is a

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

for

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

developed by

imageepoch was a video game developer based out of Tokyo, Japan. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2015, due to its declining sales and debt. History The company was founded in June 2005 by Ryoei Mikage. Their first release was the tactical role-playin ...

and published by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

in Japan on March 5, 2009. The game has not been published in other territories. However, an English fan translation was completed in 2014.

Story

''7th Dragon'' takes place in the

high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...

world of Eden. 80% of Eden is ruled by various fantasy reptiles, all led by 7 dragons, and their hostility to humans threatens society. The player takes the role of a huntsman who is tasked with eliminating the 7 dragons and saving humanity.

Gameplay

When players start their journey, they can create their own characters from the following classes: Mage, Princess, Rogue, Knight, Samurai, Fighter, or Healer. Outside of battle, the characters will be viewed traveling the overworld from an overhead perspective, while the battles are viewed from a side perspective showing each character as they attack their foes.

Development

The game was produced by

Rieko Kodama , also known as Phoenix Rie, was a Japanese video game artist, director, and producer employed by Sega from 1984 until her death. She is primarily known for her work on role-playing games (RPGs) including the original ''Phantasy Star'' series ...

and the design team consists of composer

Yuzo Koshiro is a Japanese composer and sound programmer. He is often regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune and video game music, producing music in a number of genres including rock, jazz, symphonic, and various electronic genres ...

, character designer Mota, as well as monster designer Akifumi Yamamoto. At the helm of the project is the director of the first entries in the ''

Trauma Center A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major trauma, major traumatic injuries such as Falling (accident), falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma cent ...

'' and ''

Etrian Odyssey ''Etrian Odyssey'' is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game series. It is primarily developed and published by Atlus and currently owned by Sega. By 2016, the series had sold a combined total of 1.5 million copies worldwide. Titles Main se ...

'' series, Kazuya Niinou.

Reception

The Japanese magazine ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' scored ''7th Dragon'' 9/8/8/8 for a total of 33 out of 40 points. The game was the second best-selling game the week of its release at 80,000 copies. An additional 22,000 units were sold the following week.

Sequels

A spin-off sequel titled ''7th Dragon 2020'' was released in Japan on November 23, 2011 for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

. From this title onward the character designs for the series were created by Japanese manga artist

Shirow Miwa is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. He is best known as the writer and artist for the ''Dogs'' manga series, but has also contributed illustrations to various tribute books, and magazines, including Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan. M ...

. It features polygon graphics and takes place in the near-future in a post-apocalyptic

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

in the year 2020, where the dragons have invaded the city. This game features new classes revamped for modern times, with the exception of Samurai. The vocaloid

Hatsune Miku , also called Miku Hatsune, and officially code-named CV01, is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media and its official moe anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mascot character, a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise bu ...

appeared as an official collaboration aspect of the game, appearing in the opening theme song sequence as well as the voice provider for optional DIVA Mode remixed songs. A sequel to ''7th Dragon 2020'', titled ''7th Dragon 2020-II'' was released on April 18, 2013 in Japan also for the PlayStation Portable.

appeared again in the game as a non playable character; and the game also features a new Idol class and the return of DIVA Mode option, which essentially makes every BGM in the game sung by

. A third and final sequel, ''7th Dragon III Code: VFD'', takes place in the year 2100, 80 years after the previous two games, and follows the story of the Nodens Corporation's attempt to complete the Dragon Chronicle in time to save humanity from the awakening of the titular seventh Divine Dragon, an event that would spell doom for the human race completely. A demo was made available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, with the full game released on October 15, 2015. The game was released in North America on July 12, 2016. Following the game's launch, Sega announced that it will receive three waves of downloadable content within weeks after launch. The game was announced for release in Europe at the end of the year. On November 27, 2019, a

Drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

was released of ''Code: VFD'', starring the same cast as the video game.

References

External links

* {{Franchises owned by Sega Sammy Holdings Role-playing video games Video games about dragons Fantasy video games Japan-exclusive video games Nintendo DS games Nintendo DS-only games Sega video games Sega Games franchises Image Epoch games 2009 video games Video games scored by Yuzo Koshiro Fan translation Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan