How Square Enix Landed On Dragon Quest VII Reimagined’s Doll Aesthetic

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the latest game to grace the cover of Game Informer, and to write that cover story, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to visit Square Enix’s Shibuya offices and play the game, interview the team behind it, and even check out the dolls foundational to this remake’s unique aesthetic. While the dolls were out, we captured some exclusive video of each, giving you a close-up look of Reimagined’s party members: Hero, Maribel, Kiefer, Ruff, Aishe, and Sir Mervyn. 

Alongside that, we spoke to Reimagined director Masato Yagi about the decision to create a doll-like visual style and the diaorama-esque aeshetic of Estard and the surrounding world. But before that, check out this exclusive video about the dolls: 

When I ask Yagi how the team landed on these dolls, going so far as to pay a local Japanese doll studio, Studio Nova, to create them, he says it’s about Akira Toriyama’s art in the original game. 

“The reason or factor [for] the doll-and-handcrafted aesthetics is that when you look at the original character designs from Akira Toriyama, when compared with other Dragon Quest character designs, the characters of Dragon Quest VII are drawn in a shorter scale,” Yagi says. “I think that really matched the unique aesthetics of the storytelling of Dragon Quest VII. The doll [visual look] really meshed well together [with that art and aesthetic of DQVII].”

Yagi adds, “The original story of Dragon Quest VII involved, as you know, the protagonists – as they move forward with their progress and their adventures, more islands [to explore and visit] are revealed; there are more areas that they can explore. I think that system just kind of made sense and just fits well with the diorama aesthetic, too.” 

You can see firsthand how these doll aesthetics work in Dragon Quest VII Reimagined when it launches on February 5 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, and PC. 

In the meantime, check out this article breaking down everything in the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined issue of Game Informer, and be sure to subscribe here if you haven’t yet to access the Dragon Quest VII Reimagined cover story, our deep dive into Dragon Quest history with creator Yuji Horii, and so much more.

Do you like the doll aesthetic? Let us know in the comments below!