Dragon Quest VII is really Dragon Quest VI-2. I don't mean that it's a direct sequel like some of the other games in the franchise, it's completely separated from the Zenithian trilogy even, but in so many ways it feels like a direct retread of the foundations that DQVI laid down. From the mechanics, to the structure, to the writing this just feels like a more expanded and refined take on the ideas of its predecessor. All of this is not really a complaint, I enjoyed a lot of the things that DQVI did, and even though this entry doesn't do a lot of brand new ideas to the table it's still the biggest Dragon Quest game to date and getting to just vibe out in that world is enjoyable in and of itself.
From a mechanics side of things the job system is back and more fleshed out. There are many more jobs to pick from, including a ton of monster jobs that add monster-specific moves to your moveset, and more third tier jobs outside of Hero that give you more endgame options. The leveling requirements also seem much less absurd than in DQVI which allows you to try out different jobs without the pressure of needing to go grind for hours to get a basic set of abilities unlocked.
The writing is definitely a step up from DQVI, in that there is an actual plot outside of the episodic adventures. The plot is glacially paced, and still mostly occurs within the last few hours, but there are some interesting twists and turns. I won't say that this game pulls any super unique narrative tricks like the best games in the series are known for, but it's solid enough that it didn't bother me. I think the quality of the episodic stories is really great across the board here, and that's nice to see considering there are so many of them, and they're so much more involved than past games.
My main gripe with this game is the new twist on the two worlds thing that DQVI did. You're constantly travelling back and forth between the past and present, which does lead to some cool narrative moments, and I think that more than justifies having the two worlds. Unfortunately, there's way too many instances of you spending several hours in the past version of a location, only to go back to the present where you have to spend several more hours exploring the exact same location with minor changes. Early in the game this didn't bother me much, but near the end when you're doing lengthy dungeons multiple times it really starts to feel monotonous.
I don't think this is one of the best games in the series, but much like DQVI I think this is an entry that I can see myself coming back to just to turn my brain off and enjoy the vibes.
From a mechanics side of things the job system is back and more fleshed out. There are many more jobs to pick from, including a ton of monster jobs that add monster-specific moves to your moveset, and more third tier jobs outside of Hero that give you more endgame options. The leveling requirements also seem much less absurd than in DQVI which allows you to try out different jobs without the pressure of needing to go grind for hours to get a basic set of abilities unlocked.
The writing is definitely a step up from DQVI, in that there is an actual plot outside of the episodic adventures. The plot is glacially paced, and still mostly occurs within the last few hours, but there are some interesting twists and turns. I won't say that this game pulls any super unique narrative tricks like the best games in the series are known for, but it's solid enough that it didn't bother me. I think the quality of the episodic stories is really great across the board here, and that's nice to see considering there are so many of them, and they're so much more involved than past games.
My main gripe with this game is the new twist on the two worlds thing that DQVI did. You're constantly travelling back and forth between the past and present, which does lead to some cool narrative moments, and I think that more than justifies having the two worlds. Unfortunately, there's way too many instances of you spending several hours in the past version of a location, only to go back to the present where you have to spend several more hours exploring the exact same location with minor changes. Early in the game this didn't bother me much, but near the end when you're doing lengthy dungeons multiple times it really starts to feel monotonous.
I don't think this is one of the best games in the series, but much like DQVI I think this is an entry that I can see myself coming back to just to turn my brain off and enjoy the vibes.