Tails by the Foxfire

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa & Director Masato Yagi Reveal Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Favourite Characters, Inspirations, Gameplay Sneak Peeks, and More!

In anticipation of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined’s release on February 5th, 2026, Producer Takeshi Ichikawa and Director Masato Yagi answered some of the fanbase’s burning questions about Dragon Quest VII Reimagined’s development, differences from the original game, art direction, story overhaul, and their favourite things about the game. Keep reading for an overview of everything you need to know about Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, and read my review of the free demo available for PlayStation 5, Steam, Nintendo Switch!

Read More About Dragon Quest VII Reimagined:
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Demo Review

Who Are Producer Takeshi Ichikawa and Director Masato Yagi’s Favourite Characters from Dragon Quest VII?

When asked about their favourite characters from Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Producer Takeshi Ichikawa said “Maribel! She is very spunky … I’m really happy with how cute her model and outfit turned out.” It’s no wonder, then, that Maribel was the very first character to have a costume announced, and available just for playing the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined demo.

Director Masato Yagi is more a man after my own heart, sharing that Kiefer was his favourite. Yagi also expressed that, “I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, but I will say that I hope players enjoy the new content featuring adult Kiefer as much as I enjoyed it.” This has definitely piqued my interest, as Prince Kiefer seems like a character with lots of potential for growth, maturity, and change. I’m expecting one heck of a coming-of-age story based on what I saw of him in the demo, and I can’t wait to see what the journey has in store for him.

Top Scenarios in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

Speaking of significant story moments, Producer Takeshi Ichikawa and Director Masato Yagi also shared their favourites there:

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa: “I like L’Arca. It strikes a great balance between being catchy and absurd, and I think it’s one of the scenarios that really encapsulates the charm of DQVII.”

Director Masato Yagi: “For me, it’s Ballymolloy. I think it’s one of the episodes that truly symbolizes what Dragon Quest VII is.”

I can’t speak about L’Arca, since the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined demo only saw me through Ballymolloy, but I do agree with Yagi that the Ballymolloy episode is a notable one. Even though it’s only scratching the surface of what I’m sure Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has to offer, the episode was a shocking switch from the game’s initial humour and fairytale feel to something deeper and darker. Ballymolloy is at once charming and tragic, and captured me with twists and consequences that spoke to the Chrono Trigger fan in me. It’s no wonder, since character complexity is a big reason why Chrono Trigger remains a firm favourite among gamers, and it’s precisely this that Yagi spoke to when asked about the core themes essential to the story of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined:

“Personally, I believe that portraying ‘people’ is essential. Strength, weakness, unfairness, kindness… all of those complex human emotions—expressing them openly and honestly—is an indispensable element of this game.”

How Much of the Story was Cut From Dragon Quest VII Reimagined?

It’s no secret that a lot was trimmed from the prologue of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, and though I’ve heard plenty of good about this decision to streamline, there are no doubt some fans who have their reservations about what all was left on the cutting room floor.

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa has spoken a lot to this, reassuring fans of the original that, “While we have made adjustments to the scenario throughout the game, the core story and the unique atmosphere of the original version have been preserved.” Ichikawa also confirms that they ultimately “decided to omit [or make optional] scenarios that were less connected to the main storyline” and that a painstaking level of care was put into deciding which parts of the story stayed on and which were removed to “create a more fast-paced and immersive […] richer storytelling experience.” As a trade-off, fans can look forward to “completely new scenarios to give more depth to the overall structure of the title. We have tried to preserve the best aspects of the original storyline while delivering a more immersive narrative experience for today’s players.”

Picking the Protagonist’s Voice

In fact, even the protagonist’s voice was carefully considered, as the team “wanted to cast someone who could truly breathe life into the character. We wanted the voice to allow players to enjoy the story even more.”

I don’t know about you, but I found the choice to be perfect, just as Ichikawa said. I played the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined demo with Japanese audio, and didn’t feel that one character voice so far has felt out of place or unfitting for the story or environment. As mentioned in my review, my only jarring experience was with the caricature-esque dialect choices for many of the NPCs, but that looks to be a staple across English localisations for the Dragon Quest series. Ichikawa himself has expressed that “Our in‑house localization team has provided wonderful translations that perfectly fit the world of Dragon Quest,” so this quirk clearly aligns with the original vision for the game, and does set it apart from other titles in the genre, to be fair!

