Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (PS4) Review

AND NOW TO COW WITH THE WEATHER.

Earlier this year I started my first traditional Dragon Quest game with Dragon Quest IV. I had played some of the Dragon Quest spin-offs such as Monsters, Builders, Heroes, and the spectacular Rocket Slime (a classic DS title everyone should play) but never any of the mainline games. I thought that the jump to Dragon Quest XI would be big going from the DS remake of IV to the PS4 release of XI, but surprisingly it wasn’t.

Dragon Quest XI is gaming comfort food. The majority of XI plays just like the rest of the series (and in turn like most classic JRPGs). Battles are turn based, with certain characters filling certain archetypal roles such as healer and thief, leveling up when they get enough experience from battles. Like newer JRPGs, the world is explored via a third person perspective in a fully 3D world, but with new mechanics such as being able to jump over small obstacles and mounting horses and various monsters to traverse the environment. The day and night cycle from past Dragon Quest games returns with monsters being stronger at night (as well as different monsters being out) and a weather cycle that can also change the monsters roaming the world. Random battles are a thing of the past (except on the ocean) as monsters are seen walking around, which was a new feature in the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VIII. It’s so true to the original formula that saving has to be done at churches and goddess statues. New mechanics like crafting and character skill trees don’t revolutionize this game into something new, and that is a good thing.

PLATFORMS: PS4, PC
MSRP: $59.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $59.99

Note: A thing this game won’t outright say but I will is that unlike other JRPGs, items can’t be used in battle unless a specific character is holding it, and only that character can access that item. So if the desire is to heal a character with an herb then whoever has the herb in their pocket has to do it. Any item in the item bag cannot be accessed in battle. This is a staple of Dragon Quest and I felt it important to note for anyone unfamiliar with the series.

The story of Dragon Quest XI is something I can’t fully dive into because I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say that it’s the standard story of a destined hero, The Luminary, born to defeat evil that manages to subvert standard tropes and expectations very well. Comedy is a big part of this game, with most of it being of the finest of cheese but in a world filled with cartoon slimes, it feels appropriate even at the darkest of times. Most of the world is populated with people who just liven up the environment or are there to push forward the plot, however party members are fully fleshed characters, each with their own backgrounds that are divulged throughout the plot weaving a more intricate narrative than I expected. In fact, Dragon Quest XI has some of my favorite characters since Final Fantasy VI; my favorite Final Fantasy.

One thing that I enjoyed that others may find extremely irritating is the voice acting. Dragon Quest is heavily influenced by European culture, and the accents of the characters reflect this both in text (which old DQ games did too) as well as voice acting. A particular character who rhymes their dialog had me questioning my approval of voice acting at one point due to the shrill sound of their voice and annoying verbal tic. A lot of the characterization is delivered from the voice actors though, so I’ll take one character I’m not a fan of over having no voice acting at all, despite the fact I read faster than most of the characters speak. Not all dialog is voice acted, which is to be expected, but most important story driving dialog is (to which there is a lot).

Visually Dragon Quest XI is amazing. It looks fantastic and I would say it’s the best 3D depiction of Akira Toriyama’s artwork/style in 3D had Dragon Ball FighterZ not come out in January of this same year. I personally prefer Dragon Quest’s overall style and I think Toriyama’s monster design is some of the best around (slimes and platypunks are some of my favorite game enemies), but as a faithful adaptation to his drawings Dragon Ball FighterZ is so accurate that I can’t say that this game is the best. At times in battles characters get “pepped” which allows access to new abilities and boost stats and it is highly reminiscent of characters going Super Saiyan, making the comparison even easier to make.

The art style of Dragon Quest XI will still look just as good years from now as the whole game feels cohesive in its design. It’s also super detailed with its textures and its design, including enemies who watch characters move around the battlefield with their eyes and water showing the sand underneath and singular blades of grass. I should note that I am playing on a classic PS4 with a 1080p television; on PC and PS4 Pro I’m sure this game looks even better.

It’s that attention to detail that does make me question a few things. There is a noticeable quality difference between in game graphics and pre-rendered cut scenes of which there are few, but they stand out horribly. I would’ve preferred consistent in engine cut scenes because this option is jarring. While I don’t have an issue with the compositions, I wonder why the music is traditional looping tracks and not orchestral. I wonder why a free form battle system is in the game that is turned off once a second character joins the party (it can be turned back on in the menu) and why it serves no functional purpose. It’s nice to have, but it makes this game seem more action based than it actually is. Every battle action is still menu driven. Battle transitions are not seamless despite taking place in the same environment, proven by the fact that campsites, other enemies, and items on the ground can be seen in the background of fights. Auto Run is a feature that has the character move forward automatically but he still has to be steered and does not move at running speed. The biggest issue though is that there are later portions of the game that have me travelling from one end of the map to the other to get one cut scene and then travel back which would be fine, but on the sea there are random battles so I end up spending a lot of time fighting random ocean life in my attempt to get another cut scene to sail right back to where I just sailed from.

Despite these nitpicky complaints, I do need to say I love this game. It’s nice to have an RPG series that hasn’t gone so far from its roots like Final Fantasy has. Anyone longing for the day of classic JRPGs need to look no further than Dragon Quest XI. Filled with charm and solid gameplay as well as a hardcore mode that removes the ability to shop and farm weaker enemies for XP among other things means that there’s a lot of accessibility for players both unfamiliar with JRPGs and players who thrive off them. I would suggest picking this game up and having it being the side game to the blockbuster titles coming out right now to bridge the gap between the big releases, because it moves fast enough with the plot to always feel like something is being accomplished but not as fast as say Spider-Man that came out the same week. Don’t let Dragon Quest XI be lost in the Fall game rush.

Oh, and cows tell the weather.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Graphics, style, and level of detail
  • Traditional JRPG gameplay
  • Ability to automate character actions in battle
  • Story
  • Exploration
  • Slimes
Bad
  • Music could be orchestrated
  • Random battles on the ocean suck
  • Backtracking
  • Odd mechanics that are barely used
9
Excellent
Written by
Anthony is the resident Canadian. He enjoys his chicken wings hot and drinks way too much Coca-Cola. His first game experience was on his father's Master System and he is a loyal SEGA fanboy at heart.