Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 86
  3. Negative: 0 out of 86
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  1. Metro GameCentral
    Sep 6, 2018
    70
    Old school to a fault, but fans of the series – and anyone else that appreciates its honest charms – will find much to love in this simplistic but heart-warming role-player.
  2. Gameblog.fr
    Aug 28, 2018
    70
    I have a weird love-hate relationship with Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. At times, it's nostalgic, it's nicely written story and its unique design just blows me away, but at other times, I simply hate its poorly designed interfaced, its lack of innovation and the simple fact that it never dares to try anything new. When it does something, it does it perfectly, but it simply doesn't feel like enough in 2017. It plays it way too safely for its own good.
  3. games(TM)
    Nov 1, 2018
    60
    Disappointingly by the books, but has charm. [Issue#206, p.82]
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  5. Slant Magazine
    Sep 14, 2018
    60
    It's a shame that Dragon Quest XI, despite being the most visually sumptuous Dragon Quest title to date, doesn't do more to strike a bolder, more mature path within a tired series.
  6. Edge Magazine
    Sep 13, 2018
    60
    One supposedly shocking reveal is so transparent a five-year-old could guess it. [Nov 2018, p.112]
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  7. FANDOM
    Aug 28, 2018
    60
    It’s traditional to a fault. It may look beautiful and the voice acting is a worthwhile addition, but overall Dragon Quest XI does nothing to push the JRPG genre forward. It’s a shame, as despite Square pushing XI as its big Western RPG this is a game that’s incredibly hard to recommend to a new audience.
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  1. Ars Technica
    Sep 5, 2018
    Probably the best Dragon Quest, but if innovation and surprise are what you want, you'll need to look somewhere else.
  2. Eurogamer
    Aug 28, 2018
    A sumptuous, generous and absolutely gorgeous RPG that isn't quite the measure of Dragon Quest's illustrious past.
  3. Kotaku
    Aug 28, 2018
    Everything I have said about Dragon Quest XI being one of the best games of all time is definitely correct, because I played the game in Japanese for 300 hours. I wouldn’t have done that if it weren’t a masterpiece.
  5. Polygon
    Aug 28, 2018
    Dragon Quest 11 is a beautiful example of what a JRPG can be after 30 years of lovingly guided evolution. Its success is irrevocably tethered to those decades of development, though, and that means you probably already know if this is a game for you. If you’re not already one of the faithful, Dragon Quest 11 is unlikely to make you a convert.
  6. The Jimquisition
    Sep 9, 2018
    Square Enix have put out a pretty good JRPG that, shockingly, doesn’t need to reinvent itself with every sequel. While I’m not quite as in love with it as some critics, I do enjoy it a lot. Like most DQ games, it’s simply a pleasant ride.
  7. The Verge
    Aug 28, 2018
    Dragon Quest XI is a slow burn that takes time to get going, but once you get into the loop, you won’t want to leave. It’s just so comfortable there.
  8. Vice
    Aug 28, 2018
    Dragon Quest XI is an amazing monument to the fact that there is a new Dragon Quest game, but I don’t think it’s much more than that.

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PS4 Game of 2018
19
#19 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
29
#29 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 971 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 822 out of 971
  2. Mixed: 70 out of 971
  3. Negative: 79 out of 971
  1. 17_jrpg
    Sep 6, 2018
    10
    Last year the best JRPG on the PS4 was Persona 5, and this year is Dragon Quest XI! Persona 5 was a great success for Atlus because it keptLast year the best JRPG on the PS4 was Persona 5, and this year is Dragon Quest XI! Persona 5 was a great success for Atlus because it kept its unique style - they used the same formula which they used in the predecessors. The same thing Square Enix has done with Dragon Quest XI. The story of this game is great, but I will not talk about the story because of spoilers. I will actually say something about gameplay. Dragon Quest XI is a turn-based RPG with a semi-open world. The semi-open world allows to player to explore the world through the story, so that you can explore a new region then you must first advance through the story. This way the player can enjoy the story and a gameplay at the same time (it's not like open world games where you can completely ignore the story and use only the mechanics of gameplay). There is no more random encounter. Now, the enemies are moving freely on the map and if the player make a contact with the enemies, the battle screen will open. The battle system is the same as the predecessor with a couple of new elements. Now, the player can choose between two styles in battle: classic style (characters are stationary on battlefield) and modern style (characters can be moved around battlefield). One of new element is a swapping system which allows players to change characters during battle with those who are outside the active team (this reminds me of battle system from FFX). This function can allow you to make a better strategy (tactic) in battle. When comparing gameplay of Dragon Quest XI with Dragon Quest VIII (the best Dragon Quest game), I can say that Dragon Quest XI is an upgraded version of Dragon Quest VIII (so for this reason would like to see the remake of Dragon Quest VIII for the PS4 with the same engine). Full 14 years, Dragon Quest VIII has kept the title of the best Dragon Quest game, and now it has been surpassed by Dragon Quest XI. As a conclusion I can say that Dragon Quest XI has a great story, gameplay, very beautiful graphics and great sound. This game is the best Dragon Quest game and is one of the best JRPGs ever. We need more such JRPGs on PlayStation, with turn-based battle system and semi-open world. Persona 5 and Dragon Quest XI prove that such games can be more successful than some action RPGs.… Full Review »
  2. FogCityRoller
    Sep 9, 2018
    9
    Sad to see this title get rating bombed. This is a top 10 PS4 title without a doubt. The art style is fantastic. I even give it an edge overSad to see this title get rating bombed. This is a top 10 PS4 title without a doubt. The art style is fantastic. I even give it an edge over Ni No Kuni and Breath of the Wild, which have art styles that are somewhat similar.