Demystifying the Video Game Remake Process

We’re living in the golden age of remakes, and as the recreation of our favourite titles has become more common, I’ve found myself curious to learn more about the decision-making and rebuilding processes behind the scenes. Generously, Producer Takeshi Ichikawa and Director Masato Yagi shared some valuable insight into their roles and favourite aspects for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined:

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa: As the project lead, I’ve been involved in everything from launching the project to managing development progress and reviewing various promotional plans. Basically, I take part in every step related to the title. Whether it’s development or promotion, the most enjoyable phase is when we expand on the initial ideas during the early stages. During development, there’s a stage where we test parts of the story, and when I was finally able to actually play the rebuilt visuals, scenarios, and battles, I was incredibly excited.

Director Masato Yagi: When we looked at quality of life implementations, we began by brainstorming with the development team, then the leads and I decided on which ones we liked or wanted, and then finally we checked in and consulted with Mr. Horii to confirm the final QOL implementations. My main job is to set the overall direction, review what’s been created, and decide whether it’s approved or not. What I like about development is coming up with various ideas and watching things gradually take shape. Please enjoy the rebuilt visuals, scenarios, battles, maps, UI, and more.

Notably, battle tempo and the UI have been “completely overhauled”, according to Director Yagi. As well, a lot of care was put into character movement and positioning to ensure they “don’t appear unnaturally exaggerated” despite their stylized appearances. The result is a remake that Producer Ichikawa led with a “new retro” approach: “While preserving the charm of the original game, we reexamined every element from the ground up so that it would satisfy all players as a modern title.”

Based on my experience with the demo and what else I’ve seen of Dragon Quest Reimagined VII so far in trailers and screenshots, Ichikawa’s mission was an astounding success that breathed new life into a beloved classic and created a new yet familiar gaming experience for new players and old fans alike.

Staying True to Akira Toriyama’s Design

In discussing the production of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, I’d be remiss not to mention the legendary Akira Toriyama. Though the remake takes Dragon Quest VII in an innovative new direction using dolls and dioramas, Ichikawa expresses that the development team held firm to Toriyama’s original style, respecting his vision while using it as the foundation for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined.

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa: In remaking this game, we focused on making the characters fun, adorable, and endearing, while maintaining the unique charm of Akira Toriyama’s design. His design gave us strong inspiration while creating the doll-look. In order to convey the depth and ambiance of the story more impressionably, we took on the challenge of creating a new art style for the Dragon Quest series, with a ‘doll-like art style’ and miniature garden-like fields. In our quest to create environments that match the look of the dolls, we arrived at a diorama-inspired expression and tilt-shift-like camera angles. We believe the style came out really well.”

I was so glad to hear Ichikawa speak more about the design choices made for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, as its artsy direction has made waves throughout the fanbase and piqued my own interest as to why this style was chosen. With more and more developers pushing the boundaries of expected character and world design to incorporate experimental elements like dolls, diorama styles, stop motion, and more, I’m really excited to see what’s next in the design landscape of video gaming.

Brand New Battle Mechanics in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined

I mentioned before that the battle tempo in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has been totally revamped, and the faster flow is owed in part to the monster co-ordination mechanic that you might have seen in the demo, where multiple monsters of the same type can chain their attacks to deal even more damage:

Director Masato Yagi: “In this game, there are certain monsters that may coordinate their timing and launch simultaneous normal attacks on a specific party member. This feature was implemented not only to enhance the overall tempo of battles, but also to add more impact and variation to standard encounters. In some situations, even a regular attack can become quite powerful.”

The Vocation system has also been refreshed, with “completely revamped” characteristics for each vocation and the ability to mix and match to create powerful combinations.

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa: “When progressing through the story, each character will eventually be able to take on two jobs at once. We’ve also reworked the individual jobs to make them more distinctive, so a new layer of fun comes from thinking about different job combinations.”

Want a sneak peek at what vocations are available in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined? Producer Takeshi Ichikawa & Director Masato Yagi share their favourite vocations to play:

Producer Takeshi Ichikawa: I’m not particularly skilled at RPGs, so I often put a Cleric in my party. With their job traits, they can heal the whole team, so they really help support the party in tough moments.

Director Masato Yagi: I like the Martial Artist and use that job a lot. Their defense isn’t very high, but landing a single decisive blow to turn the tables. Maybe that kind of fighting style just appeals to me.

When Does Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Come Out?

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined releases on February 5, 2026, so the wait is almost over! Play the free demo now on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch to unlock an exclusive outfit for Maribel, and be the first to jump into the action with 48 hour early access available when you pre-order the Deluxe Edition.

Thank you, as always, for joining me by the Foxfire! If you liked this deep dive into Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, make sure to like, share, and subscribe to be alerted whenever I post new content! Until then, take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you next time for more Tails by the Foxfire!