Takeshi Ichikawa, the producer of Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, reflects on preserving the spirit of Akira Toriyama’s designs in the remade video game.
Dragon Quest 7 was originally released back in 2000 on the Sony PlayStation. However, over a quarter-century later, the game has been reimagined in a new Square Enix release. Not only have some major gameplay mechanics been overhauled, but the 2D visuals have been overhauled as well.
The original game featured art by the legendary Akira Toriyama, and it was important to the 2026 development team that the spirit of that art style be preserved to remain faithful to the original drawings.
Preserving the Spirit of Toriyama’s Original Work on Dragon Quest 7 Was Essential
Speaking with GamesRadar+, Takeshi Ichikawa discussed the importance of preserving the cuteness of Toriyama’s designs while still capturing the game’s atmosphere for a modern audience. As for the direction of modern art, Ichikawa noted that current movies and games featuring doll designs had been well received, so they chose to combine that with Toriyama’s original designs.
“We felt this approach would create a visually appealing style, leading to our decision to move forward with the hand-crafted aesthetic,” he said.
The remake has been well-received. It currently has an 83 Metacritic score and a 7.6 user score on the platform.
Akira Toriyama also worked on an upcoming Dragon Ball video game project before his passing. Learn more about that upcoming game here.
Have you played Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined? If so, how do you feel about the art style? Sound off in our official Discord server. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
