7th Dragon III Code: VFD

 3DS
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Jul 12, 2016
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 62
  3. Negative: 9 out of 62
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  1. vahn
    Mar 21, 2017
    7
    The first - and probably last - of the 7th dragon games that we'll ever get, since that this is the final game in the installment out of 4, with the first 1 being a DS game and the next ones PSP games. With that said I always had an interest in this series and even though I love EO a lot for its complexity, I loved this game just as equally if not more in certain areas.

    The game starts    The first - and probably last - of the 7th dragon games that we'll ever get, since that this is the final game in the installment out of 4, with the first 1 being a DS game and the next ones PSP games. With that said I always had an interest in this series and even though I love EO a lot for its complexity, I loved this game just as equally if not more in certain areas.

    The game starts simple: you're basically becoming a dragon hunter and your job is to hunt dragons, the true dragons to be specific, in order to complete an item called the Dragon Chronicle...everything else is basically the slice of life. In fact the plot is pretty weak and starts off with nothing really of interest: it's only at chapter 6 that the plot changes DRASTICALLY, and I do mean it: the tone switches, the story becomes more serious and...it gets really depressing. I won't spoil it but I did not see it coming but unfortunately, it makes the game hard to swallow because the first 5 chapters of the game (ignoring the transitions) are very bland and uninteresting and waiting 10-20 hours for the plot to become good is a flaw in my book.

    On top of that, the game is just too easy: I played the game on normal and it was very easy to rush through as I never had to farm enemies or even needed to grind points, as the dragons (F.O.E.s from EO basically) are super weak and give tons of exp and skill points. However considering they're many (around 250) and they're required for upgrading anything, from skills to features in the company, I take it that the low difficulty of the dragons is to compensate their quantity. It wouldn't be fun to waste half an hour on each of them now, would it?

    Another thing worth noting is that the classes aren't...exactly well defined in terms of roles: the god hand, for example, is a healer but also a tank, while the mage is a caster (duh!) but also one of the best healers and the agent is a debuffer but also a long range attacker. They're not as mystifying as in EO3 or anything but when you get certain skills going, you might notice the true potential.

    In addition, you can have up to 9 characters in your part: 3 groups of 3 people, with one in the front guard and the other 6 as supports and these are really needed for debuffing enemies from their boosted attacks.

    With that all said and done, what I love of this game is how there's a story to follow AND how your characters are actually showing on screen - and in 3d no less - while EO resorts to the old style of first person view with 2 static images and, especially on the DS, the enemies wouldn't even more and only flash. I get it that it's a stylistic choice but I'm going with 7th dragon here because I LOVE seeing my characters interacting like that and having other npcs to talk with. On top of that the story is much more of a focal point and doesn't disappear like in EO and while both games have good stories, 7th dragon just felt more cohesive and never let it go - even if it's not very strong in the first hours.

    So, do I recommend this game? Absolutely: the game is short (finished in about 35 hours due to slacking), it's fun enough and while easy it's not "that" easy to avoid tactics: some bosses can kill you quite easily if you're not careful. Top it all off with a slow yet good story and a roster of characters that are cheesy but not hateable, you get a pretty good package.

    Shame we probably won't see a new game anymore as the second ending hinted to a possible sequel...    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best 3DS Game of 2016
26
#26 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
16
#16 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. FNintendo
    Apr 13, 2017
    90
    If simple to customize, involving plot, rich characters and entertaining combats are hallmarks of the RPG genre, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD nails them all with a high standard. This game stands out for its gameplay and audiovisual environments thanks to its combat system, its rich plot and interesting characters that make the whole experience much more involving. Being easy to customize only adds another layer of depth to the experience, making it one of the most enjoyable RPGs available for the 3DS.
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  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Jan 18, 2017
    70
    7th Dragon III Code VFD is a good dungeon crawler for people who never played this kind of games. The art direction is interesting, the characters' classes are fresh and the original soundtrack from Yuzo Koshiro is a blast.
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  3. GameGrin
    Jan 9, 2017
    60
    Whilst not an outstanding score, this game is still fun and I had a blast reviewing it. The pacing of the battles make it very accessible for the general player without much experience with strategy JRPGs. But with the mundanity of certain aspects of the game, pacing being off and with its current RSP. It’s hard to recommend unless on sale.
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