Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past Reviews
With a lengthy adventure full of memorable story moments, Dragon Quest VII deserves a spot in every 3DS owner's library.
With its updated visuals matching the majority of aesthetically pleasing RPGs on the 3DS (its style heralds Dragon Warrior), Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past gives fans the RPG experience they’ve been searching for while baptizing newer gamers into the Dragon Quest/Warrior family.
In the end, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is a very sturdy Japanese RPG on the Nintendo 3DS that offers a massive world for you to explore. Best of all, it contains an interesting time travel story as you search for the antagonists and the characters you encounter are not too clichéd but help add to the overall mythology of this title. The gameplay is great and I had no issues navigating both the menu system and the gaming world with my characters.
Jumping into Dragon Quest VII, I was treated to a well-paced, meaningful story that did not center itself around battles like many JRPGs try to do these days.
Dragon Quest 7 ties together a bunch of fun mini-adventures into a lengthy, nostalgic package
As far as remakes go, Square Enix shows time and time again how to do it right, and Dragon Quest VII for 3DS might be their best DQ revamp yet—a massive adventure packed with stories and characters, traveling across time and magical realms to plunge through volcanoes, caves, and underground lairs. I don’t see this appealing to a large audience who isn’t already fans of either the genre or the Dragon Quest series, but there’s nothing wrong with an old-school romp through swamps and slaying the hordes of palette-swapped enemies in the fields. Chicken soup for the gamer’s soul, y’know?
With the big push that Nintendo has given to Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, it’s a shame that this is the black sheep of the main series. It’s not that it’s bad, far from it, and ArtePiazza have exceeded the original version in every way. Yet as much as I love the work they’ve done, the plodding nature of the game makes this the longest game in the series, for not necessarily the most compelling of reasons. A lovingly crafted game, and a dramatic improvement on the original, but not the best entry point to the franchise.
Accessible and incredibly deep, if you’re looking for a time-sink you won’t get much better than Dragon Quest VII.
Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is an engaging remake of a well-liked classic that brings some much needed paint and portability to the overly long game.
Dragon Quest VII is still an enjoyable RPG. It has the old school feel that made it a classic, but some of what was left in feels a bit too old for a modern take. The pacing is the biggest issue here, and I would say players wanting to understand the game going in need to realize it takes a good 12-15 hours before this game even begins to start, but if you can hold out until it actually begins, you looking at a decently structured, thought out, and fun JRPG.
However, for those with just a little bit of patience, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is an immensely rewarding title that will occupy you for many, many hours on end. It may take a while to get going, but those willing to hear its tale told will not be disappointed.
While there are a few hiccups along the way, Dragon Quest VII is a well-crafted classic JRPG.
RPG fans and people who like extensive gameplay times will absolutely fall in love with Dragon Quest VII
There is one section of the game however that felt completely overwhelming. At a certain point you’ll temporarily lose access to most of the arsenal you’ve become reliant on, making every battle a chore. There are a bunch of boss fights you have to loose to progress any further followed by a fight that you have to win that fells just like the unwinnable battles. If When you lose you’ll have to traverse the entire dungeon again until you either luck out and the boss is just an idiot or you grind for a few hours to increase your chances, I did both. Even after grinding it’s an uphill battle and the whole thing feels like it’s full of cheap deaths. If you have the patience to make it through this nightmare of a section you’re rewarded with normal gameplay and a general happiness inside.
Despite a long list of small gripes, it’s hard not to see the majesty in [Dragon Quest VII]
While Dragon Quest VII's remake successfully honors the original, it strays just enough away from the source material to keep it relevant
Fragments of the Forgotten Past thrives in its adventurous spirit, an unforgettable quest that finds strength in the memorable collection of short tales that the player becomes part of.
Despite the much-needed visual overhaul, if you spent 100+ hours with the PlayStation original there’s maybe not quite enough in this 3DS update to tempt you back. But if Dragon Quest VII doesn’t always justify the significant length of its journey, anyone looking for some good story content to last them well into the winter months will find a portable RPG that dwarfs most of its console counterparts.
Couple those first impressions with awkward camera angles and unavoidable monsters in linear dungeons, the flaws are unfortunately quite clear. Yet with all that said, and despite the deeper, richer and more complex JRPGs flooding the market today, sometimes it’s nice to bring back the classics. After all, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is storytelling at its best.
Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is a classic JRPG with a lot of enjoyable contents, but characterised by a slow pace.
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