Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is more than just a visual overhaul

Dragon Quest fans have been slathered with wonderful gifts over the last year, with the releases of first Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and then a few month later, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, both of which brought the classic NES titles up to modern visual standard with gorgeous new graphics and a ton of quality-of-life improvements. 

But as great as those releases have been, the best might still be yet to come. On Feb 5, 2026, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is scheduled to release, which feels like it will represent an even more extreme departure from the original game than this year's previous two releases. Whereas Dragon Quest I, II, and III have undergone "Remakes", Dragon Quest VII is being "Reimagined". 

Dude...when that fanfare kicks in? Chill...

Details of what this means have been slowly trickling out over the last few months since the game's announcement. So far, the game has been shown to have dramatically different visuals, going for a diorama-like 3D look as opposed to the PS1-era original pixel art. The game is also boasting a "streamlined" storyline, significantly tightening up the 100+ hour campaign. A new ending is also planned.

And Square Enix today announced that new storylines are also being added into the mix. Today's announcement teased a new segment of the game where players will meet the young prince Kiefer as an adult, playing alongside him for a time. No details have been shared as to how this will happen - whether it involves time travel, a magic spell, or some other story device. But it interesting to note that in addition to cutting things out of the game, other original material is being added in. Reimagined, indeed.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is scheduled to release on February 5, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.