Technologies

Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined Review: A Nostalgic JRPG That Balances Charm and Modernization

Square Enix revisits another Dragon Quest game with a remake that improves graphics, quickens the pace and adds plenty of quality-of-life upgrades.

There has been a resurgence of interest in lengthy, character-driven Japanese RPGs. Square Enix, the originator of the subgenre, has leaned fully into that momentum through remakes of the franchise that helped define it, Dragon Quest. After remakes of the first three entries from the series’ classic NES era, the company has turned its attention to a fan favorite originally released for the PlayStation in 2000, Dragon Quest 7.

Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined is Square Enix’s latest remake of the Dragon Quest series, following 2024’s Dragon Quest 3 remake and last year’s Dragon Quest 1-2 remake. If you’re wondering why the publisher skipped ahead to the seventh game, it could be because DQ7 was remade back in 2016 for the 3DS, possibly making it an easier lift following the success of the earlier remakes.

DQ7 marks an interesting time for the franchise, as the first six games are split between two different story arc trilogies. With the seventh game, developer Enix (before it merged with Square) took a different approach by making a game that would stand on its own. Since then, the franchise entries that followed have had no narrative ties to the others. For that reason, DQ7 is often viewed as being more in the middle of the pack when ranking the Dragon Quest games. Still, it’s one of the better entries in a legendary JRPG franchise.

This quest is not dragging on and on

Right off the bat, what I and others who played the original version of DQ7 when it launched in 2000 will want to know is: Does it take three hours to reach the first battle in Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined?

The answer is no. When DQ7 first came out, many players were turned off by the game’s sheer audacity of clicking through so much storyline before they really got to do anything other than talk to someone. This time around, you’re looking at about an hour of prologue before you’ll first swing your sword, which is an improvement over the Nintendo DS version released in the U.S. in 2016, where it took closer to two hours. Keep in mind, waiting a whole hour before the first fight is still a long time for any game, but there is a lot of story and character setup to get through.

This reduction in time before the first battle is one of many quality-of-life upgrades that have become standard for the Dragon Quest remakes. Other improvements include the ability to quickly defeat enemies without starting a battle if your party is at a higher level than they are, teleporting to previous locations directly from the map and quest markers that clearly indicate where to go. These are welcome additions for newcomers and players with less time to spend grinding, though some DQ7 diehard fans may take issue with how streamlined the game has become.

Like the other Dragon Quest remakes, the visuals have improved significantly. The character designs remain faithful to the original PSX version and the 3DS remake. Square Enix took the 3D models from the 3DS remake and added much more detail. The areas have also been improved to give a more open-world feel. Characters are fully animated and display a wider range of emotions during cutscenes. While the cinematics will not make your jaw drop, they are still effective in delivering the Dragon Quest charm the series is known for. Add the melodies that date back to the first game released in 1986, and you have a treat for both the eyes and ears.

Imagining more of a story

If there is a downside to the streamlining, it’s that it makes the game’s lack of a strong story more apparent.

DQ7, like others in the franchise, follows the JRPG trope of a hero who starts from humble beginnings and eventually rises to defeat a god. In this case, the protagonist is the son of a fisherman. He is joined by Maribel, the mayor’s daughter, and Kiefer, the prince of the Kingdom of Estard.

The group discovers a Shrine of Mysteries that transports them back in time to islands that no longer exist. Each island has its own dilemma, usually leading to a battle with a boss monster. Once resolved, the island reappears in the present, with townfolk recounting past horrors while living seemingly carefree lives. Each island also contains fragments from both past and present that must be collected to unlock a new island.

Once all the islands are discovered, an evil power reemerges and the group of young people who only recently learned to fight must defeat it to save the world.

In a way, DQ7’s story isn’t that dissimilar to previous games, where every time a hero visits a new town, trouble arises that must be dealt with. Here, it’s islands instead of towns. Because these islands are small and the dilemmas are confined, DQ7 lacks a grand narrative buildup. Instead, it presents smaller side stories, some more dramatic than others. One early island has players investigating a strange tradition surrounding a volcano, leading to a fight with a Fire Spirit. Another island features townfolk transformed into animals, and vice versa, due to a monster’s curse.

The story serves the game, but it isn’t particularly compelling. Still, there’s charm in a game where the son of a fisherman is destined to kill a god.

Get a job, hero

One of the most interesting aspects of DQ7 is the vocations system, its version of the franchise’s class mechanics. Every character starts with a job, and as they progress, they can change jobs. Each job has its own stats, abilities and a «Let Loose!» move, a special ability that charges after a certain number of attacks or damage received. For example, the hero’s special move at the start of the game creates a barrier to protect the party from a single attack.

There are more than 20 vocations, each divided into tiers. Beyond the starting job, there are beginner, intermediate and advanced classes. Beginner examples include Martial Artist, Mage and Warrior. As you level up a class, more abilities unlock, and once it maxes out, it’s time to pick another.

