Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 165 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 122 out of 165
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 165
  3. Negative: 20 out of 165
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  1. SplitMind
    Jan 3, 2021
    6
    I don’t know how this game has received such stellar reviews. I can only presume that reviewers are either biased due to nostalgia or have only played the earliest hours for the best impression.

    The graphics in this game can be a mixed bag. Many of the backgrounds and environments are very colourful and vibrant, although nothing really pushes the PS4 to the limit. The game suffers from    I don’t know how this game has received such stellar reviews. I can only presume that reviewers are either biased due to nostalgia or have only played the earliest hours for the best impression.

    The graphics in this game can be a mixed bag. Many of the backgrounds and environments are very colourful and vibrant, although nothing really pushes the PS4 to the limit. The game suffers from a bit of blandness, as enemy sprites become very repetitive and you can see swapping of colour palettes. The game could have benefitted massively from more customisation, including seeing the armour you equip cosmetically change the character’s appearance. Speaking of which, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more bland protagonist devoid of character and personality, making him quite unrelatable.

    Dragon Quest 11 also dropped the ball a lot more when it comes to story. It falls on the old cliché of the chosen one who sets out to save the world and bands together a pack of misfits whose narratives become intertwined with predictable tropes such as ‘she’s actually your long-lost cousin’ etc. There are two problems here. Firstly, the story is incredibly generic, much like the game in general. Secondly, the story and game are simply far too bloody long. Coming up to 30 hours I didn’t even seem to be at the midpoint of the game and found it hard to justify going any further as the game had been quite generic thus far. Being a long game isn't a problem when it's compelling, but Dragon Quest would have held my interest knowing I had a shorter time left.

    One thing of note is the severe banality of the side-quests. Most resort to tired mechanics such as delivering or fetching, which is quite sad to see in a game released post-2016. If the previous 10 instalments are like this then I’m glad I missed them.

    The gameplay is potentially the best aspect of Dragon Quest, however this brings with it some questionable design choices. I loved the choices for combat to proceed automatically, however this also highlights the heavy grinding necessary. There is a mechanic where you can gallop into weaker enemies on your horse, defeating them immediately. This would have been better served by accumulating experience points for this to save on grinding.

    The game unfortunately repeats the same basic cycles found in JRPGs of old; go to a place, get sucked into a mini-story, conclude it, forget it and move on. Each town is hard to distinguish from the last. Despite boasting a wide open map, the game is essentially a series of small sandboxes and the sailing aspect is as irritating as it is liberating.

    The skill tree is an interesting concept but the execution is limited, gating off too many skills behind obsolete skills. Contemporaneously this is also a rather basic skill tree, superseded by games like FF12, which was released in 2006. Throughout the game, this theme of being outdated becomes more prominent.

    What is quite bewildering about this game is that there are at least ten games that came before it, yet Dragon Quest 11 feels more like the first JRPG a company makes. Everything is basic, generic and cliched. We have the Yakuza series, Zelda, Nier Automata and Trails of Cold Steel that have all shown evolution into modern expeditions, while Dragon Quest 11 feels like I’m playing a remaster of an old game or a trip down memory lane. It is a difficult game to recommend amongst the aforementioned company.    … Expand
  2. Silurien
    Jan 5, 2021
    6
    It's all matter of opinion and taste.

    I think the story between caracther is'nt intriguing enought for me (i dont mean "it's suck, " sometime good sentence with some good line and joke ) and the whole storyline is not really taking you out your comfort zone, since it is'nt complicated you will figure out the whole story before your end it. The main caracthere is'nt as deep enought to    It's all matter of opinion and taste.

    I think the story between caracther is'nt intriguing enought for me (i dont mean "it's suck, " sometime good sentence with some good line and joke ) and the whole storyline is not really taking you out your comfort zone, since it is'nt complicated you will figure out the whole story before your end it. The main caracthere is'nt as deep enought to make yourself reflect in him enought to have the envy to go on playing him.

    And I would say some caracthere have a non really interesting skill tree, so your not like looking foward for new skill except the main one and a few around it.

    Graphically the game shine, in it's own style. Which i've enjoy.

    I would gave a solid 6.5/10 good not enought to keep me on.    … Expand
  3. Ihadtomajeanacc
    Dec 8, 2020
    6
    It's a simple game it doesn't take any risk and that's why I don't like it it's too simple and basic for my liking but I guess I could see why someone would like it
  4. Cloudy83
    Dec 20, 2020
    7
    Juego muy sobrevalorado, personajes sin carisma, historia buena sin más, música muy buena, pero los combates son tediosos y aburridos a más no poder y los menús son poco intuitivos.
  5. Davi2
    Dec 7, 2020
    7
    It's a pretty good game, very funny! I love it!, but is just that for that all
  6. SuperPanda91
    Sep 16, 2021
    7
    JRPG normalito, la mayoría de los personajes son bastantes carismáticos, la historia es lo de siempre. Mundo vacío y repetitivo. Las misiones secundarias en 2D están curiosas un rato hasta que te cansas
  7. DinoBeam
    Mar 27, 2022
    5
    WARNING! This game is too easy, and the only other option is Very Hard mode, and you can't change difficulty after starting. This is a huge core flaw that really sucks, and is hard to understand the existence of. I don't know why this isn't talked about more, though it is talked about. I'm half way through the game and am enjoying most of the rest of it, but it's a nice looking andWARNING! This game is too easy, and the only other option is Very Hard mode, and you can't change difficulty after starting. This is a huge core flaw that really sucks, and is hard to understand the existence of. I don't know why this isn't talked about more, though it is talked about. I'm half way through the game and am enjoying most of the rest of it, but it's a nice looking and sounding car with a broken engine, be warned.… Expand
  8. ARON-
    Sep 5, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Achei o jogo legal até o momento do último chefe, Calasmos, que estragou o jogo. O chefe é desbalanceado demais, cheguei nele com umas 70 horas de game e level 50. Calasmos me derrotava praticamente com um hit, mesmo usando a sword of light para deixar ele mais fraco. Quando vi que ia precisar gastar um tempo desproporcional só para subir de nível, desisti e deletei o jogo.… Expand
  9. GuiBio
    Dec 29, 2022
    7
    Very good game, a bit repetitive and not such a exploration to make. All the 2d/3d thing is a little confuse and could make the game really easy with the double rewards.

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS4 Game of 2020
76
#76 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. RPGamer
    Mar 3, 2021
    80
    Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the perfect starting point for those who are new to the series. Many small quality-of-life changes help streamline the experience for players, additional content and costumes create more flavor to the story, and the addition of the orchestral soundtrack bolsters the experience. It’s a shame that the Switch port wasn’t re-rendered to give S the same graphic prowess as the original game, but even with its noticeable downgrades, Dragon Quest XI S is well worth the time.
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  2. Games.cz
    Feb 19, 2021
    80
    This is a very solid JRPG with a fun story and a decidedly unfun protagonist. But his companions are great! You’ll be further pleased by this game’s tough boss fights, further annoyed by its repetitive music.
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  3. Cubed3
    Jan 20, 2021
    80
    Dragon Quest XI remains one of the best entries in the series, and thanks to this Definitive Edition - which boasts all the new content originally included in the Switch port - it manages to feel more polished, more streamlined and more enjoyable. The fact that this is an incredible experience is only marginally diminished by some controversial graphics alterations and a less than savoury removal of previous versions from virtual storefronts in favour of this edition. Still, the content that is on offer here is superior to the original version of the game and more than justifies a re-entry into this endearing, fantastical tale.
    Read full review
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