Dragon Quest VII remake for the 3DS

[Bastian]

dq7a.jpgThere has been speculation that a "seventh" sequel of a Square-Enix franchise was getting a remake. Naturally, many assumed it would be the oft-begged-for Final Fantasy VII... but that was eventually shot down. So it should come as no surprise that the game in question is actually Dragon Quest VII. And it's being remade from the ground up for the 3DS.

dq7b.jpg

A rumor began circling the net yesterday but today Jump magazine in Japan confirmed the rumor and published details and even a screenshot of the remake. They mention that it will utilize StreetPass in some fashion, perhaps in a similar way Dragon Quest IX for the DS did, by exchanging "quest maps" with every person you pass.

This game met an interesting fate in the US when it was originally released. Every Dragon Quest game before it had been released exclusively on Nintendo consoles, but just as with their then-rival Square, Enix opted to move over to the new PlayStation for their seventh entry. However, rather than taking a huge step forward graphically with 3D models, Enix chose to keep the next Dragon Quest closer to home with detailed sprites for the most part, and even chose to retain some of the original 8-bit sound effects. The game was gargantuan with over 100+ hours playtime just to finish the main story.

The remake, however, will feature updated graphics, seemingly in the style and perspective of the DS' Dragon Quest IX,and with improved menus and saving options (and the ability to simply close the 3DS when you want to pause for a while) might allow those who never completed the game the opportunity to do so.

The game is slated to release in February 2013 in Japan. And while there is no word yet on any plans to localize outside of Japan, Nintendo has made every effort in recent years to bring both all recent and all past Dragon Quest titles to all regions, so chances are very good this one will make it over as well.

Source: Operation Rainfall

[Jowy]

I wasn't man enough to get past the first eight hours of doing nothing exciting when I rented it. :aimcry:

[Del Murder]

I wasn't man enough to get past the first eight hours of doing nothing exciting when I rented it. :aimcry:

Same here, but I owned it (and still do somewhere...).

This may be my chance to get into this 'lost entry'. Still need to play DQVI though.

[Flying Mullet]

I wasn't man enough to get past the first eight hours of doing nothing exciting when I rented it. :aimcry:

I hope they find a way to streamline and shorten that part. Very tiring.

[Wolf Kanno]

It's only three hours and it wasn't so bad cause it just a long puzzle. The later puzzles are far more annoying...

I wasn't terribly interested until I saw the screenshots and realized it was a full fledged remake which the game needed, I am especially happy to see they are going to actually have your party change outfits for the job classes you do, so that's a nice little bonus as well.

[Sephex]

I got awfully far and still have my save file, like, sixty or seventy hours in. If this remake makes the play time more manageable, I might consider buying it and completing this upcoming version at long last!

[Wolf Kanno]

I don't see how they could cut down game time without cutting out content tbh. The game is just super long, I hit the 80 hour mark in in the first disc.

[Yar]

I like the DQ IV, V and VI remakes better than any of the FF remakes. The DQ ones stayed a lot truer to the originals.

I am really excited to find this game!

[Bolivar]

Nintendo may have just won for me.

I was really hoping the PSOne Classic would be released by the time I beat DQVI (getting legendary armor to get to Zenithia at about 40 hours, soo....) but this might be even better.

I'm not sure what I'm up for though... hearing some weird things from this opening from all you guys. Plus I don't know if this remake style will work out so well. The way the DS games stayed true to the originals but brought sublte and much-appreciable changes. It's a tough balancing act and I'm not sure if a 3D, 3D, 3DS remake can accomplish it.

I'm pulling for the, though.

[Wolf Kanno]

It's not so bad, I honestly didn't mind the opening segments of the game but if you're the type who likes to get right into the action, VII is not your game. If you don't care about smacking slimes five minutes in then you're in for a treat cause VII was pretty damn good, if incredibly long.The original was easily 80-100 hours of standard play and then you can tack on a good extra 40 hours for optional content. The fact it's getting a huge graphical overhaul is kind of scary and tells you the 3DS has some good specs behind it.

As for the integrity of the original, the original pretty much looked like DQIV and DQV with kind of squashed and simplistic sprites. Coming off of what DQVI did, I can see why the graphics was one of the larger complaints against the original though the 2D/3D style of the series world was made in this game.

One thing I hope they change is Monster Parks because that side quest was largely superficial since it never really net you anything yet you tripped over maps to build new parks all the time. I also hope they raise the drop rate of Monster Hearts (at least the tier 1) cause it was an intriguing system that was hindered cause monsters have abysmal drop rates for even useless items like Herbs and antidotes. To say DQVII mastered giving you reasons to grind is a gross understatement.

[maybee]

This game is a little well insulting for me personally. Because well... one of the extra bosses was err... God.

I'm a Christian you see, so I personally love God and believe that he has helped me throughout some of the roughest stages of my life.

Maybe if it was a extra challenge to fight somebody powerful but they make him out to make him look like a childish clown. Like a idoit.

So I won't buy it personally. Though it's a okay game for those who won't mind that sort of thing.

[CimminyCricket]

I would like to be excited for this, but the first DQ I bought and played was VIII and I didn't really like it. I can't remember well, but I think the difficulty went from manageable to unmanageable within an instant.

[Del Murder]

This game is a little well insulting for me personally. Because well... one of the extra bosses was err... God.

I'm a Christian you see, so I personally love God and believe that he has helped me throughout some of the roughest stages of my life.

Maybe if it was a extra challenge to fight somebody powerful but they make him out to make him look like a childish clown. Like a idoit.

So I won't buy it personally. Though it's a okay game for those who won't mind that sort of thing.

Not every god has to be the Christian God. What if it was Zeus?

[maybee]

Not every god has to be the Christian God. What if it was Zeus?

Because from memory you fight him in a heavenly realm and Zeus lived on Mt Olympuis from memory...

[Laddy]

But the concept of a "heavenly realm" or "god" is common in many religions, so I fail to see how two concept with vague origins correlate exclusively to the Abrahamic god.