If you max out two beginner jobs, like Thief and Sailor, you unlock the intermediate class Pirate. Mastering two or three intermediate vocations then unlocks advanced jobs, such as Hero and Champion.

If that sounds like a lot, it is. Fortunately, a new feature called Moonlighting lets a character start a new job while keeping skills from another. Considering that the game can take about 40 hours to finish, the ability to switch classes frequently and reward players for building up their characters is a smart move by Square Enix.

And yes, you read that right — the game only takes around 40 hours to complete. Square Enix trimmed areas and dungeons, making this both an easier version to finish and one that isn’t as faithful to the original, which could take more than 80 hours to finish. Fans of the original may grumble at these changes, but it cuts down on some of the more monotonous parts of the game.

Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined is easily recommended for JRPG fans, though everyone else may want to approach with caution. The drawn-out storyline keeps you playing but doesn’t quite convince you of the game’s greatness, which could be a turnoff for gamers who aren’t happy grinding their way through side stories.

Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined is available now on PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X|S consoles for $60.

Technologies

McDonald’s KPop Demon Hunter Meals Include Bright Purple Nugget Sauce

The Derpy McFlurry mixes popping boba pearls and berry sauce into a soft-serve dessert.

McDonald’s has seen success with themed combo meals, including its holiday Grinch Meal. Now, the fast-food chain is capitalizing on Netflix’s Oscar-winning animated film, KPop Demon Hunters, with new upcoming menu items and both a breakfast meal and a lunch/dinner offering. Let’s hope you like the color purple.

The HUNTR/X Meal, named for the K-pop girl group in the movie, is a 10-piece chicken McNuggets meal that includes a medium drink and three special menu items.

Ramyeon McShaker fries come with a small bag of soy, garlic, sesame and spice seasoning, along with regular McDonald’s french fries. You sprinkle the seasoning into the provided bag, dump in the fries, shake it all up and eat.

The meal includes two new sauces for the fries and nuggets. Hunter sauce is a sweet chili sauce mixing notes of chili, garlic and pepper. But my favorite item on this new menu is Demon sauce, a bold mustard sauce with some heat and a bold purple color. There’s just not enough dark purple food out there.

There’s also a new dessert, the Derpy McFlurry, which blends creamy vanilla soft serve with berry-flavored popping boba pearls, served with a swirl of wild berry sauce. McDonald’s named it for the supernatural feline, Derpy Tiger, from the movie.

If breakfast is your bag, the new morning meal is the Saja Boys Breakfast Meal, named for the movie’s boy band.

It includes a Spicy Saja McMuffin sandwich, which is a sausage McMuffin with egg and a spicy Saja sauce, hash browns and a small drink.

Both meals come with a photocard for one of the bands and a Derpy card. The Derpy card includes a QR code you can scan to unlock online content about the film.

The full KPop Demon Hunters menu should be available at participating McDonald’s beginning March 31.

The McDonald’s Grinch meal (and its accompanying patterned socks) sold out quickly, so KPop Demon Hunters fans may want to mark their calendars and nab a meal when they are released.

Technologies

Melania Trump Escorted by Talking Humanoid Robot at White House Tech Summit

The first lady shared the spotlight with the robot to promote the use of artificial intelligence in education.

An unexpected guest escorted Melania Trump at the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit on Wednesday: a Figure 03 humanoid robot.

During the event, the first lady pitched a future where AI-powered humanoid robots — presented as an idealized educator named «Plato» — provide students with personalized and instant access to human knowledge, including philosophy and art.

The Figure 03 robot is made by Silicon Valley-based robotics company Figure AI, which introduced its third-generation humanoid robot in October last year. The Figure 03 robot costs around $25,000, according to Forbes.

Figure 03 was designed for people to use in their homes, with demo videos showing it folding laundry, lifting eggs from a carton, using a washing machine and delivering drinks to its owners lounging by the pool. It was also shown in corporate use cases as a receptionist and a package deliverer. Using a proprietary AI engine called Helix, it can autonomously perform these tasks and respond to your voice commands.

The humanoid was seen walking slowly down the red carpet at the tech summit and then delivering opening remarks.

«I’m grateful to be part of this historic movement to empower children with technology and education,» the Figure 03 humanoid robot said. It then said «welcome» in various languages.

The first lady later said that AI-powered humanoid robots could exist in children’s homes as an aid to their education to «boost analytic skills and problem solving and adopt in real time to a student’s pace, prior knowledge and even emotional state.»

The two-day summit is hosting leaders from 45 nations and 28 technology organizations, and is intended to «empower children through education and technology,» according to a White House statement. Guests included representatives from tech giants such as Google, OpenAI, Microsoft and AI data analytics company Palantir.

