join your team. One of them is Prince Kiefer with an amazing, chiseled chin. He's charismatic and heroic, seeking adventure and encountering the mysteries he has heard in stories. Then there’s Maribel who acts like Bulma from Dragon Ball, being sarcastic, mean and nosy. She is trying to figure out what you're doing and blaming you for being dragged in to situations. I love how unique each character is, especially when interacting with others that come into your team for a short while like Maeve. The banter of the characters is hilarious; Maribel is mean as hell at times, especially when wanting to join the team without giving much of a choice.

Exploration was simple but gives you the idea to check every nook and cranny as it rewards you with some items to help on your journey. Don't be afraid to break some crates or open cabinets for some treasure. The combat though is great and fast with the nice turn-base RPG fashion. It’s kind of addicting especially when the right music is playing and the flow of the team is perfect. I can't wait for the full game to see what cool skills to unlock, but you can change the games difficulty to your style to how much damage an enemy can do to you or just healing after combat. If the combat is too difficult, you can even change it to where the enemies don't attack you when you're exploring, so it's up to the player if they want to grind for experience or not. I feel like those are great quality of life changes that allow anyone to join and experience a Dragon Quest story without feeling overwhelmed by the original experience.

Throughout my entire playthrough, the game never felt boring. The visuals are gorgeous, the enemy variety keeps each area feeling fresh, and the strong influence of Akira Toriyama’s character designs adds so much charm. It’s honestly surprising that I never got into the series before. When the remake was first revealed, I was blown away by how detailed the world and characters looked. Game Informer even showed how the team used wooden dolls to craft the character designs, which was such a surprising and creative approach, and it translated beautifully in the final game. It’s crazy how they pulled it off, but it works. The characters show so much more emotion and charm, while the enemies manage to look a little creepy with their silly antics. For a newcomer like me, it’s amazing to see and appreciate the world for what it is - whether you’re running through the forest, sailing across the clear blue ocean, or admiring the detailed textures of the land. Even the remade towns and castle look vibrant and beautiful.

What makes the experience memorable in Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, and honestly any of the games in the franchise, is the music. It's beautiful and inspiring with its classic theme song, Overture, that hypes you up to go out and adventure. The opening movie hooked me right away when it dropped. It felt like the beginning of a grand adventure, almost like a storybook coming to life. Even the somber songs when you're exploring a cave and not knowing what will pop up will get you in a certain zone. But then, the music picks back up when you enter battle, making you smile and excited when you're up against 3 or more enemies on screen.

The team that worked on Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined really did their best to immerse you into the world, and I can't wait to play it soon. If you’re reading this, the game should have been released for those who bought the Deluxe Edition or on February 5^th for Standard Edition on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. So, if you’re on the fence on getting this or just want to try it out to get a feel for the game, check out the demo! It’s more than enough time to know what the story is, enjoy the music, and appreciate all that it has to offer - especially for it to be 5 hours long!