Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

 PlayStation 4
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
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  1. BuyThisSheet
    Sep 5, 2018
    10
    This is one of the best JRPG's of the year, adding to the PS4's great library of JRPG's.
  2. M4nU
    Sep 4, 2018
    10
    It has been a long long time since we met...but hopefully you're finally here again. This is simply the real JRPG game for real RPG gamers! There is no way round it: You just love it or hate it...on my opinion this is a piece of classic game history and it is wonderful!
  3. Evaz
    Sep 9, 2018
    10
    A gem amongst a sea of stones.
    Never did i know,a game could feel like home.
    Ive been searching for a game to truly captivate me like this one has. Ive put countless hours into countless titles, games that have been given high praise yet not once did i find my heart put into these games until now.dragon quest does something a tad bit different from the rest. Theres so much heart and    A gem amongst a sea of stones.
    Never did i know,a game could feel like home.
    Ive been searching for a game to truly captivate me like this one has. Ive put countless hours into countless titles, games that have been given high praise yet not once did i find my heart put into these games until now.dragon quest does something a tad bit different from the rest. Theres so much heart and innocence put into it and examples of this shine with every step taken in this beautiful world.there are games that are made to sell,and there are very few games where the creators ideas and real world beliefs are put into its creation,this is one of those very few examples where the body of work is made to express the very creators being in hopes to shine a light within the players dimmed soul. Play this game with an open mind and heart, take the journey slow and steady and i promise youll enjoy every step of the way    … Expand
  4. Bailiff_Gamer
    Sep 5, 2018
    10
    Great JRPG with turn based combat that reminds me of the gold old time rpgs. The art and graphics are really good and the vintage sound effects are nice and respect the fans of the franchise.
  5. Zilve
    Sep 4, 2018
    10
    Finally a true jrpg that reminds me of the golden age of rpg's (1990 ish, ps1/ps2 era)

    After many years of mostly terrible games that all felt short on either story, gameplay, or mechanics i am glad to be playing dragon quest XI. The game looks amazing, next to also having a great story, and amazing cutscenes. As a big fan of these old school rpg's ( ff 4-10, grandia, legend of    Finally a true jrpg that reminds me of the golden age of rpg's (1990 ish, ps1/ps2 era)

    After many years of mostly terrible games that all felt short on either story, gameplay, or mechanics i am glad to be playing dragon quest XI.
    The game looks amazing, next to also having a great story, and amazing cutscenes.

    As a big fan of these old school rpg's ( ff 4-10, grandia, legend of legaia, legend of dragoons etc) i am very glad to see that the concept of these games has not been forgotten yet.    … Expand
  6. jas2336
    Sep 4, 2018
    10
    Dragon Warrior on the NES was the game that made me fall in love with RPG's so i bought this game thinking it would be worth it based on nostalgia alone and it is. On top of that the look of the game, the turn based combat, the level up and skill system and the story are fantastic. 5 hours in and I'm hooked, I can't wait to get out of work so i can fire up my PS4. 10/10
  7. Killer_Cort
    Sep 8, 2018
    10
    I really have to give this game a perfect score. It's absolutely gorgeous, has great voice acting, and is paced perfectly. I really love the art style of kind of cell shaded mixed with conventional textures. It really looks phenomenal blended together. I personally think this is the best looking JRPG made in a long time.

    I'm so sick of RPGs branching out too much before you even get    I really have to give this game a perfect score. It's absolutely gorgeous, has great voice acting, and is paced perfectly. I really love the art style of kind of cell shaded mixed with conventional textures. It really looks phenomenal blended together. I personally think this is the best looking JRPG made in a long time.

    I'm so sick of RPGs branching out too much before you even get started, but this game does a great job at keeping you focused while still giving you a lot of meat to chew on. The turn based combat is quick when it needs to be and complex enough for boss battles.

