Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

 3DS
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
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  1. IGN Italia
    Sep 13, 2016
    74
    Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is a classic JRPG with a lot of enjoyable content, but characterized by a slow pace.
  2. Games.cz
    Feb 6, 2017
    70
    Remake of the seventh part from cult series is excellent from both the technological and gaming point of view even that all issues related to the age of game couldn’t be removed. Yet it is a beautiful adventure for dozens of hours.
  3. JeuxActu
    Oct 5, 2016
    70
    Dragon Quest 7 is a sixteen-year-old game, and you can feel it every time you play it. Those who love the J-RPG genre will find a beautiful adventure, that will hold them more than a hundred of hours, with an addictive job system. The others will probably find it too long, too slow, too cute. Too old, to make it short.
  5. Gamer.no
    Sep 27, 2016
    70
    A refreshingly simple JRPG that emphasizes adventuring and exploration over flamboyance. An excessively slow start hurts the overall impression to some degree.
  6. We Got This Covered
    Sep 26, 2016
    70
    Dragon Quest VII's more archaic elements may not sit well with some players, but it's still an exciting and varied journey through many colorful, memorable worlds.
  7. Gamer.nl
    Sep 18, 2016
    70
    Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is a fragment of the past in itself. The remaster can't hide that the game is simply old-fashioned.
  8. GamingTrend
    Sep 15, 2016
    70
    Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is a solid JRPG remake with more than enough plot and gameplay to keep RPG fans happy. The turn based battle system is light on grind, filled with Dragon Quest’s trademark cast of colorful monsters, and offers a mostly hands-off feature for fights. With an engaging story, a huge world to explore, and plenty of side quests and additional content, there are many of reasons to get lost in the past.
  9. Metro GameCentral
    Sep 15, 2016
    70
    An excellent remake of a game that represents one of the logical extremes of Japanese role-players, and yet remains surprisingly endearing despite its flaws.
  10. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 5, 2016
    60
    Even with all the possible improvements the resurrection of the seventh episode of the legendary Japanese RPG is alarmingly “antique”. Must have for all the fans of manga. [Issue #268]
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  11. RPGamer
    Oct 26, 2016
    60
    Dragon Quest VII is still not a favorite of mine, but this remake left me feeling much better than the original. Its storytelling is far from the potential it could grasp, but each of the scenarios presented manages to be interesting. It's not a good idea to have this be someone's first Dragon Quest, but anyone prepared for a serious commitment will find Fragments of the Forgotten Past to be a solid choice.
  12. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 21, 2016
    60
    Unfortunately, Dragon Quest VII has so many shortcomings it can’t be saved neither by its good story, nor by its charming characters, nor by the fact that its graphics are good by 3DS standards. A game that was originally released in Japan back in 2000 needs a whole lot of work to look adequate on modern market – and Square Enix barely bothered to give it a fresh coat of paint. [Issue#213, p.54]
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  13. InsideGamer.nl
    Sep 18, 2016
    50
    It feels unfair to call Dragon Quest VII a bad game, as it was fine in the year 2000. However, in 2016 we are not okay with a game that does not innovate enough. It just feels old, instead of retro.
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  1. Ars Technica
    Sep 13, 2016
    A love letter to die-hard DQ fans. See if you like Dragon Quest VIII when it comes to the 3DS—if you do, circle back around for this one.
  2. GameSpot
    Sep 13, 2016
    Almost 50 hours in, I finally feel like I'm playing Dragon Quest 7 proper; I have access to job classes, the main story is kicking into gear, and I've located a casino where I can try my luck at a few mini games while I continue my adventure. I'm wary after so many hours of repetitive questing and simple combat, but it's motivating to see signs of good things to come.

