30 Hours Later: Yes, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Is Slow
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Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a slow-burn JRPG, one telling the story of a group of kids who can travel to the past and experience adventures that affect the present. Despite weaving multiple storylines, the late introduction of the class-changing system leaves the game relying heavily on its narrative and characters to keep players engaged. After 30 hours, it’s clear that patience is required before the gameplay fully opens up.
That alone is a tough sell for a remake to what many Dragon Quest fans consider one of the best from the series. We now live in a world where we demand instant gratification, and while I do appreciate the game’s basic nature, I see many falling off because of the game’s pacing.
This isn’t a problem with the game itself, as Dragon Quest VII Reimagined stays true to the original game. It’s slow compared to standard designs in that you’ll probably encounter your first battle 40 minutes in, as the game takes its time setting the stage for your party discovering different islands in the past. When it gets going, combat is the traditional turn-based combat system with no real twist. It’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 without the over-the-top flair and parry system. Characters and enemies take turns, you have skills, and occasionally you can do this game’s version of Limit Breaks to get a major advantage in battle. That’s it.
Vocations change things up, but they open up later
Vocations is the game’s class system that allows a character to get a new set of skills and different bonuses in certain stats. Changing my character’s Vocation is when things start picking up; the problem is it becomes available to my party at the 25th hour. Before Vocation changing, every character was stuck with their starter class, and with me having the tendency to over-level, I maxed them out 5 hours prior, making any Vocation experience completely wasted.
That stung a bit, as it felt like I was punished for going off the main path to fight special monsters and run for extra experience. Even equipment isn’t all that complicated at this point in the game as every character has four equipment slots and two accessory slots, and I was mostly doing fine by making sure I’m loaded with the best stats.
That’s the main hurdle that I encountered while playing Dragon Quest VII, as the first 20 hours is basic JRPG combat, with players going through multiple story arcs that come and go. Each island discovered is truly a new adventure each time, with their own set of characters and issues that need to be addressed by you. You’re a silent protagonist too, so most of the interactions are left with the rest of the party. It’s like another filler episode of your favorite anime, as some can be engaging, while others feel like they’re there to pass time.
Hour 30 feels like the game is finally beginning
When Vocation changing became available, I could quickly see the difference it brought to combat, as it felt like a wake up call to start paying attention. I started thinking about party compositions, setting them up for more advanced Vocations, as mastering specific Vocations unlocked newer ones.
The basic turn-based combat was looking more appealing now, and it did a few hours after too, as it all of a sudden gave me the ability to hold two Vocations at once, effectively doubling the amount of skills a character can hold, opening up this treasure trove of possibilities for me to just go nuts and experiment. I started throwing myself at every roaming enemy because I wanted experience. This is the point i’m at right now, and i’m now having a blast.
Patience is key for those eager to play Dragon Quest VII, something I struggled with past titles, as I wasn’t fond of the first-person perspective, and other titles were of the same slow pace. I’m finally over the hump and i’m now at a point of looking forward to booting the game and picking up where I left off. This is also the point in the game where the main story is finally taking shape.
I know at this point, I have a long way to go, so i’ll check back to see how the game feels 50 hours in. Pacing aside, this is an impressive remake to bring a classic JRPG to modern platforms that has the potential to be a kid’s Final Fantasy VII, but in 2026, it’s a hard sell as kids are steered to other things easily, with attention spans for the average player at an all-time low.
No issues with performance, and I appreciate quality of life features like speeding up combat or instantly beating low level enemies upon contact, showing that the game respects at least some of your time. I see people questioning the new visual doll-like style in Reimagined, but I think it works as it's bright and charming, but most of all it respects Akira Toriyama’s unique art style
About the Author - Carlos Hernandez
Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.
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