    If there are any faults to Dragon Quest XI, they are greatly outweighed by its charms to the point of being forgivable.    … Expand
  8. yitus
    Sep 17, 2018
    10
    A masterpiece of video games. It made me feel something special again that I had not felt with a video game for years.
    Dragon Quest XI is at the height of the VIII, reaching to exceed it in certain points, it has certainly become one of my favorite games and for sure it is a game that will mark a before and after in the RPG and in the Dragon Quest Saga.
    Excellent music, exceptional story    A masterpiece of video games. It made me feel something special again that I had not felt with a video game for years.
    Dragon Quest XI is at the height of the VIII, reaching to exceed it in certain points, it has certainly become one of my favorite games and for sure it is a game that will mark a before and after in the RPG and in the Dragon Quest Saga.
    Excellent music, exceptional story plot, sublime graphics.
    Honestly I can not speak badly about this game in anything. A perfect game for my liking.    … Expand
  9. LustLain
    Sep 8, 2018
    10
    Let me preface this review by saying: Do not let the large amount of negative user scores dissuade you from giving this game a shot. I understand that users can't always be bothered to justify their score with a written review, but I did the math and found that approximately 1 review per 10 negative ratings is about what you should normally expect on average. Yet here we are with 45Let me preface this review by saying: Do not let the large amount of negative user scores dissuade you from giving this game a shot. I understand that users can't always be bothered to justify their score with a written review, but I did the math and found that approximately 1 review per 10 negative ratings is about what you should normally expect on average. Yet here we are with 45 negative scores and not even a single review to back it up... not even a half-baked one. Something's clearly fishy here, and if I had to wager a guess, it's probably the work of people who are fanboys of a certain other IP that also recently got a prominent game release. The type of person who would make a huge fuss about minor graphical "downgrades" and "low" high-80s review scores would probably also be liable to get jealous/angry when a very different game reviews comparably to their darling.

    Enough about that though, the game is absolutely fantastic. If you've ever been even remotely curious to give Dragon Quest (or JRPGs in general) a try, this game is an excellent place to finally dive in. It's absolutely gorgeous, has the robust turn-based gameplay that the series is known for, is overflowing with charm at every turn, has a colorful cast of lovable characters starring in a satisfying traditional story told with a refreshing amount of skill and cleverness, has a top-notch localization featuring mostly excellent voice acting, and is just overall an extremely joyful, cozy game to spend dozens of hours with. Some people say it's old school to a fault, but I couldn't disagree more. Its way of doing things are different than other major JRPG releases of the decade, such as Persona 5, but it's no less valid. It's absolutely not just tradition for tradition's sake.

    My single biggest criticism would have to be the soundtrack. I personally enjoy it, but in this instance, nostalgia is definitely helping prop it up. It's playful and fun, but fairly repetitive... and the fact it's MIDI is undoubtedly a disappointment. The obnoxiously heavy-handed copyright enforcement is also a bummer. That said, I do think some people are overblowing the music issue a bit... it's not ear-bleedingly bad. The default audio balance has the music too loud relative to sounds and voices though, which might be why some people are finding it so grating. I think turning music volume down to 6 is the sweet spot.

    To sum up: Fantastic game... One of the best JRPGs of the last decade, if not all time. Give it a chance.    … Expand
  10. Serenityinaz12
    Sep 4, 2018
    10
    Absolutely amazing - after a decade of the gaming media trying to force action battles down our throats telling everyone no one likes turn based anymore, here we have a game that tops all of them.
  11. 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 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    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 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.    … Expand
  12. DrFriendless
    Mar 2, 2019
    7
    Goodness me, what a long game! It just keeps going and going and going.

    By the end, I was quite sick of it. I turned the music off after about a hundred hours because it was annoying me and everyone else in the house. I would like to say that the story was gripping, but it became less so as the weeks wore on. In the end I was just glad it was over. I almost liked the turn-based    Goodness me, what a long game! It just keeps going and going and going.

    By the end, I was quite sick of it. I turned the music off after about a hundred hours because it was annoying me and everyone else in the house. I would like to say that the story was gripping, but it became less so as the weeks wore on. In the end I was just glad it was over.

    I almost liked the turn-based combat - it was a change from button-mashing - but Child of Light did a far superior job. The graphics in DQXI were magnificent, but so much of the animation was just cut scenes, and cut scenes can look as pretty as the designer chooses.

    I finished the game due to sheer stubbornness, but I may avoid coming back for more. The music wore me down, so many features of the game were underdone (e.g. the Forge), and so much of the play felt like downtime. Pretty good, but not great.    … Expand
  13. HotCheeto
    Jul 10, 2019
    6
    I love RPG’s like Persona and Final Fantasy, bur this game isn’t quite up there with those. It’s fine, but that’s it, just fine. It’s annoying that it’s the same battle song throughout the game and your “limit” moves are whatever. I’d only get this game if you are all about RPG games and looking for something new.
  14. AsaZimbabwe
    Apr 24, 2019
    5
    No disrespect for the nostalgic DQ, and fans of traditional JRPGs. But in 2019 this game is hard to enjoy. It is about as linear as an RPG can get while still qualifying as an RPG. With cumbersome menus that fight you every step of the way for basic tasks; painful inventory management; archaic systems that do not hold up well; seemingly endless, childish cut scenes that cannot be skippedNo disrespect for the nostalgic DQ, and fans of traditional JRPGs. But in 2019 this game is hard to enjoy. It is about as linear as an RPG can get while still qualifying as an RPG. With cumbersome menus that fight you every step of the way for basic tasks; painful inventory management; archaic systems that do not hold up well; seemingly endless, childish cut scenes that cannot be skipped (the first time around); 'random' battles that can be easily avoided, but which are actually necessary grinding to level up for generic level-gated story progression; battles which you generally don't actually have much control over; tricky-to-access settings which include auto-move the camera or not, which doesn't seem to really work, and either way has no real impact; an awkward jump button, but you can't actually jump over anything including myriad invisible fences in the world, except for ridiculously obvious crates stacked next to a roof, which you can jump on to find a treasure chest for 5 gold???; or in the stealth missions where you are lead to believe you should walk around the boxes, but actually you have to jump them, surprise! it does include a run button, but which is oddly too fast and clumsy for its own good; half your inventory can't be sold; supposedly great voice acting which is often quite annoying (in the first half hour pseudo British accents are all over the place, some words are mispronounced, punctuation seems misplaced); the art style is occasionally gorgeous but often awkward and dated; "stealth" missions where your NPC teammate actually misleads you when he shows you how to accomplish it, if you follow his lead you'll be instantly caught (is that intentional or a mistake? either way, not fun); loads of backtracking... It's even missing many features that earlier DQ games had on more primitive consoles; the map is virtually useless, as is the HUD mini-map, since practically nothing is labelled on either, including quest markers, and you can't zoom in enough to see good detail even on huge 4k tvs.... I just don't get all the rave reviews, even considering nostalgia. The original 8-bit Final Fantasy 1 on any platform is more intuitive, customizable, and fun to play that this on many levels; the same could be said for many earlier iterations of Dragon Quest too. I'm not opposed to fan service, and throwback games by any means, but this is really baffling, the rave reviews? the game is quite simply boring and annoying.… Expand
  15. Spazilton
    Jul 27, 2019
    10
    Almost perfect in every way. The best Dragon Quest game to date. Every bit the masterpiece 8 was and more. If Turn Based RPGs are your thing, this is the game to get. Absolutely classic JRPG, and one of the top 5 games for the PS4, and the best Dragon Quest to date.
  16. Trix122
    Sep 9, 2018
    10
    Best J-rpg of the last 10 years together with Persona 5, old school full of charisma, amazing fantasy world, depth, challenging if you play hard mode, insane graphics and scenario, great story write and plot, lovely music, every city has it's own way of speaking ,personality and accent simulating different places of the world... could continue all day.

