BODY: One of the most sprawling adventures in the Dragon Quest catalog just got a lot easier to justify on your commute. Square Enix has cut the smartphone version of "Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past" (known in Japan as Eden no Senshi-tachi) to ¥1,440 — a 40% discount that shaves nearly ¥1,000 off the usual price.
The limited-time sale covers both the Android and iOS editions and runs until August 30, giving latecomers and returning fans a narrow window to pick up the port at its lowest price.
Originally launched on the PlayStation in 2000 and later remade for the Nintendo 3DS, Dragon Quest VII is famous — and infamous — for its length, with a main story that can stretch well past 100 hours. That heft made the mobile version a slightly awkward fit at first, which is why Square Enix's decision to add mid-game "suspend save" (chūdan save) functionality matters so much: you can stop anywhere and pick up exactly where you left off, turning a marathon RPG into something you can chip away at in short sessions.
For newcomers, the game's premise still holds up: a boy on an isolated island uncovers ancient stone fragments that unlock lost islands scattered across time, gradually restoring a world that has been erased. Its tablet-and-vignette structure means there's always a self-contained story to finish before the next break.
The insider take
Among Japanese Dragon Quest fans, VII occupies a peculiar spot — beloved for its ambition but often cited as the "one you never finished." That reputation is exactly why the suspend-save feature is quietly a bigger deal here than the discount itself; Japanese commuter culture rewards games you can dip into for ten minutes on the train, and this port finally fits that rhythm. With no modern console remaster on the horizon, the mobile edition remains the most accessible way to experience the full game, and sales like this are when the Japanese community traditionally nudges holdouts to finally start their journey.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).