Dragon Quest is the granddaddy of JRPGs. While each new release brings a lot of excitement in Japan, it usually isn’t the case in America This isn’t to say that it hasn’t found its audience in North America. Quite the opposite. Dragon Quest has a cult following. It is to say, however, that Dragon Quest’s adherence to tradition has caused some to never really see the true appeal of the series. This likely won’t change with Dragon Quest XI, but if you are a fan of the series you may find this to be among the best installments to come out.
Dragon Quest XI is a by-the-numbers story. You play as a chosen hero. As this hero you are a descendant of the Luminary, a force that a long time ago defeated darkness. It looks like darkness is rising again and now you must answer your call to destiny, which involves defeating that darkness. Dragon Quest usually doesn’t have too much depth to its storytelling and the finer points of the plot don’t even begin to play out until much further along in the story. Instead what the series is mostly known for are having little plot threads stitched together that eventually form the world the game takes place in. This means that while there’s the overarching story of the Luminary you’ll also come across little mini-tales as you go with people who need help. For example, early on you’ll encounter a woodsman that has been transformed and you’ll have to help him change back. It has little (if anything) to do with the bigger story at hand, but it does give the world Dragon Quest XI takes place in a pulse of some sorts.
What helps the story along, more than anything, however, are the various characters you’ll meet throughout the journey. Most of them are charming in their own way. The dialog is well done and endearing, and the voice acting is also really good, with few of the various accents feeling too outlandish or like a caricature. Legendary character designer Akira Toriyama has crafted some of his best designs, but what really helps breed life into the characters are also their movements and gestures that help give them all their own quirky kind of feel. At the end of the day Dragon Quest is more cartoony and lighthearted than most other JRPGs out there, and I find this to be a good thing. It makes the game relaxing to play.
Compared to other Dragon Quest games, though, the eleventh installment is more streamlined than most. Where as many Dragon Quest games let you go off early on without always explicltly pointing you at where to go and letting you explore, this one is a lot harder to get lost in. At least from the outset. Most of the pathways are fairly linear and you’ll always know where to go. The formula also has a few updates to it. For instance, there are always convenient markers on your mini-map. There are also NPCs in towns that’ll give you quests to do as well. Some are simple errands like finding a particular item, some require you to defeat monsters and others require you to make contact with certain characters. While going from location to location can feel like the game is holding your hand through the main story at first, this all melts away when you realize the absurd amount of things you can be doing to bide your time.
It isn’t just that there are side quests everywhere, but that the game often gives you a reason to explore and revisit areas you’ve previously been to. You may come across a door you can’t immediately go into at the beginning of the game, but dozens of horus later you can for some great rewards. Dragon Quest gives you reason to revisit the places you’ve been to and to come back to towns and explore. The various NPCs can really help flesh out the world and there is no shortage of items to find. You’ll want to smash as many pots and barrles as possible and explore every dungeon fully to find all the items along the way.
There is more reason than items to fill your pockets, though. You’ll also be finding materials for the game’s forging system. This system acts as a mini-game for you to craft some equipment or refine what you have to make it better. It isn’t the most complicated system ever, but it’s remarkable how many hours you can lose to finding material and crafting just to get better equipment. This is because it’s often better than spending an absurd amount of gold to buy new equipment. This does not mean you should neglect to battle and grind, even for the sake of equipment.
The battle system for Dragon Quest hasn’t changed much over the years. There have been some tweaks introduced to change up things slightly (think of the tension you can build in Dragon Quest VIII) but it’s about as basic as they come. Combat is menu based with up to four combatants. You’ll be able to use your basic attack and some magic but it’s not at all difficult to get the hang of. There is a layer of strategy needed for some encounters, but battling is rarely taxing.
This game introduces the concept of “Pep” to the system, however. As your characters perform actions in combat they eventually become “Pepped” up. Being “Pepped” up increases that character’s stats for a number of turns and gives them access to new abilities. When more than one character is “Pepped” up they may be able to combine their attacks together for a really special attack that will immediately end their pep status at the expense of dealing major damage or drastically turning the tide of battle. The only downside to the Pep system is that it feels random. There’s no gauge that slowly fills up and different characters enter the “Pep” status at what feels like random intervals. What makes this easy to stomach, however, is that Pep carries over from one battle to the next. So if a character becomes “pepped” up and the battle ends, they will begin the next battle in “Pepped” up status.
Traditionally, Dragon Queset has been a game where you’d spend a lot of time grinding to level up, but Dragon Quest XI doesn’t spend as much time wanting you to do that either. As long as you fight regularly you’ll pretty much always be prepared for what’s coming. This doesn’t maen you’ll never grind, it is only to say that the moments when you do will never be long stretches of time. So long as you keep your equipment up to date and fight regularly you’ll be fine. Unlike previous games, the encounters are not random but rather contact based. Meaning that when you’re done fighting you can avoid as many battles as you need to. This makes Dragon Quest XI by far the easiest title in the series, but it’s hardly a deterrent from the game itself.