    For me its goty by far.
  17. ElektroDragon
    Sep 24, 2018
    10
    I have been waiting 14 years for another single player console Dragon Quest game! I am not in the least disappointed, this game is EVERYTHING I was hoping it would be and more. Infinitely more playable and more fun than FFXV. Please fellow gamers, buy this masterpiece so Squeenix localizes future installments! They say that if it does not sell well the localization is in jeopardy.I have been waiting 14 years for another single player console Dragon Quest game! I am not in the least disappointed, this game is EVERYTHING I was hoping it would be and more. Infinitely more playable and more fun than FFXV. Please fellow gamers, buy this masterpiece so Squeenix localizes future installments! They say that if it does not sell well the localization is in jeopardy. Although if they are concerned about sales I am not sure why they'd make it a PlayStation exclusive, but regardless, this is a MUST PLAY game!… Expand
  18. ulukinatme
    Sep 25, 2018
    10
    I came into this game a little hesitant. I grew up playing many of the old Dragon Quest games, but I always preferred Final Fantasy. I have to say the Final Fantasy franchise has left me disappointed in recent years, but Dragon Quest VIII was a pleasure to play and now 100+ hours into Dragon Quest XI I can say the same for this game. I was pleasantly surprised at the bits of nostalgiaI came into this game a little hesitant. I grew up playing many of the old Dragon Quest games, but I always preferred Final Fantasy. I have to say the Final Fantasy franchise has left me disappointed in recent years, but Dragon Quest VIII was a pleasure to play and now 100+ hours into Dragon Quest XI I can say the same for this game. I was pleasantly surprised at the bits of nostalgia that are sprinkled into this game, but not too much so that it becomes a negative thing. The story really gets good as you play through the game. The characters are great. I was not particularly entertained by some characters at first, but the game completely changed my mind later as their stories developed. I can't remember the last time a game was able to do that. The combat is nothing really new for a Dragon Quest game, but the simplicity is part of that nostalgia and for me it was just fine as it was. The character designs and visuals were superb, and the music was enjoyable as well. I plan on continuing to play this game well past the 100 hours as there are still things I have yet to discover.… Expand
  19. superpyro296
    Nov 5, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is certainly way better than the average. Basically, this is a traditional JRPG made in 2018 by Square Enix. On almost all aspects, this game shines. We quickly see, as we start the game, that this is a high quality polished product. The story is good, the graphics are great and we have a game that will last around 100 hours (I spent 90 hours on my playthrough)

    I give 8,5/10 for this game. I don't have a lot of experience for JRPG in this category but last year, i have played Persona 5. I think those games are really different and I would definitely recommend both. Dragon Quest XI seems more targeted for a younger audience though...

    My only little complaint for this game was the difficulty level. I started with the draconian settings on (Stronger monsters) and I've been able to battle until the Octopus boss on this harder difficulty. For me, that was just too hard. Then, I turned down the diffuculty level to normal and the game became way too easy...After a couple of bosses, the normal difficulty became more balanced and I could benefit from some challenge.

    In term of story, it is generally good despite a slow start and a few holes in the middle. I think the different characters are well developed.

    I recommend this game especially for those who want to try JRPG's and see if it is for them. Don't expect anything really innovative but you will get a strong turn-based JRPG.    … Expand
  20. w0odyallen
    Oct 8, 2018
    10
    My first dragon quest experience and one that had turned me into a lifelong fan. Easily the best JRPG I've played. In my opinion this is better than any final fantasy.
  21. BryanModerate
    Jan 3, 2019
    10
    As a classic RPG gamer I found DQ11 refreshing. Brought me back to days of Ultima on C64, Original Dragon Warrior on NES and Phantasy Star on Genisis.
  22. gqmasters3
    Jun 5, 2019
    7
    I have beaten every single DQ game released in America i.e DQ 1-9 (and yes DQ1-4 as "Dragon Warrior" on the original NES) and I'd say this game is "solid". It, unfortunately, is mind-numbingly easy, but still fun. I would say DQ7 & DQ8 are superior titles, but that doesn't mean this one is bad.
    My biggest knock on this game is that it is, in essence, the series follow up to DQ8 (as DQ9    I have beaten every single DQ game released in America i.e DQ 1-9 (and yes DQ1-4 as "Dragon Warrior" on the original NES) and I'd say this game is "solid". It, unfortunately, is mind-numbingly easy, but still fun. I would say DQ7 & DQ8 are superior titles, but that doesn't mean this one is bad.
    My biggest knock on this game is that it is, in essence, the series follow up to DQ8 (as DQ9 was a totally different type of game) and it adds almost nothing new from its predecessor; yes there's an ability tree, but thats pretty much the same deal as the weapon proficiencies in DQ8 and after 10+ years I would have liked to have seen a lot more.    … Expand
  23. Jmart8
    Sep 7, 2020
    8
    Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the game. It introduced my to the franchise and I was surprised by how much good quality content it has, will be a fan for all next releases.

    Now the low score is because of 2 things; combat system can be improved and Im nore of a action RPG kind of guy AND MAINLY because of the totally broken casino system which doesnt work and it requores you to    Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the game. It introduced my to the franchise and I was surprised by how much good quality content it has, will be a fan for all next releases.

