This review was originally written on March 3rd, 2018 based off of the Japanese version of the game. Character names and gameplay elements reflect that version and not the western release.
As the latest entry in a long-running series of games, Dragon Quest XI aims to deliver a solid turn-based RPG experience. As my first game in the Dragon Quest series, I was surprised to find that the game managed to deliver on every front that a JRPG fan would expect. Sprawling landscapes, interesting combat, and a remarkable story make Dragon Quest XI a game that can be enjoyed by everyone, but the finer details truly shape the game into a masterpiece.
The story begins with the protagonist living in his home village. As a 16 year old boy, he has lived a peaceful life with his friends and family. One day, however, one of the children goes missing, and the protagonist and his childhood friend head into the mountain to look for the child. The events resolve peacefully, but the protagonist finds himself using an unknown power during a crucial moment. A mark on his hand begins to glow yellow, rescuing him. According to the village elders, he is the chosen one, the reincarnation of a hero who once saved the world from destruction. The elders send him to the city of Delcadahl, where the king is said to be awaiting the chosen one’s arrival. Thus begins the main story of Dragon Quest XI, and the story only manages to increase in interest from this point forward.
One of Dragon Quest XI’s strongest points is its ability to keep the player in invested in the story from the beginning to the end. At no point did I feel like the game was inserting unnecessary filler; even the most minor events held relevance later in the story. This fact is surmounted by the impressive length of the game, clocking in at over 60 hours for most players (or much more in my case, reaching 95 due to my obsession in translating the Japanese version). There is no shortage of unique environments, either. Players travel through a montage of expansive grasslands, hidden ravines, rainy marshes, and dry deserts. By the end, it feels like a true adventure, as players not only adventure in these environments, they also meet townspeople and other characters who add lore and history to these lands.
With so many important events in a long story, the main cast grow as people in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Seinya’s klutziness, Kamu’s kleptomania, Sylvia’s flamboyance, and Veronica’s narcissism act as core character traits but are quickly overshadowed by the depth their personalities receive throughout their journeys. For once, I can say that I enjoyed every character in the main cast, and the removal of any one of them would hamper the game in some capacity. In fact, removing a character would also hurt the story, because each character also manages to play a pivotal role in the hero’s adventure. While so many RPGs shoehorn in their party members, Dragon Quest XI makes the characters join up in natural ways, more akin to a book than a video game. This craftsmanship in meshing the characters, world, and story together manages to create an extremely memorable experience.
More than just the story, the gameplay in Dragon Quest XI is amazingly fun. Following standard JRPG systems, the game contains field traversal and turn-based combat. To start, field traversal is mostly simple. Players control the hero and move around in a standard 3rd person view. Towns have shops and NPCs can be interacted with for basic dialogue. Outside of towns, enemies roam the fields and the player can press initiate battle early by attacking them, also inflicting some bonus damage. The main difference in field traversal for Dragon Quest XI is its ability to mount certain monsters. For example, players can defeat a skeleton creature, then mount it after the battle to climb up walls. One of my favorite monsters to mount is a flying monster, which then opens up the field vertically as well. These abilities don’t change the game fundamentally, but they are minor additions that keep the player engaged.
Best of all, however, is the game’s battle system. It starts off as rather rudimentary and basic, but by twenty hours in, the cast of characters and skill sets become large enough to enjoy. What sets Dragon Quest XI’s combat apart from other games is its weapon system. Each character can equip at least two different types of weapons, and many can dual wield weapons too. It is fun to try different builds for characters, such as using a short shield and shield or a dual-handed sword for the protagonist. Or, if the player does not want to assign Seinya to a pure healer role, she can equip a lance instead of a staff for attacking enemies. The skill system also allows players to choose different upgrade paths, unlocking new abilities, increased stats, and more. This lets players customize their experience and allows unique party compositions that would not normally be valid in a JRPG where characters are static. One of my personal favorite combinations was casting attack up on my party, defense down on an enemy, then using a high-level two-handed sword skill which does around three times damage. This became my standard damage method towards the end of the game, but I am happy to say that I found countless other satisfying combinations throughout the rest of the game too.
Another nice element of leveling in Dragon Quest XI is that characters receive new spells automatically. Because attacks are split into three categories (basic attacks, skills, and spells), being able to save skill points for desired skills instead of being spent on spells is immensely helpful. Stronger spells learnt later on have higher MP costs to compensate for their strength, but as expected, characters also have greater MP pools. And fortunately, most spells are useful. This may be in part due to the limited set of spells, but they each have optimal times to be used. Buffs and debuffs can be cast on an entire party at once for an increased MP cost and lowered effect, or on an individual for a lower MP cost and higher effect. The same applies for attack spells and healing spells. This grants most spells a reason to be used even at the end of the game, instead of becoming redundant. With all of these checks in place, the combat system remains enjoyable throughout the entire game by providing new abilities at a consistent rate and giving the player new skills to strive for.
Although not a major factor for enjoyment of a game, Dragon Quest XI on the PlayStation 4 looks beautiful. I will admit that I found the art style a bit strange at first, but it grew on me. Most importantly, it is consistent. The aforementioned grasslands and deserts look like an anime come to life on a home console. Even though I had initial doubts, the vibrance of colors pulled me in. Minor details like footprints in snow and a change in audio based on where the hero runs add charm to the environments. Although it isn’t groundbreaking in the graphical department, there is little to complain about.
In terms of sound, Dragon Quest XI does a stellar job. Elements such as raindrops, waterfalls, and fire each generate exactly as much noise as expected without overpowering the other senses. Generic sound effects, too, including spotting monsters, interacting with objects, navigating menus, and even the mumble sound that replace character voices match perfectly. Battle attacks in particular match the sound exactly as one would imagine, instilling a sense of power in the player alongside the various attack types. It is satisfying to hear the magical charge of a blade accompanied by the crashing blow against the ground or the swift strikes of multiple blades in succession.
Music also entrances the player’s ear. Dragon Quest XI’s tracks are engaging—I found myself humming tunes constantly while playing and even occasionally while going about daily routines. Towns are somber, battles are epic, and cutscenes are emotional. However, as much as I enjoyed the music, my one complaint would be the lack of different tracks. Considering the length of the game, it is disappointing that there aren’t more unique tracks. Almost all towns share the same music, and the battle theme does not change. As I mentioned, these songs are good and high-quality, but for a game that can easily reach 100 hours for some players, I would have liked to hear a greater number of tracks.
One final point to mention that can often be difficult to categorize is polish. In this area, Dragon Quest XI exceeds greatly. I never encountered a single bug and every aspect of the game functioned exactly as expected. Not only that, but the game provides an absurdly large amount of content. Side quests are abundant, maps are filled with treasure, an extensive crafting system exists, and casino games can pass the time. This is without mentioning the extended story after the final boss, too, which adds a chunk of story similar to a Pokémon game. With modern games, it is rare to see this level of craftsmanship without a patch fixing bugs or adding content. Simply put, Dragon Quest XI feels like a game of yesteryear, and a masterful one at that.
In conclusion, Dragon Quest XI nails every expectation of a JRPG: story, characters, combat, music, and content. As my first entry into the series, I had few expectations but found myself blown away again and again. Outside of the fact that the game can run over 70 hours and there are a limited number of music tracks, there are no aspects that I can complain about. Truly, Dragon Quest XI is a masterpiece that absolutely must be played by any fan of the genre.