Set for release on February 5, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined for PlayStation 5 reinterprets the classic 2000 PlayStation title, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. Featuring distinctive 3D diorama visuals with a warm, handcrafted doll-like aesthetic, the remake also introduces new storylines, including one that reunites the hero with his now-adult friend, Kiefer.

Over 25 years after the original release, producer Takeshi Ichikawa shares insights on the creative process and the decisions behind reimagining this beloved RPG for a new generation.

Takeshi Ichikawa, Producer, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined 

PlayStation Blog: Before we discuss the upcoming Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, let’s take a moment to revisit the original Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, released for the original PlayStation in 2000. The title drew major attention at the time as the first in the series to feature 3D polygons and for offering an adventure that stretched beyond 100 hours. Do you have any special memories of that game?

I was a young kid in elementary school back in 2000, so my memories are a little fuzzy, but I do remember playing the original Dragon Quest VII. Funny enough, my first Dragon Quest game wasn’t one of the mainline entries – it was Dragon Quest Monsters Terry’s Wonderland. So when I finally played one of the mainline installments, I was surprised to learn that you actually fight as human characters.

Dragon Quest VII is known for its sheer scale, and it takes a while to reach your first battle. Honestly, as a child, I remember getting impatient, wondering when the fighting was going to start. Ultimately, I didn’t finish the game and gave up partway through. However, when I revisited the game later as an adult, I was really struck by how dark and unsettling the game’s world was, and how strangely relevant it felt in this day and age.

*Screenshot of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past on the original PlayStation

It’s one of the more melancholic works in the series, isn’t it?

Yes. In conversations with Yuji Horii, the creator of the series, we often used the word “irrational” to describe the game’s world and its themes.

What parts of the game felt irrational to you?

Even though the protagonists haven’t done anything particularly wrong, the story keeps drifting into darker territory and shows the raw, ugly sides of human nature. I think that lack of salvation and sense of unfairness made the game feel irrational at times.

And that Dragon Quest VII is now being remade as Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. Can you tell us how this project first came about?

The original game was released in 2000 and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025. We felt that its distinctive world and story would resonate even more strongly with players today, which is what led to the start of this project.

Why did you choose to develop a full remake from the ground up, rather than a remaster?

After 25 years, we wanted to create a game that was enjoyable for both past players and those new to the series. That’s why we went back and reviewed every single element from square one and r

February’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup is a bumper one, with four titles available to PS Plus members*. Battle to victory in the ring in boxing sim Undisputed, survive an alien world in Subnautica: Below Zero, mix combat and gardening in Ultros, and take to the skies in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. All these titles will be available to PlayStation Plus members from Tuesday February 3 until Monday March 2. 

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Undisputed | PS5

Become Undisputed and rule the ring in the most authentic boxing game to date! Featuring true to life visuals, bone-jarring action, and 70+ licensed fighters, Undisputed gives you unpre

Two race-bred machines that breathe octane, plus a high-powered EV curveball from one of the world’s biggest phone companies—that’s how Polyphony kicks off 2026.

The ’22 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) arrives as a full-send, no-compromise, pure race car. The ’24 Hyundai Elantra N TC follows with a car built for touring-car domination, while leveraging the reliability of the road car. And then there’s the wildcard: the ’25 SU7 Ultra from Xiaomi, the tech giant’s vision of absurd-speed, 1,527 BHP EV.

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This year, MLB The Show is all about leaving your mark like never before. More than any single game, it’s about The Journey. It starts by putting in the hard work in high school, with a continuous drive to be better than the day before and a hunger for a Hall of Fame career. That drive was top of mind throughout the development of this year’s game, which is why San Diego Studio and MLB The Show are proud to welcome back 3x American League MVP, Aaron Judge.

His journey has taken him from high school to college, then the minors to the majors, and on to the world stage. We’ve mirrored the same journey in our game, striving to create the most authentic MLB experience outside of actually being on the field.

Aaron continues to rewrite history. He was our cover athlete in 2018, after a record-breaking rookie year in 2017. He’s now a 3-time AL MVP, 7-time All-Star, 5-time Silver Slugger award winner, AL single-season home run record holder with 62 homers, and the 2026 Team USA World Baseball Classic Captain. 

These are just a few highlights from his long list of achievements, and Aaron’s performances have not only inspired players on the diamond, but athletes and fans around the world. We’re excited to have him back as the cover athlete of MLB The Show 26. It’s now up to you; how will you leave your mark?

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Helldivers, do you ever find the squad standing before a towering foe with impenetrable fortifications and wish you had something to smash through them? The Ministry of Defense has just the Warbond for you. Let’s get to smashing, divers!

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Hello PlayStation Blog community, my name is Kenny Sun and I’m the lead developer of the Ball x Pit, and I’m here to share with you development on the game’s concept, inspiration as well as what players can expect in the first content update that releases today for FREE for all owners of the game!

