Dragon Quest VII: A Primer

With Dragon Quest VII for 3DS being released very soon, and me being who I am, I thought I’d write a little bit about this long-awaited RPG remake. There are people out there who aren't too familiar with the game or the DQ series out there, so I wanted to talk about what to expect!

One of the most important things to know about Dragon Quest VII is that it is a very gradual game. It doesn’t throw everything at you all at once. You’re eased into its gameplay elements and story, in an almost relaxing way.

For example, in every other Dragon Quest game (and most RPGs in general), you’ll likely encounter some low-level enemy a couple of steps outside the town you start in. Fighting a slime early on is something of a DQ tradition, but in DQ7, you start out in a world with no monsters whatsoever. The beginning of the game focuses on the efforts of you and your friends to explore the local ruins and find fun stuff to do (with no monsters around, life is boring, I guess!) and eventually you find yourself in a new location, face-to-face with some familiar blue guys staring you down.

If this isn't a smile-inducing sight for you now... it will be!

The buildup to this first enemy encounter is huge. I’ve never seen anything like it before in an RPG. You’ve spent the whole game without a battle and suddenly you’re thrust into the middle of one. It should be a completely ordinary thing, but until now you’ve been playing as some misfit kids goofing off around town with not a single enemy in sight. You feel unprepared and unsure of yourself. Just like your characters are feeling! It’s great.

After this, the game plays much like a typical RPG with regular enemy encounters. Your character’s progression is very straightforward at this point - you’ll get new abilities automatically as you gain levels. This allows you to learn the battle system and make your way forward in the story without worrying too much about the details.

You have no idea how important this costume is

Later in the game, you’re introduced to the job system, which allows you to go much more in-depth with the abilities your characters learn. Even further on, once you’ve mastered several jobs, you’ll unlock advanced jobs which give you even more options to play with. None of this feels too overwhelming because you feel familiar enough with the game to experiment a bit as new things are slowly introduced.

A lot of people are fixated on the 100+ hours of gameplay thing. What’s important to remember is that Dragon Quest games, and DQ7 in particular, aren’t about one long continuous story. DQ7 focuses on one region at a time, each with their own little scenario. It’s possible to finish with one area and take a break, then come back and tackle the next, without fear of forgetting what was going on when you played last. It’s a very laid back sort of format, without any pressure to put in those 100 hours all at once. Sort of like watching different episodes of a TV show. Binge at your leisure! The portable format of this version really makes this aspect of the game shine.

As a personal suggestion, I'd recommend playing the game from the beginning up until that first enemy encounter in one sitting if you can. It leaves you off at an exciting point to pick the game back up again, assuming you can put it down!

You can't really argoo with that!

Hopefully all this gives some people a more clear idea of what Dragon Quest VII is all about. It’s a really neat game and I’m very happy we’re finally getting this remake. This is the part where I ask everyone and anyone to do their part and purchase a copy - it’s important that we get this series worldwide and every sale counts!