I first got into Dragon Quest/Warrior franchise about 15 years ago when some friends from my swim team got me hooked on Dragon Warrior Monsters when I was around 10 years old. I had already had the pleasure of playing Pokémon and Dragon Warrior really intrigued me with the ability to breed monsters to gain stronger ones rather than just catching them. It added a new dimension for me. It also allowed me to play along and compete with my friends

When I first got DWM, I had no idea about any of the other titles in the series, or that Dragon Warrior Monsters was actually a spin off of Dragon Quest 6. Eventually, I got Dragon Warrior 1&2 for the GBC along  with got DW 3). I absolutely fell in love with the series. I have always been someone who has enjoyed a good RPG. Probably the only reason I never got into other franchises (like Final Fantasy) was the lack of the proper systems or a personal connection (I got into both Pokémon and Dragon Quest/Warrior due to the recommendations of my friends). Also, the ease of transporting the games for the hand-held Game Boy Color system was great for my active lifestyle.

By the time high school hit, my older sister obtained a PlayStation 2. At some point, I ended up  obtaining Dragon Warrior VII. For all of my love for the other games in the series, Dragon Warrior VII has always been my absolute favorite - and it's not even close. It has been about 10 years ago at this point from when I first started playing this game. I was upset to find out, after completing the first disk, that the second was too scratched to complete - the game would play up until a certain point where it would freeze. I was eventually able to get the disk cleaned up a bit, but by that point, I ran out of time to complete the game.

My desire to replay this game, despite the amount of time that has passed, is due to how much I remember loving the characters, the story, the game play, and my love with the whole Dragon Quest series as a whole.

I actually obtained a 3DS for Christmas this past year as I found out that Dragon Quest 5&6 were being released for the first time ever in North America. I was even more ecstatic to find out that Dragon Quest VII is being re-released along with and VIII is being released for the first time as well - both are being released for the 3DS.

I was eagerly awaiting the end of this year when they are re-released so I could play a classic and personal favorite again. I was surprised to find out that a copy of the game was available on Vizzed for play. Before I get back into VII, I wanted to revisit the earlier games in the series to gear up to playing again. I also wanted to reminisce about what made this game so great to me.

 Overall - I gave this a 10. Admittedly this is based on what 16 year old me thought, and perhaps the game may not hold up 10 years later, but I have never found a game that hooked me as much for so long. Outside of a malfunctioning 2nd disc, I have never had a single complaint about this game

Graphics - I give it an 9. The Dragon Quest series boasts Akira Toriyama (of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z fame) as the artist. And for me, this game was an obvious step up from the 2-D games I played on the Game Boy/Game Boy Color/Game Boy Advanced. I loved the "3-D" aspect of the game and how it changed certain dynamics of the game. Additionally, although they were interspersed infrequently throughout the story line, I found the cut-scenes that were used were beautifully rendered for the time and were incredibly well done (for me they take this game from an 8 to a 9 in graphics alone).  That being said, the Dragon Quest series has never been based on spectacular graphics, this game included. The graphics throughout the majority of the game play are nothing special. For me, the joy of Dragon Warrior/Quest was more on the story (if you thought they were any bit interesting - which I usually did) and grinding (along with the sheer joy of completing the game - which was an accomplishment in itself with as long as they can run in the series). While there were definitely games that better used the graphics of the Play Station, I think the graphics were well suited for the game.

Sound - I give it a 10. I have always enjoyed the music of the Dragon Quest series. After playing mostly hand-held games and a few on the N64, I found the scope and depth of the music in the game to be absolutely wonderful. Perhaps it is part nostalgia, and also in large part due to the fact that I spent so much time playing this game, that I never played many other games to really compare it to. The music from this series is a sort of nostalgia to me that I just enjoy.

Addictiveness - This is easily a 10 for me. How many times do you find a game that even 10 years later, you still want to play it. Yes, this may be partly due to the fact that I never finished the game, but the first disc had me hooked for hours at a time. I could play just the first half of the game over and over and over again. The second disc opened up the game play even more which allows for multiple ways to play the game.

Story - For me, this game had my favorite story of the series that I was able to play at the time (An easy 10 for those keeping track). You start out as the son of a fisherman on the only island on the map with a few friends. You stumble across the local ruins with your compatriots, and soon find yourself in the past in a dark land that is completely unfamiliar. With some help from the locals, you save the land from evil and when you return to the present, the land you saved is back on the map in the modern day, disturbing the status quo of your sleepy village.

Time and time again you follow this (admittedly) predictable pattern (travel to the past to a sealed off land, work with the locals to vanquish the evil, and bring the land back to the modern day). However, I feel that there is enough variability in terms of what needs to be done to save each world in addition to the fact that some worlds need to be saved more than once, or from multiple villains. Compatriots come and go  - Kiefer, Maribel, Gabo, and  the great hero Melvin come to mind most readily, even all these years later. Eventually you learn that it is your quest to bring God back from the dead and defeat the Demon Lord. Although you are following a predictable overall pattern, I found that the challenges each "world" presents were more than enough to keep me interested for the long haul.

