7th Dragon III Code: VFD (Nintendo 3DS) Preview

The first thing that really stands out about 7th Dragon III Code: VFD (aside from its absurdly long title) is the visual style. It's a distinctive, J-pop style that really sets the tone for the overall presentation. The player-created characters are slightly customisable in appearance, and they have an impressive variety of well-known Japanese voice actors that provide some excellent lines.

The character creation at the start prepares the stages for the entire adventure. While many of the classic JRPGs offer a set roster of characters with specific roles, this time, it's geared to what kind of party the player wants to build. There isn't exactly a huge variety in basic classes, but they all have unique skills and roles that make any of them a worthwhile addition to a party.

The class variety is honestly one of the more exciting things. While they fill standard RPG roles in terms of functionality, they do so in different ways: ones that require planning or careful setup. There's a surprising amount of strategy for a dungeon crawling JRPG, and the way each team plays out is really fun and exciting to discover.

The main storyline starts out a bit slow, and although the plot is pretty interesting, it does have its share of low points. It hasn't yet hit the perfect pacing of balance between story and gameplay, but there's enough to keep the battles from getting monotonous, and that's where the game really shines.