I adore the Dragon Quest series but didn't like DQXI at all. Am I broken?

[ScOULaris]

I got into the Dragon Quest series many years ago via the ArtePiazza remakes of Dragon Quest 4-6 on the DS, and they served as my gateway drug into handheld JRPG's. I would later play DQ9 on DS and Dragon Quest VIII on PS2, both of which I count among my favorite RPG's ever. Overall, I've always loved the distinctive trappings of the Dragon Quest series and how each game has this familiar, cozy JRPG feeling.

DQXI certainly looks the part, but actually playing it left me cold.

I was very much looking forward to DQXI's release and got it on Day 1, but I found myself just not enjoying it at all. In the end, I think I bounced off of it after seven or so hours and never returned. Keep in mind this was the vanilla release on PS4, and it was definitely hampered by the ear-gouging MIDI soundtrack among other things that have been partially rectified in subsequent re-releases, but my beefs with the game went way deeper than that.

As a mega-fan of DQ8, I thought for sure that I'd love DQXI just as much.

For the first time ever, the "classic JRPG" hallmarks of DQ just didn't work for me in DQXI. The silent protag, the fun/goofy monster designs, the re-use of DQ mainstay musical tracks throughout, the old-school dungeon designs, and the simple turn-based battle system all just felt tiresome and boring to me when I started my playthrough. Even if I don't hone in on specific design decisions that bothered me, I just felt bored and detached the entire time for some unknown reason, and honestly part of the impetus for this thread is wanting figure out whether my tastes have just changed or DQXI actually is distinct from its predecessors in this way.

I see mostly praise for DQXI around here, so I kind of feel like maybe the game caught me at a bad time back in 2018. I've considered double-dipping on the Switch version, as I tend to enjoy JRPG's more when I have the option of handheld play, but my distaste with the vanilla release has kept me from risking wasting money on another purchase.

To anyone who maybe felt similarly about DQXI, what do you think the differentiating factors were?

 

[julia crawford]

I'm sorry, but the italics are too much for me, they are too much.

Image captions!! In a forum post. This is beyond me.

 

[Fularu]

You should try the classic 2D mode

It really gives the game a new perspective even if the story is the same

 

[Deleted member 2834]

To anyone who maybe felt similarly about DQXI, what do you think the differentiating factors were?

Click to shrink...

I dunno what separates it from the other DQ games (I'm not much of a DQ veteran) but the soundtrack killed it for me. I absolutely couldn't stand it 65h in.

 

[HockeyBird]

I have no major prior experience with the previous DQ games. I played some of 4 and 8 but didn't get too far. I did get about 40 hours into DQ11 on PS4 and 20 hours into DQ11S on Switch so far. I will say that the Definitive Edition did significantly increase my enjoyment of it. The orchestral music helps. But the big improvements was the ability to increase the battle speed. It helped keep the game from dragging and it was much faster paced experience.

 

[OrakioRob]

I only played DQ I and IX. Really enjoyed them, but found XI to be very boring.

I think the...

I dunno what separates it from the other DQ games (I'm not much of a DQ veteran) but the soundtrack killed it for me. I absolutely couldn't stand it 65h in.

Click to shrink...

... awful soundtrack might be at least partially responsible for that.

 

[NediarPT88]

That's definitely weird considering you loved VIII, but I guess your tastes changed as you got older.

I used to enjoy Disgaea a lot when I was younger but now I can't stand them 🤷‍♂️

 

[Salarians]

viii is the only other one I've played and I loved it

xi was just dull to me, nothing about it (narrative, combat) kept me interested
monsters looked cool at least

 

[Lord Vatek]

Nah that's not weird at all.

I liked XI but it was also where I realized that stuff like silent protagonists just won't cut it anymore.

 

[Mickagau]

Maybe you just became tired of the DQ formula because it was very much a DQ game to me. I just thought it was a bit more story heavy with more focus on your party compared to some entries but not that much.

 

[werezompire]

7 hours? That's what, the demo?

For what it's worth, I feel like DQ11 doesn't really get going until you have a 4-person party which is around the 5-10 hour mark.

Personally, I loved that DQ11 finally gave some options for people who like hard JRPGs (like Dragon Quest used to be). After cranking up the difficulty, it became my favorite game in the series to date.

 

[TheDanimal]

I felt the same way about DQXI, and I had never played a DQ game before. "Dull" is a pretty apt description in my mind. (and I even finished the game too!)

 

[ScOULaris]

7 hours? That's what, the demo?

For what it's worth, I feel like DQ11 doesn't really get going until you have a 4-person party which is around the 5-10 hour mark.

