A surprise announcement during the recent Nintendo Direct surely had to be Dragon Quest VII Reimagined.
Square Enix announced another remake from the the long-running RPG franchise, providing fans a chance to revisit an entry that isn’t high on most people’s lists. This will mark four of the 11 mainline entries getting rereleases in recent years, not to mention the host of side games getting released over the past generation of games.
Surely this shows that Dragon Quest is having a moment, but all is not well in the medieval fantasy world. Many still wait for any kind of news on Dragon Quest XII, which has had nothing revealed except for a title card four years ago.
Now, I don’t intend to focus on the negative here. I was thrilled to see the DQVII remake announcement and I think this might be a harbinger for future titles.
Fans have clamored for Dragon Quest VIII to get a remake, not to mention DQV and DQIX also being on those lists. I think the announcement of DQVII during the Direct shows that Square Enix is testing the waters for remaking those other titles.
It is absolutely fair to question why the company didn’t jump to one of the more popular entries first, but I think it’s because Square Enix plans to try something a bit different.
One of the selling points revealed on the Dragon Quest VII remake is a “streamlined story experience.” One of the biggest complaints of this entry was too long, something the 3DS version didn’t entirely fix.
Whatever Square Enix has planned will likely be experimental and, to me, seems to be a good idea to experiment on a less-popular title. That could prove to knock out some bugs and set up future remakes to be even better.
Despite the positive direction these remakes may be heading, there’s still the unfortunate speed bump of still no information on Dragon Quest XII.
This is part of a larger problem of developers announcing titles way too early. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is just barely having its fulfillment after eight long years of minimal updates. Dragon Quest XII could be heading that same direction.
Of course, there are other issues in play, most of them within Square Enix itself. From shifting internal plans to the death of Akira Toriyama to a change in producers. All of this makes for a difficult development cycle.
What could bode well for the long-awaited entry is the buzz these remakes are making for the franchise. The original Dragon Quest trilogy 2D-HD remakes seem to have a lot of positive energy around them while the DQVII remake looks to be generating more attention for the franchise.
All of this builds nicely off of the success Dragon Quest XI enjoyed, particularly with its definitive edition release. That will ensure Dragon Quest XII comes into a largely pro-Dragon Quest world.
The key here is for that 12th entry to make the most of that situation. So far, fans are left wanting when it comes to the mysterious game, causing some to begin taking bets on how many remakes will arrive before DQXII.
There’s no arguing the Dragon Quest franchise is having a moment. It’s enjoying positive buzz along with Square Enix showcasing what made the franchise special in the first place. All of that is a good thing.
What’s missing is a new mainline entry and we are rapidly approaching nine years since the last one and five years since the original reveal. If Square Enix wants to capitalize on the moment, DQXII needs to make an appearance.
Until then, as good as this moment is, it will feel incomplete.
What about you? Are you excited for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined? How many remakes do you think will appear before Dragon Quest XII? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Square Enix (via MP1st)
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