This journey begins back in November 2021, and while I was on the subway, I saw an ad on my phone for a game called Punball. It looked like a roguelike version of Holedown, a game I enjoyed a lot, so I decided to give it a download. Fifteen minutes later, I looked up and realized that I had missed my stop. I knew that the core of the game had something special, but as I continued to play it I felt that there were a number of elements I wished were different. So, a few weeks later, I decided to make a version of my own. The gameplay for the prototype that would become BALL x PIT wasn’t too different from its original inspiration. But, there were a few key moments in its development that shaped it into a unique fusion of mechanics.

Initially, gameplay in Ball x Pit was turn-based. You would fire a series of balls, they would bounce at incoming enemies, and after all bouncing was complete, enemies would advance and a new row would spawn. I thought the gameplay was fun and wasn’t really considering ways to improve it. But, in February 2022, I downloaded Vampire Survivors, and the idea to try making it into a real-time action game was sparked. I made the change a few weeks later, and immediately the gameplay clicked, I knew I made the right decision.

Another important mechanic in Ball x Pit is the fusion system, where any ball can be combined with any other ball to synergize their abilities. This stemmed from the way I coded the ball mechanics. In code, each ball has 3 categories of ability types: status effects, area-of-effect, and unique effects. So, it was obvious that combining status effects and area-of-effect abilities would be a great way to power up the balls. And naturally, an alternative to this was the evolution system, which combines certain sets of balls into a whole new one. This new stronger ball in turn can be fused with any other ball. For inspiration of different evolutions, I looked at online guides for games in the Doodle God series to see what combinations they had.

The last defining system of Ball x Pit I wa

Capcom recently invited me to go hands-on for a few hours with Resident Evil Requiem. The new sections are set in Rhodes Hill hospital and feature series icon Leon S. Kennedy, playable for the first time since being confirmed last December. My mission going in was to examine what’s new with Leon’s combat options and compare to his past blood-drenched outings like Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil 4 (2023). 

Grace Ashcroft vs. Leon S. Kennedy: To understand Leon’s place in Requiem, we must understand his counterpart, Grace Ashcroft. Capcom is very up front that the two playable protagonists offer very different experiences. Grace’s sections focus heavily on evasion, puzzles, and resource management. She can aptly fight back with crude melee implements and firearms, but she’s still new to the whole “battling bio-engineered monsters” thing. By contrast, Leon’s sections focus heavily on the intense combat and improvised crowd management fans loved from RE4. The result feels like a balance between the horror of RE2 and the white-knuckle action of RE4.

“The team gave [Leon aging] a lot of thought. He’s been fighting biohazards since RE2 where he got his sudden start there. Now it’s been close to 30 years of Leon’s life that he’s been doing that. He’s seen a lot of sacrifice, a lot of tragedy. He couldn’t save everyone in RE2 or RE4. He’s seen a lot. He’s been through a lot. So that’s a weight that weighs down on him. So you’ll see that Leon that that weight is something that the development team wanted to express with Leon’s appearance and personality in Requiem. So you’ll notice he does carry that weight, and he’s maybe a little bit more pessimistic.”

– Kōshi Nakanishi, Director

Leon’s signature sass: The Leon S. Kennedy we meet in Requiem is a little older with some extra gravel in his voice, but he’s got his trademark charm. When confronted with an infected, chainsaw-wielding doctor he calmly mutters “I want to get a second opinion.” 

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Hey, everybody! Sid, Kristen, and I are back this week to talk about the new Marathon DualSense and all the new info surrounding the title, a look at how remakes and remasters have brought many respected classics to the forefront, and our current gaming adventures.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s release highlights:
  • Cairn | PS5
  • Code Vein II | PS5
  • I Hate This Place | PS5
  • Highguard | PS5
    
    
• Marathon pre-orders and DualSense — A plethora of Marathon content dropped this week, including the limited edition DualSense controller, Destiny 2 crossover content, a new gameplay trailer, and more details on the extraction shooter ahead of its March 5 release date.
  
  
• Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake Interview — We speak to the game’s Directors, Hidehiko Nakajima, and Makoto Shibata on revitalizing a PS2 classic for the modern audience, coming to PS5 March 12.
  
  
• Fable is coming to PlayStation — The action role-playing franchise is coming to PlayStation with its latest entry that will be a new start for the series.

The Cast

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Last week, we asked you to focus on the characters of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and share detailed portraits using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here’s are this week’s highlights:

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sorathluna shares Lune weaving a lightning attack in an elaborate crowned outfit

techanako shares Gustave crying out to something out of frame

gh_holy_mash shares Sciel in the swing of an attack

__Auron__ shares a black and white close up portrait of Maelle’s expressive face

forgottenjasmine shares Verso with a glowing halo around his head

kerplaaaah shares a black and white moment of Alicia looking downcast

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Speed
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on January 28, 2026 

Next week, we’re speeding away. Share quick and speedy moments from the game of your choice using  #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. 

For the first time in the franchise’s history, Fable is coming to PlayStation 5 in Autumn 2026. Today we’re excited to reveal the most detailed look yet at our fresh take on Albion – a world that’s familiar in spirit, but newly reimagined for modern RPG players.

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