Personally, I loved that DQ11 finally gave some options for people who like hard JRPGs (like Dragon Quest used to be). After cranking up the difficulty, it became my favorite game in the series to date.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. It's not like me to quit an RPG that early on, but that just goes to show how little I was enjoying it. I just couldn't take it anymore.

 

[b00_thegh0st]

Did you guys play with some draconian quests turned on? The vanilla gameplay is much too easy not to turn into a bore.

 

[kurahador]

Play the S version and switch to 2D option.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

It's pretty weird to be way into DQ8 but completely fall off of DQ11. The only significant thing is that most of vanilla DQ11 is quite easy.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

DQXI is an extremely well made video game but it's overly familiar. It just feels like something I've already played... many times. Doesn't do enough to establish its own identity in my opinion. Made for an extremely dull experience that I also dropped fairly quickly.

 

[werezompire]

Yeah. It's not like me to quit an RPG that early on, but that just goes to show how little I was enjoying it. I just couldn't take it anymore.

Click to shrink...

The game really picks up soon after you quit - Veronica & Sylvando are two of the best characters in the entire series and they're the 4th & 5th character to join your party respectively.

Pick up the Switch version when you get a chance & play it portably with some draconian mods on. The Switch port is great (shockingly good looking for a Switch game in portable mode) and adds some extra QoL, as well as some fun new content (some mini-scenarios between the Act 1 & 2 break, as well as some bonus quests where you go back to scenes from older Dragon Quests in 2D). For example, you can turn on faster animations for combat which makes combat much more engaging, especially if you turn on some difficulty modifiers.

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

I was excited for it, because I enjoyed the original Dragon Warrior, and later releases like DQVIII and DQIX.

DQXI just left me flat, and dozing off while playing. I traded in my PS4 copy for the PC version, but that didn't help. I just don't feel any engagement when playing. It's extremely tedious and wastes your time with the drawn out battle animations, which probably soak up hours of playtime, alone. The map also could've been handled better. It's just so...boring.

I still have it installed, but haven't had the desire to continue in well over a year.

 

[Yuntu]

Well considering you like DQ8, yeah it's p weird.

But you like what you like.

 

[Efejota]

Maybe you just became tired of the DQ formula because it was very much a DQ game to me. I just thought it was a bit more story heavy with more focus on your party compared to some entries but not that much.

Click to shrink...

I tend not to start any rpgs right after finishing another one because of this.
Back in the day I couldn't finish Pokémon Diamond after playing all the gba games back to back (and having to restart it midway) and it burned me out from the franchise for years.

Then when Alpha Sapphire came out and Sun got announced and gor me itchy to try them again I picked up my diamond cartridge and continued it right from where I left it, and ended up loving it.

Soo yeah, timing seems like a very possible reason. The silent protagonist trope is a bit tiring, though. I could accept it with 7 because the supporting cast (mostly Maribel) treats you like you are a bit dumb, naive and reckless, which could fit my actions since I'm just going everywhere breaking pots, but from what I saw on the DQXIS demo on the Switch everyone treats you more like a noble hero who they can depend on... which feels weird if you can't see the character replying back.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Yeah. It's not like me to quit an RPG that early on, but that just goes to show how little I was enjoying it. I just couldn't take it anymore.

Click to shrink...

I find that my mood can greatly affect how I'm enjoying a game. I can fall off a game and be attracted to another one because it's more fun/interesting but then come back to the first game two years later and have a blast. So maybe you were in the right mood when you played 8 but not when you played 11. It happens.

 

[werezompire]

It's extremely tedious and wastes your time with the drawn out battle animations, which probably soak up hours of playtime, alone. The map also could've been handled better. It's just so...boring.

Click to shrink...

The Switch version (and the version they backported based on that) lets you turn on faster battle animations (or ultra fast animations). It's a real gamechanger and makes the whole game play a lot better.

 

[Spedfrom]

I only have 2 Dragon Quest games.

VIII, which I got many years ago for the PS2 and never finished despite playing about 30 hours or so. I didn't get the game when it was originally released. I got it about 3 years later or so and by that point my tolerance for randomly generated battles was at an absolute zero. So even though I was enjoying the game, mostly because of its silly but funny characters and gorgeous locations, I couldn't finish it. And I don't think I ever will now.

XI I've played maybe about 15 hours and still plan on going back to it as I'm currently using my PS5 for my backlog mainly. I'm liking it enough but would say it's nowhere near as charming as VIII was, despite having the typical DQ tropes. And the soundtrack is indeed atrocious to listen to after a while. I refuse to buy the updated version because that would be promoting a very greedy business tactic. Not to mention the visual downgrade. I would have bought a DLC for the original PS4 version that included the orchestrated soundtrack, but alas Square Enix insists on shameful business practices. Ah well, I'll get back to XI once I'm done with Days Gone, FF7 Remake, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc.

