1. Rewriting the Tablet I Gave Up On, 26 Years Later
When I was in elementary school, I marched into my local game shop clutching a pre-order slip. That was my first encounter with Dragon Quest VII. (For reference, I’m in my late 30s now.)
Back then there was no internet — walkthroughs were either pure trial-and-error or you had to buy a strategy guide. I could barely find any Mini Medals, and eventually I lost track of which Tablets I was missing. I did manage to beat the game, but I gave up on doing anything beyond that.
Still, the gorgeous battle animations running so smoothly, and that incredible soundtrack — those memories stuck with me all these years.
Carrying those memories with me, I finally picked up Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. And honestly? From start to finish, the nostalgia just hits different. Also, holy crap, the QoL improvements go brrrr.
Now in my late 30s, I wasn’t aiming for just a simple clear anymore. This time, I was going all the way to the Platinum Trophy. How did I settle the score with the adventure I abandoned all those years ago when I ran out of Tablets? That’s what this review is all about.
2. Platinum Trophy Data Summary
For all you busy adults out there — here are the key numbers so you can decide whether this platinum is doable for you.
- Time to Platinum: 50 hours 48 minutes
- Story completion: 34 hours
- Platinum difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (No softlocks, but patience is required)
The platinum itself is pretty easy, ngl. Just explore thoroughly and enjoy the ride. However, the dreaded Lucky Panel minigame (more on that later) is pure RNG, so your mileage will vary.
3. What I Genuinely Enjoyed on the Road to Platinum
After getting the platinum, what stood out most was just how perfectly paced the whole experience felt for my current self. Here are some highlights of how the Reimagined version leveled up the adventure.
Quality of Life Improvements
- Zoom is OP from the start: “Wait, you can use this already?!” I legit wanted to do a spit-take. Zoom (Ruura) is available so early and so naturally that it actually took me a while to notice. Absolute GOAT QoL change.
- Battle tempo: You can adjust the speed settings, making fights super smooth. I just set tactics to “Show No Mercy” and let the AI carry me. Honestly couldn’t tell the difference from Auto Battle, but hey, it works.
- Treasure Search + “Scent of Treasure”: The map display turns exploration from stressful item-hunting into an actual treasure hunt. Not having to worry about missing items is a huge W for completionists.
Story & Characters Hit the Sweet Spot
- The loop structure, perfected: DQ7’s signature past-and-present time travel is tuned so you hit the next story beat right before things get stale. Some people aren’t fans of the story cuts, but personally, I think any longer and it would’ve dragged. Sweet spot achieved.
- Aira’s glow-up: She joins way earlier this time, and it completely changed how I felt about her. She’s an absolute unit from the moment she joins — her Hip Attack with that high Charm stat goes crazy, and after going Super Star she’s dishing out Moonsault and Miracle Moon left and right. In the original I barely used her, but this time she was a permanent starter. Queen energy.
- Kiefer, the absolute legend: Okay, this was my favorite improvement, no cap. In the original, he just dips and you never hear from him again. Total heartbreak. But in Reimagined, they actually follow up on his story. It genuinely made me feel relieved. Closure, baby.
Matching my hazy childhood memories with the actual locations — going “Oh man, I remember this place!” — was incredibly fun. And they even added new abilities in the early game for some fresh flavor.
4. Key Tips for Going for Platinum
At story completion my playtime was 34 hours and my Hero was level 52. From there, it took me to 50 hours total to get the platinum. Here are the things I wish I’d known and the blind spots to watch out for.
- Mini Medal collection: Best it’s ever been in the series. You can see exactly which areas have medals you missed, making cleanup a breeze. The move “Scent of Treasure” combined with checking the map is the real cheese strat for medal hunting.
- Monster Encyclopedia: With symbol encounters, you’ll want to make a habit of fighting every new monster you see to fill the bestiary. Some monsters only appear in the past, so don’t skip ’em. Post-game monsters also count, so you’ll need to do some endgame grinding too.
Efficient Leveling & Combat
- Leveling starts after God destroys you: You basically don’t need to grind during the story. I only started Metal farming after hitting a wall against the superboss God. First leveling spot: Floor 2 of the Mysterious Other World — farm Metal Slimes that transform into Metal Kings. I was around level 63 when I beat God (first attempt).
- Max level grinding: After unlocking the further Other World, farm Platinum Kings. Switch to “Easy Adventure” mode and you can go from level 70 to max (Lv99) in just 1-2 hours. It’s free real estate.