As your characters level up they also gain skill points which can be used to unlock abilities on a grid similar to Final Fantasy XII’s license point. Using skill points to unlock abilities leads to other abilities. These abilities can range from increasing a character’s attack with a certain weapon, to letting them dual wield to the always-useful metal slash ability. It never takes too long to build skill points and if you allocate them incorrectly (you can go off of several branching paths) you can always reset those skills and start over.
The game is jam packed full of stuff to do. Whether it’s small quests, crafting materials or exploring towns, the game never feels like there’s nothing to do at any given time. And just when things begin to get stale the game is usually willing to introduce another layer into the mix. Storytelling may not be the strong suit of Dragon Quest XI, but gameplay, exploration and character development are and the game does well within all of these areas.
Even for those concerned about how traditional Dragon Quest can be there are some welcome changes. Certainly you still get moments like the game narrating in battle (i.e. “Erik took 4 points of damage,” even as a giant “4” appears on screen) but these are moments that I find charming within Dragon Quest. There are plenty of familiar sound effects as well as the standard Dragon Quest theme. However, the game does make some welcome changes to the formula. The most notable of which is that Dragon Quest XI no longer restricts you to ONLY saving in a church. In previous games you always had to save in a church and it was often the only way to do so. Certainly the handheld games had a quick save, but upon doing so you were always booted to the title screen. This game has two additions that are nice. The first is that the game autosaves when entering new zones similar to Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. Second is that across the field you’ll come across campsites where you can talk with your allies, forge equipment and save your game. Finally, upon loading your game it’ll recap the most recent events that happened and remind you what it is you’re supposed to be doing. This is a very welcome addition to the game.
The game also makes inventory management slightly easier. Though the interface isn’t as great as say… Dragon Quest VIII: The Journey of the Cursed King, it is far better than the inventory management of the DS and 3DS reissues which took their cues from the Super Famicom games. I still wish Dragon Quest didn’t go the route of giving characters their own separate inventory but it’s not a deal breaking problem and works out just fine.
The only real downside to Dragon Quest XI is the soundtrack. It isn’t a horrible soundtrack. If anything the biggest problem with it is that there isn’t enough music within it. Dragon Quest has never been known for having huge soundtracks, but with how much time you’re apt to spend with Dragon Quest XI (especially if you’re the type that must do everything to completion) you’ll wish the soundtrack had more variety. Likewise, the mileage will vary on this, but Dragon Quest XI is a MIDI soundtrack. This is not inherently bad, but some tunes do not sound great this way, especially if you happened to have heard the symphonic soundtrack, which is absolutely beautiful in comparison. The soundtrack is not bad by any means. But if you get a chance to listen to the symphonic variation, I’d recommend it as Symphonic Dragon Quest music is often really good.
Dragon Quest XI is an amazing game. It has a huge world to explore, there’s plenty to do and it’s an experience that can last a good long while. It still manages to maintain its traditional roots, but still add a few new flavors to Dragon Quest itself. The series may not be as epic and as far reaching as other JRPGs out there, but it has retained its level of charm and fun and that makes Dragon Quest XI a great experience all on its own. If you’re a fan of Dragon Quest then this is definitely worth picking up. If you’ve never played a Dragon Quest game before, this a great one to start with.
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From the manufacturer
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Edition of Light
DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age tells the tale of a hunted hero and is the long-awaited game from series creator Yuji Horii and character designer Akira Toriyama. While it’s the eleventh mainline entry in the series, this is a completely standalone experience featuring new characters, a beautifully detailed world, and an immersive story for fans and franchise newcomers alike. After its release in Japan, DRAGON QUEST XI won multiple gaming awards including PlayStation’s Platinum Prize.
- Unravel an Epic Mystery in a Riveting Tale
- Assemble a Colorful Cast of Loyal Companions
- Explore a Beautiful, Living World
- Engage in Classic Battles with a Modern Twist
- Have Some Fun & Save the World
Explore a Beautiful, Living World
DRAGON QUEST XI brings a massive, gorgeous world to life in a style that blends stylistic cel-shading with photorealistic detail. Excitement lurks around every corner as players explore populous cities, quaint villages, magnificent castles, and dark dungeons. NPC’s attend to their daily schedules, monsters change behaviors to fit their environments, and players can access new areas with the use of monstrous vehicles.
Assemble a Colorful Cast of Loyal Companions
Accompanying the hero on his quest is an endearing band of adventurers with their own rich backstories and personalities as diverse as their designs. Once again, famed manga artist Akira Toriyama brings the characters of DRAGON QUEST to life with his delightful, one-of-a-kind style.
First off I love this game the graphics are just amazing from the waves in the water to the trees branches blowing in the wind they did a very good job on it. They brought back the turn base battle system I know this isn’t for everyone I’m old school so I very much enjoy it. The game is very simple no over complexity you know what I mean hit R1 and X + O at the same time to do your pep move or special move. I’m only 10 hours in but so far the story is very good not cheesy or to child like one of the problems with most JRPG have. I would recommend this to anyone that has grown up with dragon quest or any other old school JRPG. P.S. you don’t have to play the other dragon quest to understand the story but if you have played previous dragon quest games you’ll recognize a lot of the enemies. So far I have found no bugs either. I hope this helps people that are debating getting this game thanks.
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