 

[kidnemo]

I'm in a similar boat. I loved 8, 9, and some of the earlier ones and high SUPER high expectations for this one. But for whatever reason it just didn't click for me.

Coming off of xenoblade x and xenoblade 2 I think the super tiny areas, very clear rail roading, and invisible roadblocks were too much for me.

I'd like to come back to it one day, but I was definitely bummed when I popped it outta my switch.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

While Dragon Quest XI is a great game, DQ VIII is just better in almost every regard. It's one of the finest JRPGs ever made and maybe you had a bit too high expectations. The problem with XI is, that there is too much filler and re-use of areas. Especially the second chapter where you are running around alone for a good time dragged on forever. It's also one of these games that is too long for it's own good.

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

I wasn't a big fan of DQ VIII. And it's considered one of the most beloved. I loved DQ XI. I dunno. You're not broken.

 

[Buzzth]

I think you should give it another shot with the new QoL enhancements - make sure you turn on ultra speed and turn off the free camera for instance. The speed change is definitely appreciated and honestly makes a difference alongside the obvious additions like the orchestrated soundtrack.

 

[suxgotav]

You should try the classic 2D mode

It really gives the game a new perspective even if the story is the same

Click to shrink...

Agreed, I tried to play it on 3D and never went past the first few hours, then DQ XI S came on other plataforms and I tried to play it on 2D, much much better. I don't know if it is just me, but the classical JRPG with random and turn based battles don't work in 3D at all.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

The QoL updates are like if you could eat Taco Bell, but now without the diarrhea.

The lack of diarrhea is wonderful, but at the end of the day it's still Taco Bell. Shitty "comfort food"

 

[Bucca]

I'm sorry, but the italics are too much for me, they are too much.

Image captions!! In a forum post. This is beyond me.

Click to shrink...

This is such a dumb post.

@OP: DQXI unfortunately doesn't get going till around the 10 hour mark as some have said already. Couple that with a too easy normal mode and Draconian Mode being ball bustingly hard/requiring tons of grinding it's hard to find total enjoyment out of it. And I say this as someone that really likes it.

 

[Diarrhea Day-Lewis]

It's fair. Some IPs I love have duds be it because of them or changes to me. I'd say still give it a try again In the future because sometimes the time isn't right or you're not wanting to play that type of game at the moment. But it happens!

 

[vhoanox]

Yes.
XI is most the most accessible Dragon Quest yet. I don't miss random battle from VIII and below.

 

[Fifstar]

Dragon Quest VIII is my favorite RPG and top 5 best games of all time and I didn't enjoy DQ XI in the 20 hours I gave it.

Some things I felt are worse

1. Protagonist is less sympathic - I don't know why, but I you like the dude in VIII. Hero from XI is just kinda eh.
2. Main characters are not as good. King Trode and Yangus are among the most charismatic characters in any rpg, with for me perfectly fitting voices. DQ XI are okay, bot nothing special imo.
3. Music - that's a big one. XI has a terrible overworld music , even with the orchestrated version. Also lots of reused music - not bad per se, but if you spent hundreds of hours on VIII it just feels odd to have the same music playing. Of course DQ in general reuses a lot of music, but here the orchestrated versions are really similar (or even the same?).
4. DQ tropes getting reused - DQ has lots of tropes that appear in one way or another in lots of different games of the series. This is getting stale. In DQ VIII it felt fresh because we got to experience for the first time in 3D (yeah, VII is also 3D but it's mainly isometric compared to third person).
5. No perfect version - it sucks knowing that each version you play is compromised - original release had terrible music, switch version (the one I played) has bad image quality and the current versions needlessly have worse graphics than the og release + they are really late - not feeling buying a game i'm lukewarm on for a third time.
6. Unbalanced - when you play DQ VIII casually, you rarely will have to grind and the game feels balanced most of the time. Make good use of items and equipment and you can beat most dungeons on your first try, although lots of time it will be close, which feels very satisfying. XI on the other hand is either baby easy (at least in the first 20 hours) or it becomes a grindfest if you activate the strong enemies.

 

[Grouch Douglass]

It's basically "JRPG nostalgia comfort food" the game. I enjoyed the time I played but gave up before completing it all the way

 

[chairhome]

I really loved DQXI S, but I've been on the DQ Train since Dragon Warrior released on the NES.

