The original Dragon Quest 7, as well as its 3DS remake, is known for being rather long-winded, but Square Enix is hoping to fix that with its upcoming reimagined take on the PS1 classic.
Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined, which is set to release on February 5, 2026, makes quite a few changes to the RPG with overhauled visuals, more dynamic battles, and some major cuts to improve the game’s pacing.
In a recent interview with Game Informer magazine, producer Takeshi Ichikawa explained that one of the biggest changes to the new remake is a revised opening that will bring players into their first fight much quicker than before.
“The amount of time it takes to get to the first battle in the game is much shorter this time around,” the producer told the outlet. This would be the second time that Square Enix has shortened the game’s historically long introductions sequence with the 3DS remake also getting players into the action far quicker than the PS1 game.
In the original PlayStation version of Dragon Quest 7, it takes players around two hours to get to the game’s first actual battle, if they’re reading everything and exploring. Fans who know what they’re doing can get to the fight in around half that time, but it’s still a very long time to go without any fights.
Alongside the introduction changes, the producer explained that the game will have a never-before-seen conclusion. In a segment of the interview posted online, Ichikawa confirmed that players will be able to experience a brand-new ending depending on what they choose throughout the game.
“[Reimagined] follows the narrative of the original story, but depending on some of the […] player choices, players will get to see a new conclusion that’s never been seen before in previous iterations,” Ichikawa said. “So, even players who have played previous versions of Dragon Quest VII, they’ll still get to have this fresh narrative experience with Reimagined.”
Some hardcore DQ fans may be upset at how many changes are coming to Reimagined, but this game doesn’t replace the original. Dragon Quest 7 is a timeless classic, but it’s also well known for its glacier pacing, especially in its intro. It’s a very long game, one that’s already been cut down before, and some additional cuts will likely prove beneficial.
Following the remakes of the series’ original trilogy, and this upcoming entry, more classic games in the series are expected to release in remade forms. Square Enix has already confirmed the existence of additional remakes in the series with fans hoping for a true remake of the game’s fifth entry: Hand of the Heavenly Bride.
