Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined aims to fix one of the only things I don't like about the original JRPG: "The amount of time it takes to get to the first battle in the game is much shorter"

Well, Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is suddenly even higher on my list of most anticipated games for next year, despite being a remake, as Square Enix has revealed that its notoriously slow start will be remedied somewhat.

I can't think of much that I don't like about the original Dragon Quest 7, but I definitely think there's a correlation between my reluctance to replay it as much as some of my other favorite games, and the absurd length of time it takes to get to the first combat sequence.

Thank the heavens, in an interview with Game Informer, Reimagined producer Takeshi Ichikawa said the gap between the beginning of the game and the first battle has been substantially shortened.

"The amount of time it takes to get to the first battle in the game is much shorter this time around," Ichikawa said, apparently joking alongside GI about the original's slow start.

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Since it's been a few years since my last playthrough, I can't remember if it's solely the lack of combat that makes the beginning of Dragon Quest 7 so slow, or if it's a combination of factors, but regardless, Reimagined will be a whole lot more approachable without such a long, action-less intro. And if the HD-2D remakes are any indication, that won't be the only major improvement to the beloved original.

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is out February 5 on PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, Switch 2, and Switch.

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined takes the original JRPG's bloated story and cuts "subplots that have little or no direct relevance" to the main quest, but also adds "entirely new scenarios"