- Optimal battle strategy: At Lv99, the move is simple: Buff with Oomph (Bikilt), then have your God Hand use Cloning into Multifists (Bakuretsuken). Everything melts. Same strat works for Shura monsters too.
- The Item Collection List trap: This trophy was the biggest pain. Between shop items, drops, Monster Hearts, and Lucky Panel exclusives, there are a LOT of things that are easy to miss. Pro tip: Buy EVERYT›HING from past-era shops. Places like Ragraz Castle (where Kiefer reappears) have well items and armor you don’t want to have to go back for later. My two missed rare drops were from Infernal Armour (wind hat) and Hell Armour (cursed shield).
The Ultimate Grind: Lucky Panel (Extreme Difficulty)
This is the ONE part of the game where no amount of optimization saves you. I’m just gonna say it — this is the single worst element in the entire game. Lucky Panel is basically a concentration/memory card game where you need to match pairs to win exclusive gear (like the Bunny Suit) and weapons like the Metal Slime Sword. It’s pure, unfiltered RNG.
I ended up spending a total of 6 hours and 30 minutes on this alone. Not fun. Not even a little bit fun. But if you want that platinum, you gotta push through it.
There’s no real strategy for Lucky Panel tbh. For the extreme difficulty version, you pretty much NEED to record your screen with your phone to keep track of the cards — your brain alone can’t handle it. This minigame tests your patience as a trophy hunter more than anything else. I used to love DQ casino minigames, the Sugoroku boards, the lotteries… but Lucky Panel? Nah fam. Never again.
The Blind Spot: “1000 Battle Victories”
This was my biggest “oh no” moment. It was literally the last trophy I got. Here’s the catch: Field Attacks don’t count toward the victory total. Even after grinding to Lv99, I only had 790 victories. Turns out I’d been running from everything except Platinum Kings during my grind, and using Field Attacks to skip fights during the story.
I ground out the remaining fights in front of Fishbel. You can knock out about 100 battles in 30 minutes there. Tedious but doable.
5. Things That Felt Lacking
The improved pacing actually made some of Dragon Quest’s inherent weaknesses more obvious.
The repetitive structure creates a “grind feel”
Arrive at new area, use Scent of Treasure to find items, talk to NPCs, clear the dungeon, beat the boss, return to the present, explore the same dungeon and town again, move to the next area… rinse and repeat. Even with the improved pacing, this loop started feeling monotonous by the mid-game. Honestly, that’s probably why cutting some scenarios was the right call.
Everything boils down to Multifists spam
The endgame meta being completely locked in is a bit of a bummer. Same vibes as “Monster Call” in the DQ3 remake. When you min-max everything, the answer is always “buff with Oomph, then spam Multifists.” With so many jobs and dual-class options available, it feels like wasted potential.
The “pointless grind” never changes
Using Whistle to summon enemies, hunting Metals, searching for medals… At some point you realize you’re doing the exact same thing you did in every other DQ game. That moment of clarity where you think “what am I even doing with my time?” definitely hit. The QoL improvements help, but this fundamental “for better or worse, it’s Dragon Quest” element is something that won’t click with everyone in 2026.
Final Thoughts
26 years ago, I couldn’t find those last Tablets no matter how hard I tried. Now, as an adult, I finally picked up that “forgotten homework” in the form of a Platinum Trophy.
Sure, Lucky Panel and battle count grinding were tedious as hell. But the satisfaction of finally settling the score more than made up for it. If you’re one of those people from my generation who gave up on DQ7 because you couldn’t find enough Tablets — Reimagined gives you the chance to finish that adventure at your own pace. Highly recommended.Recommended
If this article helped you out or gave you a nice hit of nostalgia, I’d really appreciate a follow! It keeps me motivated for the next platinum grind. Thanks for reading!
🎮 Must-Have Gear: How I Saved on a PS5 Controller
During my hardcore Platinum Trophy grinds, the rubber on my PS5 thumbsticks finally tore off. I was dreading spending another $70 on a brand new DualSense… but then I tried these thumbstick caps as a last resort.
Surprisingly, they fit perfectly right over the torn rubber! I saved the replacement cost and used that money to buy another new game instead (lol).
If your thumbsticks are starting to peel or fall apart, I highly recommend this cheap fix to extend your controller’s life before you buy a new one!
(Amazon Associate / PR disclosure)
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