Square Enix is remaking Dragon Quest 7 next as "nowadays, players are much more accustomed to games with darker stories," and the JRPG is "often said to have more dark and sorrowful episodes"

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined was announced at the latest Nintendo Direct, and while the series creator has hinted that the Zenithian Trilogy (that being the fourth, fifth, and sixth entries) hasn't been forgotten about, it's undeniable that Dragon Quest's remakes have been happening in a very strange order. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake was followed up by remakes of Dragon Quest 1 and 2 (which is weird, but makes some sense given its a prequel) and now Dragon Quest 7 is next in line.

Speaking to Game*Spark (translated by Automaton Media), Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined producer Takeshi Ichikawa explained why the 2000 RPG skipped the remake queue, saying that "we felt that the game’s unique atmosphere and tone would resonate especially well with players today."

Ichikawa elaborated, "When it first came out, 7 was often said to have more dark and sorrowful episodes compared to other entries in the series. But nowadays, players are much more accustomed to games with darker stories." And that thanks to that the producer thinks that through this new version, modern players will be able to feel 7’s story and the emotions of the characters even more deeply.”

Granted, Dragon Quest 7 is also well known for being pretty over-the-top and bloated, which has been addressed in the new remake by cutting "subplots that have little or no direct relevance" to the main quest. So, while it's a very strange order to release the games in, Dragon Quest 7 could probably use a big reimagining.

Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake adds "numerous" new scenarios "that connect to the overall Erdrick Trilogy" as well as "encounters with people not featured in the original title."