Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

About Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past arrives on the Nintendo 3DS as a full remake of the classic 1998 PlayStation title. ArtePiazza rebuilt this massive RPG from the ground up while Square Enix handled publication back in February 2013. You play as the son of a fisherman from Pilchard Bay who discovers his world used to be much larger. The plot involves traveling through time to restore lost continents before sealing away a demon lord disguised as a god. This version features new 3D models and a fresh localization for the story. It is a single-player adventure that demands patience but offers one of the longest narratives in the genre.

Gameplay

You spend your early hours exploring the island of Estard until you find map fragments that let you jump to different eras. Each past location acts as a separate continent with its own towns and dungeons. Battles happen on turn-based grids where you manage four party members from a menu of over thirty classes. You assign jobs like Warrior or Mage and level them up individually to unlock new spells. The real time sink comes from grinding for experience points in repetitive monster encounters while hunting for specific equipment. Traveling between past and present changes the world map significantly as restored lands appear in the current timeline. This loop drives hundreds of hours of play through manual character customization rather than automatic progression.

What Players Think

Players on PlayPile rate this title highly with a Metacritic score of 81 out of 100 reflecting critical approval. The community average completion time sits at around 75 hours for the main story, though many users report over 100 hours when chasing all side quests and achievements. Our mood tracking shows 88 percent positive sentiment among players who finished the game. Review snippets frequently mention the sheer length as both a pro and con. Users note that the job system keeps engagement high even during late-game grinding sessions. Only 42 percent of our tracked users achieved 100 percent completion, suggesting the endgame grind filters out casuals. The data confirms this is a title for dedicated fans willing to invest significant time.

PlayPile's Take

This game fits players who enjoy long RPGs with deep character customization systems. You should buy it if you want a single-player experience that lasts over 50 hours without any multiplayer requirements. The price on the eShop reflects its status as a premium remake rather than an indie title. We found the achievement list difficult to clear completely due to the sheer amount of grinding required. Dragon Quest VII works best for veterans of turn-based strategy games who do not mind slow pacing. Skip this if you prefer fast-paced action or short story campaigns. The final boss fight offers a satisfying conclusion after all that time spent in the past.

Storyline

Dragon Quest VII tells the story of a young hero, the son of a prominent fisherman in the village of Pilchard Bay on Estard Island, the only landmass in the world, and his friends in a fantastical, medieval-like world. They set out on adventures through the world's past and learn about its history. Upon discovering different lands in the past and solving the troubles, they reappear in the game's present-day map. The party begins their adventure when the hero and Kiefer discover a mysterious fragment of a map that the former's father brings home from a fishing trip. Further investigations lead the hero to discover that the world he lives on, which seems to consist of only his small island, used to contain many continents that have somehow been sealed away. By placing other stone fragments found throughout the journey on pedestals in Estard's ruins, the Hero and his friends are sent to different lands in the past which the party eventually realizes. Once they solve the problems in the area's past, the landmasses appear in the present. After the world is restored, Orgodemir, the Demonlord, disguises himself as the Almighty and seals several of the islands away once again; this time Estard is sealed as well. The party sets out to revive the elemental spirits: Wind; Fire; Earth; and Water. Orgodemir is then revealed as the Demonlord to the world whereupon he claims to have done so to trick humanity. Orgodemir then raises the Cathedral of Blight; and with the aid of the Skystone, the party confronts him in a final battle.