Square Enix just dropped the Adventure Log Part 1 trailer for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, giving players a closer look at the forgotten lands and mysteries they’ll explore when the game launches on February 5, 2026. The nearly three-minute trailer showcases the remake’s unique diorama aesthetic while teasing several island stories that make this classic JRPG so beloved.
The trailer emphasizes the game’s core premise: your character lives on the only remaining island in the world, and it’s up to you and your companions to discover why. As you restore forgotten lands through mysterious fragments, each location reveals its own tale of struggle, danger, and hope.
Featured Islands and Stories
The Adventure Log Part 1 trailer gives glimpses of several distinct locations players will visit. Froisha stands out with its Faraday Castle overrun by automatter, robotic soldiers hellbent on destruction. The trailer shows heroes navigating through mechanical threats in what appears to be an early-game dungeon filled with puzzle elements.
Emberdale brings a completely different vibe with its vibrant flaming festival, where locals perform the dangerous tradition of tossing fire back into the volcano’s core. The colorful celebration contrasts sharply with the darker mysteries lurking beneath the surface. Other glimpses show desert landscapes, mysterious ruins, and various monster encounters that promise the classic Dragon Quest experience with modern refinements.
Each forgotten land operates as a self-contained story while contributing to the larger narrative. Unlike the original’s strictly linear progression, Reimagined lets players choose which island to tackle next after certain points, giving more freedom in how you experience the adventure.
The Doll and Diorama Visual Revolution
What immediately catches attention is Reimagined’s distinctive art style. Square Enix built this remake around a handcrafted aesthetic that brings late artist Akira Toriyama’s character designs to life through actual physical dolls that were 3D-scanned to create in-game models. The result is chibi-style characters with charm and personality that pops off the screen.
Towns and environments follow a matching diorama philosophy, making exploration feel like you’re playing with miniatures on an elaborate tabletop setup. This approach sits between the HD-2D retro style of the recent Dragon Quest III remake and the hyper-realistic Unreal Engine treatments other Square Enix properties receive. It’s whimsical without being childish, detailed without losing the storybook quality that defines Dragon Quest.
Producer Takeshi Ichikawa explained the team created physical figurines and scanned them to ground the art style while maintaining all the whimsy. The environments complement this with hand-crafted diorama visuals that make every location feel tactile and inviting. Battle animations remain expressive and over-the-top, sometimes matching Dragon Quest XI’s spectacle despite the smaller character scale.
Streamlined for Modern Players
Dragon Quest VII has a reputation. The original PlayStation release could take over 100 hours to complete, with a notoriously slow opening that turned away even hardcore fans. Producer Ichikawa himself admitted abandoning the original due to its tedious start. The 3DS remake in 2013 addressed some issues but remained extremely lengthy.
Reimagined tackles this head-on with significant story streamlining. Lead scenario writer Sayaka Takagi and her team identified story moments that didn’t align with their vision for a more accessible experience. They cut or converted to optional side quests any narrative segments with little connection to the main storyline.
The process involved more than just cutting content. The team restructured story sequences, rewrote dialogue, and reshaped plot points to accommodate the new non-linear island choice system. Every change created cascading effects that required examining how it impacted dialogue and other scenario aspects, essentially rebuilding the narrative puzzle from scratch.
Moonlighting and Combat Updates
Beyond visuals and story, Reimagined introduces the Moonlighting system that lets characters equip two vocations simultaneously. This addresses the original’s extensive but time-consuming vocation progression. Players can now combine abilities from different jobs, like maintaining a primary Gladiator role while accessing support spells from a secondary Cleric vocation.
Combat itself receives quality-of-life improvements. Weak monsters visible in the overworld can be defeated instantly without entering traditional turn-based battles if your party significantly outlevels them. For standard encounters, preset commands and auto-battle options speed up routine fights. A new Monster Master vocation joins the roster with the Positive Reinforcement perk that summons creatures to assault enemies.
Ichikawa also specifically requested improvements to the Pirate vocation, which felt underwhelming in previous versions. Given Dragon Quest VII’s ocean-faring theme, the team wanted players to feel incentivized to embrace the seafaring lifestyle with meaningful progression and rewards.
Cross-Platform Launch Coming Soon
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined launches February 5, 2026 across Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC. The simultaneous multi-platform release ensures nobody gets left behind regardless of their preferred gaming system. Pre-orders are already available on digital storefronts including Steam.
The Adventure Log Part 1 trailer suggests Square Enix plans additional preview content before launch, likely showcasing more gameplay systems, islands, and story elements. With less than two months until release, expect the marketing push to intensify as we get closer to February.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a complete remake of the 1999 PlayStation classic, rebuilt from the ground up with a unique diorama visual style, streamlined story, and modernized gameplay systems. It’s not just a remaster but a full reimagining that maintains the original’s spirit while making it accessible to contemporary players.
When does Dragon Quest VII Reimagined release?
The game launches February 5, 2026 across Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC. All platforms release simultaneously, and the game is already available for pre-order on digital storefronts like Steam and the PlayStation Store.
What is the Moonlighting system in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?
Moonlighting allows characters to equip two vocations at once, letting them access abilities, spells, and perks from both job classes simultaneously. This speeds up progression and creates more strategic depth compared to the original’s single-vocation system that required extensive grinding to master multiple classes.
How is the story different from the original Dragon Quest VII?
Reimagined significantly streamlines the main scenario, cutting or converting to optional side quests any story content not directly connected to the main narrative. The game also introduces player choice in which islands to visit next after certain points, replacing the original’s strictly linear progression with some freedom in how you tackle the adventure.
What is the diorama visual style?
The diorama style uses 3D-scanned physical dolls for character models and handcrafted-looking environments that resemble miniature tabletop sets. It’s inspired by Akira Toriyama’s original designs but rendered in a charming, tactile way that differs from both HD-2D retro styles and photorealistic approaches. The result looks like playing with elaborate figurines on a beautifully crafted diorama.
Is Dragon Quest VII Reimagined shorter than the original?
Yes, considerably. The original could take over 100 hours to complete with a notoriously slow opening. Reimagined streamlines both the main story and combat encounters to reduce playtime while maintaining the essential narrative and world-building. Specific hour counts haven’t been confirmed, but Square Enix emphasizes this version respects modern players’ time.
What is the Adventure Log Part 1 trailer about?
Released December 18, 2025, the Adventure Log Part 1 trailer showcases various islands and stories players will encounter, including Froisha with its robotic automatter soldiers and Emberdale’s volcanic festival. The nearly three-minute video highlights the game’s diorama visuals, diverse environments, monster encounters, and puzzle elements while teasing the overarching mystery.
Ready for Adventure
The Adventure Log Part 1 trailer confirms Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is shaping up as more than a simple remake. Square Enix is tackling the original’s biggest weaknesses with thoughtful design changes while preserving what made it special. The diorama aesthetic looks gorgeous in motion, the streamlined story addresses accessibility concerns, and systems like Moonlighting modernize the vocation progression without dumbing it down.
For series veterans who bounced off previous versions due to pacing issues, Reimagined offers a second chance to experience one of Dragon Quest’s most unique stories. For newcomers, it’s an inviting entry point with visuals and quality-of-life features that feel current rather than archaic. February can’t come soon enough for JRPG fans hungry for the next big adventure.