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best 3DS Game of 2016
14
#14 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
7
#7 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 152 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 120 out of 152
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 152
  3. Negative: 17 out of 152
  1. TemplarGR
    Sep 16, 2016
    10
    This is a remake of Dragon Quest VII on the PS1, one of the best in the series. For those unfamiliar with the series, Dragon Quest is one ofThis is a remake of Dragon Quest VII on the PS1, one of the best in the series. For those unfamiliar with the series, Dragon Quest is one of the "big two" JRPG series, alongside Final Fantasy, but never had much success outside of Japan. The original DQVII was released very late on the PS1 life, and had bad outdated graphics and trashy controls. This made people avoid the title in favour of other rpgs, and in general DQVII was ignored by most. And that is a pity.

    Fast forward to 2016, and we can play the remake in the West, at last. And it is totally worth it: Great graphics, both in terms of engine and in terms of art style, great music, control improvements, gameplay improvements. The way it was meant to be played.

    If you have played a DQ game before, you know what to expect: Great story, charming characters, a lighthearted mood, tons of playtime and some grinding. The battles are the typical archaic JRPG battles, but for some reason they feel fresh and fast paced on this remake, so they won't bother you that much.

    I understand that the lower ratings come from people who don't like those archaic elements, and believe me, i hate those too, but for some reason i am always making an exception for Dragon Quest games: The typical jrpg battles are part of their appeal.

    One of the true gems on the 3DS, and a reason to own the console (at least until they port the game on other platforms).

    I am surprised at the relative low metascore. This game deserves more. So i am giving it a 10, and a recommendation if you own a 3DS and like RPGs. Don't miss this.    … Full Review »
  2. Barabasz
    Dec 9, 2016
    3
    Played it recently, reached Falrod, but couldn't finish it. It just SOOO BORING. The story is boring. Cutscenes and dialogues are too long andPlayed it recently, reached Falrod, but couldn't finish it. It just SOOO BORING. The story is boring. Cutscenes and dialogues are too long and boring. Battles are boring and with the best available equipment and proper tactics set, they are just autobattles. Also the targeting system is just stupid. Monsters are randomly divided into groups, so often you won't even know which monster will be attacked. It's hard to use any strategies with this. The characters are awful. I've played a lot of RPGs and Prince Kiefer and Maribel are just the worst I've ever seen. I hated them and didn't want to have anything with them. I was so disappointed, when I was forced to include them in my team. Graphic is pretty good, but it looks that the devs didn't know how to use LODs or just couldn't so very often trees and other objects will just appear right before you eyes. For a remake made specifically for 3DS this looks bad. Also there are only several NPC models, so you will quickly see a lot of generic characters you won't even want to speak too. Dragon Quest VII was my first game of the series and I think it will be the last one. It's just too boring for me. I've read that the DQ VIII is much better so I will give it a chance, but I'm afraid I will be disappointed. Better think twice before buying this game. If you haven't play any DQ before and don't feel sentiment towards the series you can get to the point where you will think, that you just lost precious hours of your life for a game that's not entertaining at all. Don't make my mistake.… Full Review »
  3. RyogaWanderer
    Sep 28, 2016
    5
    Dragon Quest VII is a game that greatly overstays it's welcome. There is so much padded back and forth questing it felt at times like I wasDragon Quest VII is a game that greatly overstays it's welcome. There is so much padded back and forth questing it felt at times like I was playing an MMO. There are cut-scenes and story bits that continue to hit you over the head with ideas that are just completely unnecessary. There have been far too many times where I am actually shouting at the game "I GET IT." at it's attempts to "hint" at plot developments. Even the popular RPG trope of grinding is padded out. Halfway through the game items start costing several thousand gold, but one is lucky to walk away from a fight with a hundred gold. But you can't spend TOO much time grinding for the gold, or else you will out level the area and no longer be able to rank up in vocations. The story is good, but it spends so much time getting around to it that it becomes tiresome. I never felt this worn down by an RPG in my life. Not even Bravely Default got this repetitive and I completed all of it's endings. It takes so long to get to major game mechanics (I am looking at YOU Monster Meadows) that they just feel like more work on an already full inbox. I wanted to love you DQ7, I really did. But I can't. But I can't hate you either.… Full Review »
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