Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

 3DS
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
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  1. 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 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 toDragon 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.… Expand
  2. bunnyofthesea
    Mar 14, 2017
    7
    As a fan of this series I was stoked to see that one of the few games in the series I have not played was getting a remake for the 3ds. When I first got it I was right at home, it was that same dragon quest feel that I knew and loved. I noticed that the game took longer to get going but it was still fun. And this fun keep going. But by the 4th or 5th island I began to notice something. IAs a fan of this series I was stoked to see that one of the few games in the series I have not played was getting a remake for the 3ds. When I first got it I was right at home, it was that same dragon quest feel that I knew and loved. I noticed that the game took longer to get going but it was still fun. And this fun keep going. But by the 4th or 5th island I began to notice something. I am doing to exact same thing every single time. Every single island plays out the exact same way, and whenever you beat it you go back and visit it in the present and do the exact same thing you did in the last one. It just goes on and on and is so repetitive that I couldn't play it anymore. I'm sorry I wanted to like this game but just couldn't because of how bored I got. If you are looking into getting into the series just play DQ8. That game is fantastic and also received a 3ds remake.… Expand
  3. Rickles
    Sep 25, 2016
    5
    Please note that the most positive reviews of this 150+ hours-long game all come only a few days after its street release. Do not trust any review that does not feature at least sir Mervyn in screenshots. Most testers didn't go past the 20 hours mark... This game is not good. This is not a classic. Even for its time, it was lacking and had been surpassed graphically, story-wise andPlease note that the most positive reviews of this 150+ hours-long game all come only a few days after its street release. Do not trust any review that does not feature at least sir Mervyn in screenshots. Most testers didn't go past the 20 hours mark... This game is not good. This is not a classic. Even for its time, it was lacking and had been surpassed graphically, story-wise and gameplay-wise. It's not simply austere and hardcore. In fact, it's neither of that. It's sketchy in its structure, asinine in its storytelling, clichéed even with regards to the standards earlier DQ set for the genre. Its sheer length is to be blamed on its painstakingly slow pace, back and forth traveling through samey dungeons. The execution on 3DS is poor. The menus and navigation therein are needlessly cumbersome and barebone. Characters aren't relatable or likeable, they are mostly one-dimensional and hardly get any exposure. NPC are no-face, recycled assets, even those that "matter" in the storyline (there's nothing of significance in the story). It doesn't all come together in the end. It's just bad and the gameplay's not even fun or challenging. Even if you want to check it out for yourself, please, spare yourself the boredom, and invest both time and money in a more modern, more game-like experience. Look out for Dragon Quest 8 in 2017 instead, there's a true masterpiece.… Expand
  4. MrComrade
    Mar 4, 2017
    7
    I liked the game but it really does drag on. The menu can be really tedious to navigate, too. It also takes a while for the story to pick. Still, it's an enjoyable experience to go through.
  5. Maarten95
    Dec 7, 2020
    6
    The biggest dragon quest. Unfortunaly the game just falls short to its excelent folow up games dq8,9 and 11. Characters dont at all develop and so ypu dont care about them. There is no voice acting and the soundtrack sucks. The main evil guy kinda shows up near the end and so you dont feel any pressure to defeat him.
  6. JoePapaReviews
    Dec 4, 2021
    5
    This game has fractured me into several fragments from all the time I wasted on this.. but otherwise average.
  7. IMR707
    May 1, 2021
    6
    If does have fun adventures and characters. Also the character building is awesome. However the pacing is terrible. For example, you are only given option to change class after a long hour into the game. For me, it's after 20 hours of gameplay

    Although it is not bad of a game, but it definitely the worst DQ mainline series i have ever played and will not come back to play this again    If does have fun adventures and characters. Also the character building is awesome. However the pacing is terrible. For example, you are only given option to change class after a long hour into the game. For me, it's after 20 hours of gameplay

    Although it is not bad of a game, but it definitely the worst DQ mainline series i have ever played and will not come back to play this again anytime soon.    … Expand
  8. pablovillegas
    Apr 24, 2020
    6
    El juego empieza muy lento sin dar mucho a cambio por la paciencia, si bien las historias pueden ser interesantes no dejan de ser muy simples y al tener poca variedad en los npc se vuelve un constante deja vu , los personajes principales están bien diseñados pero se mueven en un mundo cansino y repetitivo que no premia la exploración mas allá de unos cofres, las sagas Final Fantasy desdeEl juego empieza muy lento sin dar mucho a cambio por la paciencia, si bien las historias pueden ser interesantes no dejan de ser muy simples y al tener poca variedad en los npc se vuelve un constante deja vu , los personajes principales están bien diseñados pero se mueven en un mundo cansino y repetitivo que no premia la exploración mas allá de unos cofres, las sagas Final Fantasy desde el VII hasta el IX lograron mucho más en la generación anterior. solo quería terminarlo luego e ir por otro juego.
    el ir repitiendo la mecánica de desbloquear islas no fue suficiente para mí, tal ves fue un buen juego pero en ps2 y con muchos menos años en el cuerpo.    … Expand
  9. NerfPlayeR135
    Dec 5, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've heard that the original PSX game was not the Dragon Quest series's bright spot. Unfortunately, this remake doesn't do much to help with that. Vocations in this game are broken, but not in a good way. Yes, you can become obscenely overpowered if you master vocations. But they're based on number of battles won, which is a tedious method of progressing them. There are level caps in each area meant to keep you from grinding vocation levels, but nothing's stopping you from using a monster tablet to bypass the cap entirely. Exploiting this results in a laughably easy game that I only finished because the story was good and I wanted to see how it ended.… Expand

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. 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.
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  2. CD-Action
    Dec 12, 2016
    90
    The best kind of remake – it show the game the way you remember it, not the way it really was. [12/2016, p.76]
  3. IGN Spain
    Nov 23, 2016
    80
    One of the most beloved RPGs of all time receives a new skin and elements. Although we can find some things a little bit old DQ still is a really nice rpg which is now portable.
    Read full review
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