Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the latest remake of the Dragon Quest series to release on consoles and PC on February 5, 2026. Cat with Monocle was fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity by Square Enix to go hands-on with a short demo of the upcoming remake during New York Comic Con. Here are our detailed thoughts on our initial impressions of the game.

Charming Designs

The hero party members you play as are based on real-life, physical dolls that were handmade and scanned into the game’s models. This remake has a unique flair and attention to detail, aiming for a more realistic style compared to the vibrant, pixelated look of the recent HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest I & II and Dragon Quest III.

The environment and agriculture in the game are more lifelike, with diorama visuals that create a sense of depth. While the basic navigation through towns, dungeons, and world maps is similar to previous Dragon Quest titles, visually it feels much different and refreshing. The monsters you encounter aren’t scanned from real-life models like the heroes, but they have detailed textures that blend well with the overall game design, avoiding any noticeable standouts.

 Classic jingles like entering towns, climbing stairs, leveling up, and more retain that nostalgic charm. The orchestrated soundtrack adds to the whimsical feel when exploring the world outside towns and becomes energetic during pivotal moments in the game.

Strolling Through

The demo offered consists of two parts where you can confront either the Glowering Inferno who lives in the volcano of Burnmont or the terrifying sea monster Gracos. Before encountering each fiend, you’ll play through part of the game’s story that leads up to the boss battle. With the demo being limited time, we explored more of the story of Gracos, then dabbled halfway through Burnmount. Each was quite entertaining.

Unlike the HD-2D remakes, enemies wander in dungeons and in the overmap instead of triggering spontaneous random battles. This gives players the option to choose whether to engage in battles or avoid them.

The exploration up to Gracos delved further into the game, introducing more characters to experience and allowing us to try out various abilities. In contrast, Burnmount only featured three characters at lower levels. The story, much like the Dragon Quest series itself, takes players on an emotional rollercoaster of events. For example, the people who have perished from Gracos’s actions in the past are portrayed as wandering spirits, then transformed into aggressive minions to attack you. There is much more to experience, but you will have to wait until early next year to experience it yourself.

Your heroes have the ability to change vocations (jobs) from warrior, dancer, sailor, and more. By gaining experience in these jobs, you can learn new skills and perfect these roles. A new feature in this remake allows players to attach two vocations per character and change jobs at any time. You can equip one under “Vocations” and the other under “Moonlighting”, bringing in more spells, abilities, and stats than before. This adds a more strategic depth to customizing your hero. Equipping items can help boost your stats for the vocations you’ve chosen, providing more options for players to test out and bring out the best of their abilities against upcoming foes.

Exploring More

Originally, Dragon Quest VII would take at least 70 hours to complete. The 3DS version is about the same but still requires a lengthy time to complete. Reimagined’s story will be adjusted to a shorter timeframe, giving players the option to complete the game sooner or continue the journey that was originally required. It’s hard to know exactly what was adjusted, but when the game launches in early 2026, players should have a better understanding of what Reimagined will offer.

We greatly appreciate Square Enix for inviting us to experience the upcoming release of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. Our hands-on with Dragon Quest VII Reimagined was memorable and players should be interested in seeing more of the world that needs saving with its charming visuals and classic turn-based mechanics.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined releases for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (Microsoft Store and Steam) on February 5, 2026. Fans can visit the game’s official website for purchasing options and other game details.