Dragon Quest 7 Remake Graphics Comparison Shows Just How Far This Classic RPG Has Come

Really like the artistic direction, looks almost like claymation. Could do with some more colour though, it’s a little washed out!

Looks basically the same.

@Max_the_German Do you want the number for Specsavers?

Unfortunate they decided not to show the original on original hardware. This is decieving by Square. Add scanlines even from a consumer grade CRT and that original probably looks almost as good as the remake.

Very nice. Looking forward to playing this in February. For those wondering, top is original, middle is 3DS, bottom is the remake.

Will read reviews for this one after reading all the comments about it being overly long and bloated. I think about 50 hours is my limit these days for a game like this, don't want to start 100.

I missed out on this on OG PS, did pick it up on 3DS never got around to playing it. I guess now I'll just continue the trend of buying it and not playing it again.

I know I played the remake on the DS, but i honestly cannot remember much about it

i still think the ps1 version is the best looking version.

The blonde guy looks like a Team America character.

@Fartingale I agree. The amateurish sprites, janky geometry and messiness combined with really vivid 16bit textures is something to behold. Modern games look washed out abd souless.

@rjejr They said they're cutting down some of the bloat for the remake if that helps.

I feel the original with 2D sprite looks more charming and it age really well even for the next 30-50 years. But that just me since i loves 2D sprite.

On the other hand, i'm not a fan of DQ. I've tried DQ 11 and DQ Builders 1 demo and i don't think the series for me. I love Toriyama arts though.

@nessisonett yeah the difference in color is ridiculous in the side by sides

@PuppetMaster you need to get your hands on DQ8 pal, what a game it is

i still have my original ps1 version a very long game took me forever to finish it..

The big heads put me off, especially the blonde guy's, but I think I will still buy this

If this game sells better than ff16 which have better (and way more expensive) graphics, maybe squareenix should focus only on gameplay and story for the next final fantasy & dragon quest games and use this style of graphics instead of realistic graphics like ff16 and dq11.

And I want chrono trigger remake with graphics style like this 😃

XI S was peak for me. It would be hard to go back. I wished they would remake IX though.

@wiiware I doubt this remake will sell better than FF XVI. Maybe in Japan but not worldwide.

For example DQ III 2D-HD only sold 2 million copies across PS5, Switch, Xbox, and PC compare to FF XVI at 3.5 million copies for PS5.

@SuperSilverback I don't think playing DQ 8 will change my opinion about the series. I just don't feel the series is for me.

Why do people want to pay $80+ for games that are pixel remasters that look worse than the originals? Why not try to aim for the ps2 level of graphics instead. I would play the remastered DQ 1-3 but they are hard on the eyes. Lunar the Complete Collection is one of the few that looks decent in my opinion.

@nessisonett I thought they looked more natural than washed out. The originals are very in your face with all the solid bright colours. This new one looks more pastelly and I dunno, natural! 😊

The 3DS remake probably looks the best out of them all as its brighter and has a bit more charm to it.

PS1 is still the best of the three but I still like what the new one is going for. Not a fan of that like hazy dream filter Reimagined has, the colors are washed-out.
3DS version did a remarkable job for the limitations it had on a handheld, it looks excellent in motion.

@PuppetMaster Really, I though dq3 remake sells more. I do hope this remake sells way more compared to dq3 remake though, I want chrono trigger remake with graphics like this

so looks like vocation costumes are part of cut content for this re-release. looking at some other screenshots and all high level characters still wear their starter outfits... kinda lame they didnt go the extra mile for this staple feature considering how much they plan to cut already anyway.

@Kienda

MATT DAMON!

@HOWARDSROCK Not even close. Scanlines and CRTs look terrible, always have. (And yes, im well old enough to have grown up on crts)

The ps1 version is a classic, but its definitely very dated and does not hold up well visually.

That said, it does appear they used the original more than the 3ds version as a basis for the reimagining. Its an interesting approach.

@Runex2121 well I still have a pvm and a consumer grade crt in my game room. I replayed 7 this summer on the consumer grade with hd retrovision cables and I can tell you it is close. But to each there own

I was also more making the point they used a horrible shot, not on original hardware to show the original version which is going to distort how the original version looked

The Reimagined version looked pretty.
I will pick the PS5 version.

This and Resident Evil 9 are gonna be my first main big pickups of 2026, having never played the original I'm super intrigued by it.

@PuppetMaster Dragon Quedt 8 is my favourite ps2 game and one of my favourite games of all time and if you didn’t like DQ11 I don’t see how 8 is going to win you over. It’s fairly similar to 11 just 10+ years older and 2 console generations older.

Was there anything specifically you disliked about 11?

The blonde guy looks awful, I can't stand his face. It's like he is a character from South Park or Team America, to make fun of. You didn't have to see his ugly mug on the ps1 version all the time and I'm glad for that.

I never played this, i started with dq8 which is one of my all time if not all time best games. I never really liked 2d graphics and especially not after 3d came out. So ill be picking this up day one.

I would love an “ultimate edition” that included playable versions of the PS1 game and Nintendo 3DS.

@Apkorv Yeah, Kiefer is a goofy-looking fellow. The good part is that the characters get to change appearance once they get to a certain point in the game, allowing class changes. I won’t say more than that to avoid big spoilers.

@PuppetMaster I loved XI, and really liked 1-4. I'm halfway through V and have enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought 8 was so boring, and over-hyped. So don't waste your time if you didn't like DQ XI. It's an unpopular opinion but I don't think VIII has aged as well some of the other entries, and people gush about the story, but the end plays out like the most basic 90s rom-com. I did play it on 3DS though, so take that for what it's worth. The PS2 version might be better.

@crudfish I'm not gonna play VIII since none of my local sellers have any copy left. So the only way is to import from Ebay or Amazon which will cost a lot with shipping + tax.

But there's seller who have 3DS copy and they asked for $100 because it's a retro game. In my country, many local sellers slap crazy price tag for retro games. Genesis-Saturn, PS1-PS2, NDS-NES-SNES-3DS, all of them are fricking expensives. Even some PS3 games became more expensives than their initial price.