    Now the low score is because of 2 things; combat system can be improved and Im nore of a action RPG kind of guy AND MAINLY because of the totally broken casino system which doesnt work and it requores you to deal with it to complete centain secondary missions (not even cheating exploits helped the 6+ horrible hours I had to struggle with that)    … Expand
  24. JGar453
    Sep 10, 2020
    8
    It harkens back to 80s JRPGs and the combat should be familiar but it never really feels like it's holding it back, if anything this is the boldest Dragon Quest game ever. The graphics are very good for its cartoony aesthetic and you'll be drawn into it not for the thrill of battle but for the cute monsters with dumb pun names. The music is okay, it gets repetitive. The combat is easy toIt harkens back to 80s JRPGs and the combat should be familiar but it never really feels like it's holding it back, if anything this is the boldest Dragon Quest game ever. The graphics are very good for its cartoony aesthetic and you'll be drawn into it not for the thrill of battle but for the cute monsters with dumb pun names. The music is okay, it gets repetitive. The combat is easy to understand. On normal mode as long as you face any enemies that look unique to you, you'll be fine, there are no random encounters. I love the versatility of equipment swapping and character swapping in battle. Every character fills just the right niche and you'll use all of them of your own volition probably. It's a bit buff and debuff heavy once you start to understand the game, with dedicated support characters. It doesn't punish being experimental with its skill tree as you can easily reallocate skill points. I guess my biggest criticism of the combat is the turn order being completely random with a dash of it being influenced by the agility stat. The generic set up of the story can be a turn off but you get in a episodic groove once the story really takes off. And then it goes really full gear in what I consider the 2nd act. The character development in that part of the game is great and it really shows how hard the developers tried to make every detail matter. The post-game has a storyline which is interesting lore wise but honestly I do take issue with some of the basic premise of it. But it does offer some more difficult combat trials. I think the main party of characters is great, I initially had negative perceptions of some of them but they all reveal themselves to be far more wholesome and troubled people than you initially believed. How I felt about characters such as Erik and Veronica drastically changed, I honestly thought Veronica was awful at first. It's a light-hearted affair but there are a couple moments that get a tad depressing in the game. One thing I thought was really cool about the North American version was some of the liberties they took with town dialogue. Every city featured some type of caricature like Spain, Italy, Hawaii, etc. but it's all very cute, the VAs are accented and have much more elaborate lines than the JP VAs, and there's this village where everyone speaks in haiku and then sometimes the kids break haiku for effect before stopping themselves. This is the kind of thing that happens when a localization team actually loves the product they're translating.

    It's easy to make a big massive JRPG map and just have it be point A to point B but Dragon Quest doesn't half ass any areas of the map. It has small but noteable flaws but I remember it as an endearing experience and that's what matters.    … Expand
  25. FaithMonax
    Jan 8, 2019
    4
    I'm an old JRPG fan.
    I loved all the old FF, Suikoden, and I also love some modern RPGs, such as Skyrim, and Mass Effect.
    I thought I'd love DQ11. It got a lot of love from critics and users alike. But 10 hours in, I'd have enough. Here is an overview of why: Pros: -Colorful -Interesting enough forge mechanics -There are skill trees (albeit very simple ones) Cons:    I'm an old JRPG fan.
    I loved all the old FF, Suikoden, and I also love some modern RPGs, such as Skyrim, and Mass Effect.
    I thought I'd love DQ11. It got a lot of love from critics and users alike.
    But 10 hours in, I'd have enough. Here is an overview of why:

    Pros:

    -Colorful

    -Interesting enough forge mechanics

    -There are skill trees (albeit very simple ones)

    Cons:

    -User-friendliness: it seems every time you try to do something in DQ11, you need to acknowledge 13 times. Would you like to rest? Are you SURE? Do you confirm that you are SURE? Another example: why in the WORLD does a game still give characters separate bags? You need to have items equipped on different characters, and it's mostly manual. It seems half the game is navigating menus to TRY to do what you want to do.

    -Difficulty: very easy without draconian settings... with "monsters are very strong", you can get wiped out by chance without getting a turn when monsters get first strike (if you don't grind like your life depends on it.. because it does!)