    The gameplay is intuitive. Whenever necessary mechanics will be explained as you progress. When you load a save it gives you a briefing about where you are at in the storyline, which as an older gamer with a not-so-perfect memory I friggin' love that they did this. It is classic JRPG structure at its best. Movement is fluid and responsive. For those familiar with JRPGs I will summarize what they have changed that I think are MAJOR bonuses:
    -Being able to customize hardmode difficulties without some blanket configuration that leaves you guessing what they changed.
    -No more random battles. YAY! You can see enemies on the screen and running away from them is extremely easy. The worst part of old school JRPGs was being out of items and MP and praying you get back into town in time before losing hours of progress.
    -Fast travel via spells including dungeons. Ropes were expensive and annoying to manage. Not anymore. 8)
    -Save points have all sorts of services including ailment curing and resurrections (downside: they cost currency)

    The combat is SO good. It has incredible depth and rewards strategy. The one downside is you don't get to truly experience how great it can be without going into hardmode settings, because the base version of the game is a bit too easy to fully flesh this out. The story isn't original by any means and Norse mythology is getting played out very quickly, but the characters are hilarious even if the way they get introduced makes them seem a bit irritating initially. The accents are all over the place and even mismatched with vernacular but I find this gives it a campy feeling that I personally love.

    The game is almost fully voiced except for the mute protagonist, non-storyline characters, and some minor dialogue. The mute protagonist is not unusual for JRPGs but it's an "immersion" technique that has not aged well at all. I really wish RPG developers would stop doing this.

    My primary complaint is the button mapping cannot be changed except for camera movement (ironic since the camera defaults are the only mappings that feel natural). The mapping is easy to get used to but initially counterintuitive by modern standards, and at times utterly baffling. Accessing the map is bound to square instead of the touchpad, and the options button toggles autorun (wtf?). L2 & R2 can skip/progress dialogue which is a real pain for anyone who puts the controller down. It's EXTREMELY sensitive too. The most minimal contact with L2/R2 can skip an entire screen's worth of dialogue.

    I know JRPGs are more popular with older gamers, especially those of us who grew up on the SNES and PS1/2. That said, many of the traditional JRPG elements might not bode well with younger gamers. The repetitive MIDI music, the grinding (necessary for harder modes, not necessary at all for the base gameplay), the "princess is in another castle" plot device, the intentionally cheesy dialogue. Many of us love this stuff though because it's familiar. It will be divisive but these aspects being present are not objectively negative.    … Full Review »
  3. dr0nzer
    Sep 22, 2018
    7
    clocked 65 hrs on the game and I'm not sure if this lives up to the hype, it is a very traditional jrpg, turn based combat, but feels very..clocked 65 hrs on the game and I'm not sure if this lives up to the hype, it is a very traditional jrpg, turn based combat, but feels very.. unrefined.. almost like ps1 era gameplay on the ps4, story and pacing is pretty slow, combat also falls into this category and at times i found it uninteresting... the voice acting is pretty good (if UK accents is your thing) I didn't find it cheap at all and enjoyed it, this is what really kept me coming back to the game., progression is zoned off, not open world as i expected but thats okay, combat is not random and can be avoided.. makes exploring easy and you can choose when to battle.
    The worse part I found about the game is the music... mainly the high pitched tones straight to low pitch that cycle when you're travelling the world, I found it very annoying and had to turn the music volume to 1!
    The way they implemented the post game (or newgame+?) is smart and interesting.
    overall it's a decent title.    … Full Review »
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