Dragon Warrior VII

Game Critics (9 out of 10)

DW7 is arguably one of the longest console RPGs ever made (topping out at a whopping 100 hours, give or take 20) and, unlike many other long RPGs, it is designed to be played at a comfortable pace. The plot has been cleverly divided into simple episodes that are neither time-consuming nor over-demanding of the players memory. In other words, the designers actually went out of their way to make a time-management-friendly game, something that can easily be picked up or put down without fear of losing interest. I find this refreshing after suffering through RPGs that expected me to remember details from hour 5 to comprehend the fourth plot-twist in hour 37.

Jeuxvideo.com (18 out of 20)

Malgré une apparence et un fonctionnement classiques, Dragon Quest VII se révèle comme un jeu à la richesse hors du commun qui saura captiver tout passionné de jeu de rôle japonais, grâce à un scénario riche et varié. Ce dernier fait vivre des aventures dont les thèmes tantôt épiques, tantôt tragiques, tantôt humoristiques, plongent le joueur dans un univers charmant et coloré, mais où l'adversité, la tragédie et la fatalité existent aussi : tout comme vos compagnons hauts en couleur, vous aurez du mal à le quitter !

IGN (8.7 out of 10)

The fact that all 100+ hours of Dragon Warrior VII are so entertaining is a testament to the quality of the game that lies beneath the dated visuals and clunky presentation. Enix's near-obsession with the past may leave those who never experienced the earlier games out of the loop, but Dragon Warrior VII manages to recreate what was good about those past games, while fixing many, but not quite all, of the flaws. It's unfortunate that Enix was so bound by series tradition that it couldn't update the game in many areas where it could still be improved, but it's an equal shame that many gamers will overlook an otherwise wonderful game for those exact reasons.

Gaming Target (8.7 out of 10)

DW7 also utilizes an incredibly deep character class system. This doesn't come into play until you reach the Dharma Temple about a quarter of the way through the game, but wow. Mixing and matching the almost endless number of classes to create the perfect killing machine could almost be a game in itself. Then there's the Immigrant Town, where you can send people to a deserted island and turn it into a thriving metropolis. There's the Tiny Medals, which may lead to a bounty of booty. And the Monster Book, taking a page from Pokemon, you gotta catch 'em all! Suffice it to say there are more than enough side quests and opportunities for fun in Dragon Warrior to keep even the pickiest player busy.

RPGFan (86 out of 100)

In spite of a few major flaws, Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden ends up being one of the better RPGs available today on the strength of its well-executed gameplay, its exciting storyline, and its brilliantly composed soundtrack. Unless graphics and innovation are the most important aspects of an RPG for you, this one's a must-have.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) (8.5 out of 10)

Appearances can be deceiving, and if you can look pas DWVII’s vintage outer shell, you’ll find one of the deepest, most satisfying RPGs the PS1—or any other console, for that matter—has yet seen.

Consoles Plus (85 out of 100)

Dragon Quest/Warrior VII n'est pas vraiment à la hauteur de sa réputation. Il est cependant intéressant et agréable à jouer.

4Players.de (81 out of 100)

Dragon Warrior 7 macht trotz seiner Schwächen viel Spaß, aber nur wenn Ihr auf State-of-the-Art Technik keinen großen Wert legt. Das Spiel hat den Vorzug von häppchenartigen Aufgaben, die Euch während der epischen Story bei der Stange halten und trotzdem nicht für zehn Stunden am Stück an die Konsole fesseln müssen (insoweit auch ein tolles Spiel, um am Ende eines Schul- oder Arbeitstages zu entspannen). Mit den genannten Einschränkungen kann ich das Spiel Retro-RPG-Fans nur empfehlen.

PSM (8 out of 10)

Solid and incredibly long, DWVII represents old school role-playing in fine form. Don't expect Final Fantasy-quality visuals, though.

GameZone (8 out of 10)

The game is absolutely huge and chock full of character advancement options and mini-games. This is a game that cannot be finished in a weekend...or even a week of straight play. While some people might take that as a challenge I suggest you take your time with this game and rediscover what role-playing games were meant to be.

GameSpot (7.7 out of 10)

Dragon Warrior VII comes from one of the most popular series of video games in Japanese history, but it won't be reaching the astronomical sales figures here that it did in the East. However, it's a game that knows its target audience well, and it will undoubtedly find a niche among American RPG players. If you know you're in the market for a very lengthy and ultimately satisfying RPG and know you can get over the visuals, you owe it to yourself to give Dragon Warrior VII a try.

Game Revolution (B)

For the most part, Dragon Warrior VII captures the fun of old-school role-playing. It's not particularly complicated and the general gameplay will appeal to most RPG fans. Still, this latest incarnation pays almost too much of a tribute to past Dragon Warrior games, offering sound, graphics, and writing that seem like a step backwards in their simplicity. If you are looking for a classic console RPG to spend lots of time working your way through, this game will fits the bill. It's just too bad that 'classic' also can mean 'dated.' At least it's cheaper than tickets to Hawaii.