The summit is part of the first lady’s Be Best: Fostering the Future initiative, which aims to help children learn using advanced technology. It was introduced in 2018 as an awareness campaign aimed at combating cyberbullying and helping children affected by the opioid crisis.

US Education Secretary Linda McMahon spoke about AI being one of the Department of Education’s main priorities on the first day of the summit.

«If we’re able to scale these resources effectively by investing in AI infrastructure and training, we can offer expert instructions across countless fields, to hire volumes of people at a fraction of the cost,» McMahon said Tuesday at a round table meeting.

According to McMahon, the Department of Education has already dedicated millions of dollars in grants to support the use of AI in schools.

The event follows criticism of the Trump administration’s 2025 executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. While the Department of Education hasn’t been officially abolished, it has undergone significant policy changes, funding cuts and workforce reductions.

The introduction of a humanoid robot at the summit sparked significant backlash among many who are wary of the technology’s role in the classroom. Critics took to social media to voice concerns that these machines could eventually replace teachers, stripping the education system of essential human connection, and leading to increased layoffs and cost-cutting.

On one Huffington Post Instagram post featuring the robot, commenters expressed deep skepticism, with one user sarcastically noting, «Nice, getting rid of educators in favor of a robot,» while another flatly rejected the concept, stating, «No, I don’t want to imagine a world with emotionless robots educating our children.»

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Nintendo Dropped a Switch 2 Update With a New Mode You’ll Want to Turn On Immediately

This new feature is one of the best yet.

A new firmware update hit the Nintendo Switch 2 last week. Among the multitude of small changes is a new feature that will give Switch 1 games a notable upgrade.

Version 22.0.0 for the Switch 2 went live on March 16 and is available for download to the console. The big new feature in the update was Handheld Mode Boost, which will give Switch 1 games a visual upgrade when played on the Switch 2 in handheld mode.

[Nintendo Switch 2 System Update]
Version 22.0.0 adds «Handheld Mode Boost». This will make Switch 1 games think that they are in TV mode even when in handheld.
Games can run at higher resolutions in TV mode, taking better advantage of the Switch 2’s 1080p screen. pic.twitter.com/aXOKWosFAw

— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) March 17, 2026

What does Handheld Mode Boost do?

Even though the Switch 2 supports backward compatibility with almost all Switch 1 games, there was an issue. The Switch 2 has a higher resolution screen: 1080p versus the older hardware’s 720p. When playing a Switch 1 game on a Switch 2 in handheld mode, the graphics looked blurry and jagged.

When enabled, Handheld Mode Boost makes a Switch 1 game act as if it’s docked, so it displays 1080p at 60 frames per second. This will give the visuals an immediate upgrade.

How do you enable Handheld Mode Boost?

Handheld Mode Boost has to be turned on to see the effect, and it takes a few steps:

Select Systems Settings from the Home menu
Select System
Select Nintendo Switch Software Handling
Enable Handheld Mode Boost

Is there a downside to enabling Handheld Mode Boost?

A user on Reddit tested the mode to see how it affects the Switch 2’s battery life. The test used Doom Eternal for the Switch 1 with and without Handheld Mode Boost. The test showed that the battery life decreased from 5 hours, 5 minutes to 3 hours, 43 minutes. That’s a 27% drop and should be taken into account when using Handheld Mode Boost.

How do I upgrade my Nintendo Switch 2?

If you have Software Auto-Updates enabled on your Switch 2, a pop-up window should come up whenever you start a game. If not, head to System Settings and choose to update the console from the menu.

What other features were added in version 22.0.0?

Handheld Mode Boost was the main star of the new firmware update, but there were a slew of other changes.

Changed the on-screen text and animations when you load a virtual game card in the HOME Menu.

Added the ability to save notes about friends on your Friend List. The note content is not displayed to friends.

Added the ability to invite friends to GameChat rooms you’re participating in. Some friends may not be able to be invited, such as supervised accounts.

Friends who haven’t finished GameChat’s initial setup can now be invited to GameChat. Some friends may not be able to be invited, such as supervised accounts or those who haven’t used a Nintendo Switch 2.

Added the ability to rewind 10 seconds/advance 10 seconds with the ZL and ZR Buttons when watching a full-screen video in News or Nintendo eShop.

Added the option to add the following data to «Automatic Uploads» from Album.

Text-to-Speech, under Accessibility, can now read the text in Album and during first-time setup.

Added the ability to see the breakdown of storage capacity by data type for the system memory and microSD Express card.

Added the ability to perform an audio test when «Linear PCM 5.1 Surround» is selected for TV Sound in Audio.

When Airplane Mode is activated, the previously set preferences for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or NFC while in airplane mode will be saved and applied.

Added the ability to individually enable or disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or NFC during Airplane Mode from the Quick Settings.

Added the ability to see a notification in the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smart device application when the Parental Controls PIN is input successfully on the console. This can also be set up to be a push notification to your smart device.

General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.