Depth - Absolutely outstanding (10). This is why the game has such a long play time (80+) hours before it can be fully completed - and that just includes the main story line. There are plenty of side-quests to explore, games to play, and at any time, even after a world has been saved, there's always to option to go back to a previously discovered world to discover things have changed and new things to do, both in the past and present. Heck, it takes 2-3 hours just to get through to your very first battle - Just an idea of how lengthy this game can be.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the game, that I believe adds to the depth more than almost any other aspect, and also to the replay value, is the expansive class system the game uses. If you ever played Dragon Warrior/Quest 3 (which was also used in Dragon Quest VI - although I have yet to play so I can't comment on), you'll remember that you had the ability to change your characters class at Dharma Temple to a number of different options (from Warrior, to Mage, Jester, etc.). Well, Dharma Temple is still alive and well in Dragon Warrior VII - although you have to complete the quest before the temple is usable to you. However, about the only

similarities between III and VII are some similar classes and the


ability to change from class to class as you like. Dragon Warrior VII made 6 significant changes to the class system:

1) Your Characters don't start with a class - In DW III, your characters began with a class in which they could grow and learn new skills. In VII, your characters learn basic skills and spells, but once you reach Dharma Temple, you can start assigning classes to your characters and you start out with a handful of available classes to choose from.

2) Your don't start over from level 1 -  In DW III, when you changed a class, your character would start over from level 1 with their stats cut in half and would learn the new abilities (when applicable) and skills as you leveled up. In VII, instead of having your character reset to level 1, each class modifies your stats in a way that coincides with what the character has become (for example, if you select the mage class, your strength and HP will drop and your Intelligence and MP go up)

3) Learned skills aren't based on level, but on battles - This goes in part with (2). As you aren't starting over from level 1, advancing through a class and learning the associated skills is dependent on you battling wild creatures, not on having your character reach a set level. Some classes take fewer battles to advance to the next stage. There are, from what I remember, 10 different levels in each class. Some levels will award skills while others do not. Typically, the higher up you move in the class, the more useful and powerful the skills are. It should be noted - Battles only count against monsters of similar skill level -so you can't go back too far and fight really weak monsters. If you're ever in doubt, there is a character in Dharma Temple who will tell you how many battles you need until you *level up.* If that number isn't moving, you need to fight stronger monsters.

4) You can master a class - in DW III, eventually, you would learn all of the skills/abilities that a given class contained, but you still had the option of leveling up to 99 with no further advantage. In DW VII, Once you reach the final stage of a given class, you will be given credit for mastering

the class. Additionally, when you master certain classes (usually the more advanced

ones) you will receive an additional stat bonus(es) that are tacked on to your characters stats as long as you remain a member of that class.. There is also a side benefit. Some classes contain joint skills that can only be obtained by mastering those two classes consecutively.  And once you have mastered a class, you will always be a master - if you choose to switch classes for a specific reason (perhaps your facing a boss and need more HP, Strength, or MP) and then go back to a class you mastered, you will only need to battle a set number of enemies to gain back the benefits of that given class. This is incredibly important for obtaining the joint class skills, or gaining back a stat bonus you lost.

5) Mastering classes can lead to new options - In DW III, you had a set number of classes to choose from. There was the ability to become the secret class (Sage) but only if you were first a jester or you had the correct item. In DW VII, mastering two different classes (for example, mage and cleric) you have the potential to unlock a new, more advanced class (in this case the aforementioned Sage class). There are 3 total tiers of traditional classes to choose from. The higher up you go, the better the skills, the better the benefits, but the more training required.

6) Monster classes - perhaps one of the biggest changes in the class system was the addition of monster hearts. If a character is holding the heart of a monster in Dharma Temple, they have the ability to level up in that monster's abilities. Even more fascinating, once you master a monster class, you take on the appearance of that monster AND gain the resistances and weaknesses of that specific monster.

Just these changes alone make for incredible depth, lengthened game play, more strategy, and new ways to play the game the second time though. As you can tell from the detail I went into, this may be my favorite aspect of the entire game and can make your game easier or harder depending on the choices you make.

Difficulty - I give this a 6. In theory, RPG's are generally as easy or as difficult as you make them. If you're someone who's completely ok with lots of early grinding and taking your time, and exploring everyone and everything, this game is rather easy to beat, just incredibly lengthy. If you're someone who is eager to beat the game and levels up just enough to get from stage to stage, you can find some battles and stretched far more difficult to get through, and at times you may get lost or stuck on how to advance forward.

This really is my favorite game and I can't wait to play it again - either on here, or when it is re-released for the 3DS.

This is a very good review, its short enough to not get boring, but also long enough to detail why you like the game and think its your favorite game of all time. Hope to see more from you soon.

This Review had perfect pacing and I have never actually got into any Dragon warrior games. But from the sound of it 7 would be the one to get into. I know these games are older but I'm sure it will be a great play.