Quebec Gamers (7.5 out of 10)

Une difficulté croissante... du temps à mettre pour renforcer et bien acheter beaucoup d'équipement et la longueur de ce jeu fait en sorte que plusieurs joueurs seront repousser carrément par ce jeu. Les fans de la série cependant seront plus que comblé (tel moi-meme) avec ce chapitre qui est une merveilleuse pièce à détenir.

Mega Fun (73 out of 100)

Ups, da schau ich erst mal genauer auf das Pad, Doch, es handelt sich um ein PlayStation-Pad. Ich dachte schon, ich hätte ein Déjà-vu vom SNES gehabt. Klar, grafisch muss ein RPG nicht unbedingt auf Final-Fantasy-VIII-Niveau liegen, um zu unterhalten, aber sowas? Auch ist es für Europäer wahnsinnig schwierig, der Geschichte ohne ausreichende Kenntnisse der japanischen Sprache zu folgen. Deswegen will ich alle vor der Anschaffung der japanischen Version warnen, denn ein richtiges Durchspielen ist hier kaum möglich. Hardcore-RPGler dürfen aber gerne zugreifen und sich durchbeißen. Warten wir mal die amerikanische Version ab!

Game Informer Magazine (7 out of 10)

I know that the title's first-person battles are a series staple, but I'm not sold. When you've got crude graphics anyway, why not at least show some spellcasting animations or victory celebrations? RPGers should love this for the look back that it is, but others may get lost in all the backtracking.

Game Informer Magazine (6.75 out of 10)

If I wasn't playing this to review it, I would've turned off Dragon Warrior VII about an hour into it. I'm sorry to say, four million Japanese can be wrong.

RPGDreamers (6 out of 10)

Afterall, in terms of rpgs, the big three that makes an rpg great are story, gameplay, and graphics. If you rule out graphics, then that leaves only story and gameplay to boost this game ratings. Unfortunately both the story and gameplay are only a little better than average. How this game became the number #1 best selling rpg in Japan is beyond me. Maybe it just shows you that the Japanese love rpgs so much that pretty much all rpgs will sell well no matter what. The good news is that North American gamers don't treat rpgs as a religion and it's likely a game like Dragon Warrior 7 won't sell well. And to be frank, Dragon Warrior 7 doesn't deserve to sell well. If you consider buying this game, then make sure you rent it first. If you're already aware that the graphics aren't very good then I warn you ahead that don't expect much from the gameplay and the story too. This rpg game will only satisfied the old school rpgers.

GameCola.net (5.7 out of 10)

Despite it's enormously time-consuming battles (hey, I got some reading done anyway), the storyline isn't half bad. Not all of my time playing the game was spent leveling up, y'know. A lot of it was also spent talking to people in towns and discovering little unimportant nuggets of plot that aren't really necessary to advance the story, but are still fun to know. Plus, I've been a sucker for time travel ever since I first saw Back to the Future, so this game was right up my alley. Will it be right up yours? I honestly can't say. If you're someone to give up after a mere fifty hours of gameplay, you'd might as well not even bother with this game. There's no way you'd be able to complete the whole thing. As for the rest of you: if you don't mind the SNES graphics, then go for it. You may not like it more than you liked all these new-fangled Final Fantasies; but if you pass up on Dragon Warrior VII, you're passing up on a pretty good game.

GamePro (US) (2.5 out of 5)

Is a structure as solid as granite with a wealth of rewarding options enough to counter the fact that Dragon Warrior VII looks and sounds like it predates the concept of predating? If you thrive on memories of games like Breath of Fire, then Dragon Warrior VII will fit like an old, beat-up glove. If you don’t even want to touch BOF on your GBA, then by all means wait until Tidus hits the PS2 scenes just a couple months from now. DWVII is a great game in an awful or is it just nostalgic package; a title that would be considered a classic if it had been released, oh, seven years ago today.

Legendra ( )

On ne se méprendra pas sur les qualités intrinsèques de Dragon Quest VII qui reste un RPG très moyen : réalisation ratée, scénario limite et plaisir de jeu quasiment nul. En revanche, ne vous fiez pas entièrement à mon test, car il se pourrait bien que Dragon Quest soir autre chose qu'un simple jeu. En tant qu'européen, il semble difficile de percevoir toute l'étendue de cet univers et des clins d'oeil qui y sont fait. Il semblerait que le jeune japonais retrouve à chaque épisode de la série certains fondements de certaines de ses habitudes de vie. Ne rejetons pas les millions de japonais qui le dévorent avec plaisir, leurs raisons sont sans doute tout à fait valables. Pourtant, en toute objectivité, et malgré le fracas que provoque une attaque à l'encontre d'un tel monstre sacré, j'affirme m'être peu amusé en jouant à Dragon Quest.

Random Access (3.5 out of 10)

As a Dragon Warrior fan, I am sorely disappointed in what I have experienced; I am thankful, however, that subsequent games in the series actually showed stark improvement. Still, whether it be on PlayStation or 3DS, I cannot recommend Dragon Warrior VII unless you are deadly serious about RPGs and can handle its dry gameplay. The game is far from the worst I have ever played, but in the gaming universe, being monotonous is just as dangerous as being downright terrible. Approach Dragon Warrior VII with extreme caution.