In a pleasant and surprise-like manner, Square Enix made a big announcement. Now, a demo version of the Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for the Switch 2 and Xbox is available. However, that is not even the most significant aspect of the announcement. They also made it known that Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will be launched on February 5th. To celebrate, they displayed a new illustration of Tetsuya Nomura’s outstanding work, featuring both heroes from two games. It is a combination that no one expected but is still very thrilling.
The direct facts for those who only want to see them are as follows: The demo of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade has been launched on Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S as of today. The complete remake of the classic PlayStation RPG Dragon Quest VII Reimagined will be rolled out on February 5, 2026. The announcement included a new piece of key art from the director and character designer Tetsuya Nomura depicting Cloud Strife and the hero from Dragon Quest VII together. This is a huge transfer of FF7R from old platforms to new ones and a giant resurrection of a beloved DQ title.
But hey, can we spare a moment to sing praises for the artwork? The online response was quite, if not the most, remarkable. Gamers sharing their excitement in the thread. A certain Manny went all out, just exclaimed “NOMURA ART HOLY SHIT,” which, to be honest, is a reaction I can fully support. Another person using the alias AndresEd was also wildly enthusiastic with “LOOK HE’S SMILING CLOUD IS ACTUALLY SMILING.” And you know what? He is right. A very unexpected combination of DQ hero and Cloud with a non-brooding, genuine smile is strangely reminiscent and absolutely enchanting. It isn’t just cool and nostalgic but a joint celebration of two giants from the late ’90s that is. User Hunyew summed it up nicely when commenting: “Back on 90’s, DQ7 and FF7 declare the victory of console war.” Is it not a tribute to that time?
The artwork is receiving a lot of praise, anyway, Felipe called it “Amazing artwork,” while Mike Staub commented simply on it, “This art is fantastic.” Toni Infante shared a GIF of sparkling eyes with the caption “My eyes every time I see a new Nomura artwork.” The French comment by L’Cro Magnon, “Merveilleux dessin” (which translates to wonderful drawing), even without the translation managed to convey the same feeling. It is clear, so many belts and that intricate hair is the essence of Nomura’s style and yet it still has a great impact on the gaming crowd.
Of course, with one of the major announcements comes a little bit of chaos in the comments section. Some gamers are, uh, quite loud about different things. For example, Matteo Verello was such a player who after saying “STOP NOMURA! Give us more news on Kingdom Hearts IV. 😤😡,” vented his frustration. Sorry, Matteo, looks like Sora is going to have to wait. But what was really hot and dramatic about it was the discussion about the platforms. The user octaslasher2 voiced a very typical fear of the PlayStation fans: “meanwhile here I am still waiting for the announcement of the update for VII Remake on PS5 that will give us all the new boosts and features from the Xbox/Switch versions too. You know us fans who actually supported the game from the start?”
That stirred a little thread. Another user, Maeglin, inquired from octaslasher2, “Wait the new version has new features?” which is a legitimate question, actually. Then Noah, in replying to octaslasher2, retorted “Cry harder, your update probably releases the same day as these versions.” Yes, the console wars are somehow still around, folks. Even a tweet intended for nothing more than a celebration cannot avoid that. Another user, Cody Anderson, mocked the mention of the Switch 2: “Switch 2 lmao gl hitting frame perfectly anything.” It is never just good news that is simple and plain, is it?
However, as a whole, the hype is the main feeling. Bryan Ingram was trying to know, “Give us a DQ7 demo too please!” which is a totally correct request. Stinky Ducks are already planning their playthroughs: “Feeling so blessed to enjoy this art! I am still working on Dragon Quest II HD-2D and then I’ll be ready for DQ7!! Hype!! (and obviously another playthru of FF7R haha).” That is the spirit. And APUKAMI caught the crossover surprise: “Well that’s a duo I never thought I’ll see together.” It is a rare but delightful pairing.
