Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined Cuts Some Side Stories Despite 100+‑Hour Scope, Adds New Ones

The team is also streamlining the game: developers say “the amount of time it takes to get to the first battle in the game is much shorter.” In a new interview with GamesRadar+, Ichikawa added that “some of the [stories] have now been made optional, so you can play them in any order you want.” That change reduces the mandatory path and shortens an average playthrough.

Even after making arcs optional, the developers felt more pruning was necessary. Ichikawa explained that “a few of the stories which weren’t 100% relevant to the main storyline have just been cut entirely.”

That decision aligns with the “Reimagined” subtitle: this remake was never meant to be a frame‑perfect recreation of the 2000 PS1 original the 2016 3DS version delivered. Ichikawa observed that back in 2000, players expected a single sprawling game they could sink hundreds of hours into; modern audiences often prefer a more compact, focused experience.

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined makes players’ choices carry real weight, introducing a brand-new possible ending that wasn’t present in earlier versions.