    -Exploration: the world feels... empty and flat. It doesn't feel lived in, and doesn't feel like is has much of a personally. Apart from running around getting treasure chests that seem way out of place (why are they chilling in the middle of the plains in plain view??)

    -Character and monster design looks terrible (ymmv)

    All in all, I hadn't played Dragon Quest since the first one on NES, and I thought it might be time to revisit this serie. I was wrong. If you ARE a fan of the series, perhaps there is something for you there. If not, stay away, there are better JRPGs out there that deserve your time before this one.    … Expand
  26. pixelpassion
    Sep 4, 2018
    10
    This is a modern classic it's a old friend returned a comfort a familiarity that's lasted like no other in gaming.....it's Dragon Quest at it's finest ♥️
  27. jugadorhardcore
    Sep 6, 2018
    10
    finally a Dragon Quest! great game. a masterpiece! this genre is difficult to come by
  28. RogueCloud145
    Sep 5, 2018
    10
    Dragon Quest XI is a throwback to the golden era of JRPG. The modern day graphics, beautiful art style, amazing soundtrack and detail are everything that long-term fans (such as myself) were waiting for. The story is simple, straightforward and captivating. The characters are remarkable and charismatic. The battle system is fast, smooth and fun. The progression, pace and personal reward isDragon Quest XI is a throwback to the golden era of JRPG. The modern day graphics, beautiful art style, amazing soundtrack and detail are everything that long-term fans (such as myself) were waiting for. The story is simple, straightforward and captivating. The characters are remarkable and charismatic. The battle system is fast, smooth and fun. The progression, pace and personal reward is well balanced. I recognize it is not a game for everyone. I would not recommend to people who love action-packed games. Dragon Quest is a rather contemplative series. My final score is 10 (masterpiece)! And game of the year for me!… Expand
  29. Risax
    Sep 19, 2018
    10
    I am going to start this review off by saying I might be a bit biased, considering how I really enjoy the Dragon Quest games.

    Dragon Quest XI starts off like most Dragon Quest games. You are a village boy of sixteen years old who goes to meet the king and eventually you have to fight a demonic overlord. It does throw some curve balls, of course. But the big storypoints mostly stay the    I am going to start this review off by saying I might be a bit biased, considering how I really enjoy the Dragon Quest games.

    Dragon Quest XI starts off like most Dragon Quest games. You are a village boy of sixteen years old who goes to meet the king and eventually you have to fight a demonic overlord. It does throw some curve balls, of course. But the big storypoints mostly stay the same.

    Now, first of all, the game looks beautiful. It's so colourful and the music is fantastic. Again the character designs are done by Akira Toriyama and your protagonist resembles Android 17 quite a bit. Combat is much unchanged. You can walk around, but your position on the field doesn't really seem to matter.

    Overall, the game always kept me entertained and it never felt like a chore playing. Well, almost never. There is some content after the main game that requirers you to go through some Trials that puts you through areas you've already visited. It mainly seems to be used as a fun way to grind to defeat the True Final Boss and it gives you the chance to get better equipment and recipes, so I didn't mind it THAT much. Another thing I disliked was the voice acting, but you can turn that off if you prefer.

    In any case, I'd recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of JRPGs. You need no knowledge of the other Dragon Quest games.    … Expand
  30. Arcanm
    Sep 4, 2018
    10
    It´s a great game, the best dragon quest ever, amazing soundtrack, im a nintendo fan.
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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

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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
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 11, 2019
    85
    Might not be the greatest game of all time, but it probably is the best game in the most quality maintaining JRPG series of all time. Is that even better? Could be! Do not miss this gorgeous yet pretty nostalgic game set in a well known universe of the Dragon Quest franchise.
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  2. CD-Action
    Jan 9, 2019
    85
    Dragon Quest XI clings to tradition, but when you buy a DQ game, you don’t expect a revolution. You expect vibrant characters and thrilling adventures and that’s exactly what you get, amplified by the level of execution unparalleled not only in the series, but in the whole genre. [11/2018, p.66]
  3. GameGrin
    Jan 2, 2019
    100
    Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age is a perfect game, it sticks to with traditional JRPG roots while still bringing in a few new mechanics to freshen it up a bit.
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