The game is pretty slow to start, but it finds its groove. I also bought the game on Steam, and used the orchestrated music mod, but kinda fell off of it. When the Definitive Edition came out on switch, I was excited. Its my preferred JRPG platform.

I would suggest downloading the switch demo and getting further than you did on the PS4 version. You'll see how much better the improvements are, and you'll be able to at least gauge if you want to keep going without buying it again. The demo data is transferrable.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

You aren't broken, sometimes you just don't enjoy a game even if you liked others in the series. I loved DQ 11 but it does have some things in it that I could see turning off others even lovers of the series. But in the end sometimes you just don't like something, take me and Zelda. Love the series, hate BoTW which a lot of people consider to be the best game in it. Granted it's pretty different from past games, but still, it's just the way it is sometimes.

 

[Ocean]

I loved it. It was like a love letter to old-timey JRPG design. But the music being so repetitive was a massive bummer. Other than that, it's charming as heck.

 

[Stoze]

The music complaints are coming from the original release, right? Or maybe longtime fans who've heard the tracks before? Because I'm playing S on Gamepass/PC for the first time (first mainline DQ game) and outside of the overworld theme overuse, I think it's excellent and beautifully composed.

 

[Eagledare]

I tried it on PS4 and Switch, and bounced off both times, though I lasted longer (around 50 hours on Switch). I think the repetitive music was a big factor for me. I even kept changing the overworld tune back and forth from XI to VIII to try to stave off the musical fatigue but ultimately I just said fuck it. I also felt like the dialogue was needlessly long-winded most of the time.

 

[oldzac]

I just finally finished XI last month, and, while I ended up liking the game in the end, I agree with most of the points presented here. It ticks a lot of boxes, but lacks some of the spirit (for lack of a better word) that games like VIII and V had.

 

[decoyplatypus]

It's one of my least favorite DQ games.

1. The story is garbage. DQ games don't always have a strong central narrative, and the little vignettes that make up the adventure can vary in duration and depth, but I don't think I've ever felt offended by a DQ plot's stupidity before.

2. Too much is reserved for the postgame. These have been getting longer and longer over the years, but this is the first time I felt like the story that the writers actually wanted to tell is almost entirely after the main credits roll.

Spoiler: Late-game spoiler

Like 6 of the 8 locations you can access by flying have no purpose in the main game, throwing a huge bucke of ice water on the fun of getting a new mode of transportation.

3. The game feels more confining than other DQ games, outside the final stretch of Act 1 and then the postgame. I don't know that it's actually any more linear. In most DQ games you're pretty well going a straight path from town to town much of the time. Maybe it's the MMO-style zones or the extremely unflattering comparison with

Spoiler: Late-game spoiler

FF6's World of Ruin

.

4. The combination of easily avoidable encounters and the removal of resource conservation as a real consideration in dungeon crawling saps the drama from the gameplay. It is convenient being able to sprint past basically every enemy on your way to the boss ( it certainly makes foraging zones for crafting resources more palatable), and I know many people have mixed feelings about resource attrition as the main strategy layer in RPGs. But you need something to build tension as the player journeys deeper into a cave with a scary monster at the end. DQ11 has nothing.

5. The music is kind of an issue.

I liked the cast alright. The fun-sized forge and the skill panel system are clear upgrades over the alchemy pot and skill lines. But the game as a whole just isn't on a level with most other DQ games for me.

 

[Foreign Jackass]

Default difficulty is too easy, can't be bothered to find the perfect one and I didn't feel the story was good enough to keep me interested. Very bloated too.

And I loved DQ1-6, never played the later ones.

 

[Truno]

DQ11 just seemed like a better DQ8 to me

 

[sora bora]

finished DQ XI last week. I don't anticipate playing another Dragon Quest ever again.

Can't recall a Metacritic score being so different from my own personal view of a game. So it goes. Kind of a funny anecdote: Dragon Quest Warrior was the first RPG I ever played. Got me into the genre.

 

[Jencks]

I liked 11 but prefer 8. I wish 11 had the wide open field that 8 did instead of segmented areas.

 

[Anustart]

I didn't care for it that much and I've loved the other entries.

I really miss the world map from 8. These different zones with load between them don't cut it.

 

[Tyrant Rave]

It is a bit odd since it's so similar to VIII. I think this entire series is wonderfully consistent though, to the point that I would imagine if you like one you'd enjoy them all pretty much.

 

[FEVER333]

XI is the only DQ game I've ever played (thank you, Game Pass), and it quickly became one of my favorite RPGs of all time.

 

[c bweezie]

I don't think you should feel weird about it. I beat DQXI, but it took me awhile. There's about a third of the game that's a real slog imo, but none of the game is bad. The highs are high, and the lows are meh.