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| One of the best RPGs in recent years. |
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition is the updated version of the hit RPG Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of An Elusive Age. Praised for its engaging story, great gameplay, and unique presentation, the game received lots of acclaim when it released back in 2018. As a newcomer to the series (having only played the Dragon Quest Builders games), I was excited to play the game when it was announced to be hitting the Nintendo Switch. Featuring new story content, gameplay additions, updated visuals, and more, Dragon Quest XI S is billed as the best version of the original game. So is it the perfect entry point for newcomers?
In the land of Erdrea, we follow our silent protagonist known as the "Luminary", a chosen hero destined to defeat The Dark One and free the land from monsters. When he comes of age, he sets out to fulfil his destiny and learn the truth behind his past, all while befriending a band of characters along the way. The likes include career criminal Erik, twin sisters Serena and Veronica, outlandish performer Sylvando, stern fighter Jade, and cheery old man Rab. All of which are connected to the Luminary in someway and will aid him in his arduous journey.
Without spoiling much, the story was a great one that's filled with memorable characters-- each with their own stories to tell-- and some shocking plot-twists. While the characters shine the most, I kind of wished that the Luminary would show more emotion instead of silently nodding all the time in certain scenes. Personally, having a few voiced lines or expressive animations would have made things a bit more engaging.
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| DQXI's story and characters were so good that I didn't want the journey to end. |
Dragon Quest XI is a turn-based RPG where you control your party as you battle enemies, level up, explore new places, and meet new characters-- the standard genre stuff. While I found myself enjoying action-RPGs more recently, Dragon Quest XI's gameplay was still fun to play. Each character has their own special abilities to master like Serena with her healing magic and Sylvando with his charm attacks, as well as their own weapons as well. At certain points, characters will get "pepped" up in battle by glowing blue, temporarily increasing their stats and allowing them to pull off a special ability with another party member like a devastating finisher, full health restoration, or putting enemies to sleep. There are tons of pep moves to unlock, so you'll be doing a lot of mixing and matching between characters to unlock them, and the attack animations are definitely worth seeing.
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| Gameplay is the standard turn-based affair, but was still fun nonetheless. |
As you explore the world, you'll come across lots of towns where you can buy new weapons and equipment, as well as items that will help you craft even better gear. Personally, I find the act of crafting in games to be boring, but the game makes it way fun with its "fun-sized" forge, where you'll be carefully bashing on the forge to create the best gear possible. Each town is vastly different from the other, with some even taking inspiration from real-life places like Hawaii and Italy, so the world's not short on variety.
You'll be accepting side-quests (which are plenty) from NPCs, and they're often interesting with their own special rewards. The game's large open-areas were immersive and packed with secrets like hidden treasure chests and tougher monsters that reward you with tons of experience, and thankfully there's no random encounters. You can easily spend much of your time here just roaming around on horseback or enjoying the scenery and music like I did.
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| There's a lot to uncover in the of Erdrea. |
New additions to S include a new orchestral soundtrack, Japanese voice-overs, and new story chapters that fleshes out the characters. Additionally, you can play the game in 2D mode just like old Dragon Quest games, which include menu commands and random encounters. Also, you have access to Tickington, a special area exclusive to the 3DS version of the game where you can visit legacy Dragon Quest areas and accept side-quests that play a role in each game too. I enjoyed the new additions as they were a pleasant treat and gives the game a lot more content than it already has, which is by no means an issue with me! In terms of length, Dragon Quest XI S that took me close to 90 hours to beat. That's without finishing up all of the side-quests and fighting all of the tougher monsters, so the game will last with you for a while.
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| Playing the game in 2D mode adds another layer of fun to the game. |
Dragon Quest XI is undoubtedly a stunning game and the art-style courtesy of Dragon Ball artist Akira Toriyama, helps give an even more distinctive look. The backgrounds and monster designs were all distinctive and keep things fresh as you explore the game's world. The Switch version loses a bit of visual clarity with the resolution compared to the PS4 and PC releases though still maintains solid performance. That said, I've experienced frame-rate dips and two crashes, but thankfully they were few and far between.
The voice-acting was surprisingly well, featuring many neat performances in a wide manner of accents that made many story moments more fun. As for the new orchestral soundtrack, it's amazing and sounds better compared to the synthesised original soundtrack. From longtime composer Koichi Sugiyama, the game is filled with many memorable tracks like the battle theme, "Bustling Town", "Nautica", Ocean theme, Overworld theme, and the ending theme.
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| With an orchestral soundtrack and bright visuals, Dragon Quest XI looks amazing. |
Dragon Quest XI S is one of the best RPGs I've played yet and an enjoyable experience too. While the story and gameplay aren't anything groundbreaking, I still had fun seeing what's next for the party and battling monsters, respectively. It's a newcomer-friendly game as levelling up is relatively fast and the quality of life improvements makes the experience more streamlined. The presentation is top-notch with the art and soundtrack being among the best in the genre-- no surprise from Square Enix. Overall, if you're an RPG fan and are looking to get into the Dragon Quest franchise, then definitely check out Dragon Quest XI S.
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