The Dragon Quest series has a long and storied history, and Nintendo has begun porting the popular games onto its handheld system. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past releases Sept. 16 and brings the PlayStation game to 3DS users.
Admittedly, I’ve never played a Dragon Quest game before this one. I was aware of the series but it never appealed to me growing up, so I was happy to find out that each Dragon Quest game is self-contained (the idea of taking on the seventh game in the franchise can be daunting) with the exception of some familiar characters and monsters.
Without any pressure or any preconceived notion of the original PlayStation version, I jumped into Dragon Quest VII and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had.
STORY
The story of Dragon Quest VII is simple yet unique. Your character was born and raised on an island everyone believes is the only place on Earth inhabited with humans.
Not to give too much away, but essentially your character will find a portal that will allow you to travel through time. You’ll go to unique lands in the past as you meet characters and go on some interesting quests to save the present.
Dragon Quest VII is a time-travel story, but unlike most it’s not overly complicated and does it’s own thing. While I usually feel these types of stories aren’t handled well, Dragon Quest VII is very enjoyable and simple. You don’t have to worry about the consequences of changing the past or anything like that, you travel to the past and it changes your present for the better. Simple as that.
However, I must say it took a long time to finally get into the story. After you’re introduced to the world you’re in, you are sent into remedial fetch quests before you can do any travelling through time. It was really frustrating to not be able to actually progress the story, especially when the game has you running from area to area in time-wasting fashion.
The first couple of hours of Dragon Quest VII really dragged. Fortunately, once you get to the meat of the plot, your patience is rewarded with fun characters and an engaging story.
GAMEPLAY
As with many RPGs, Dragon Quest VII ’s gameplay mechanics allow you to take control of your character and walk around rather freely in the overworld. The way it looks and moves reminds me of the good ol’ PS1 days.
That said, the cameras in the game drive me insane. They don’t move with your character when you turn and you are constantly pressing the L and R buttons on your 3DS to adjust your perspective.
Nintendo says in its press material that this game was “rebuilt from the ground up for the 3DS system,” so why would they keep this aspect of the game? It’s an odd choice (though one you learn to deal with the longer you play) that makes navigating around the islands more tedious than it already is.
This is what I hinted at when I was talking about the story. Throughout Dragon Quest VII , you’ll be travelling around different islands to get to different areas. Some are really large and you will be running from one end to the other while avoiding monsters. There are items to get you places more quickly, but they are few and far in between, which slows down your progress in the story.
I can’t tell how many times I entered a new area, only to press the wrong direction because of how my character is positioned and end up immediately back in the same area I just came from.
The problems I have with the camera also apply for certain dungeons where you can’t adjust the camera, instead going deeper into corridors without seeing where you are going. You are bound to run into monsters and enter unnecessary battles when you should be able to easily avoid them.
The battle mechanics of Dragon Quest VII are typical to traditional turn-based RPGs. If you’re familiar with other RPGs, like Bravely Default, then you’ll feel right at home with this game.
Your party will each have certain skills in which they excel, learning more and becoming stronger as they level up by slaying hordes of monsters. Of course, the Vocation System can change how your characters fight and what they learn as they level up. There are a ton of ways to play and customize your party members, and options are always good.
I would prefer that the enemies, especially bosses, in Dragon Quest VII had health meters so you can tell how effective your attacks are, but it gives the game a push towards the more difficult side, which some fans may appreciate.
A lot of the battling seems to benefit those who are already familiar with the Dragon Quest franchise, but it is simple enough to grasp it with a little practice.
This is also the first game that I’ve played that forces you into talking and interacting with every NPC and interactive object in the game. This can be annoying but with how small each area/town is, you can easily speak to everyone in a couple of minutes.
Dragon Quest VII is a great example of a game that doesn’t hold your hand and push you towards your end goal. A lot of the time, you’ll need to talk to an NPC and try and figure out where to go to next or who to talk to.
More than once during my playthrough, I struggled to remember characters I was introduced to back in the first few hours of the game to progress the story. It was frustrating, but in a good way, and it was the first time in years that I had to visit GameFAQS to help me remember my next step in the journey.
Be sure to pay attention to the dialogue and talk to EVERY NPC you can find. You’ll never know who will help you down the line.
VERDICT
Overall, Dragon Quest VII is a fantastic addition to the 3DS family. The story and gameplay made me feel like I was playing a home console game on my handheld and that’s always a good thing.
Some of the overworld controls are a little funky, especially the camera work, but the story and simplistic turn-based battling will keep you entertained for many hours.
Fans of the Dragon Quest series will surely enjoy this installment, and if you’re like me and you are thinking of jumping into the franchise starting with this one, you will be pleasantly surprised. Just be sure you have the patience to chug through the first couple of hours until you get to the meat of the story, you will be rewarded with a fantastic 3DS game.
