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LTTP: Dragon Quest XI S is the finest JRPG I've played in 15 years, the absolute best "classic" fantasy adventure you can have in today's consoles IMO

Shan

Shan

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,956
The Wiz said:
The only thing I like about that is, it's one less turn they spend attacking your party. It could be a blessing in disguise when you're on the brink of death.
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Yeaaah that's a way to look at it, even though they attack twice most of the time. At least though, one of your party member can do that exact same thing to them with an ability and a spell. But it can be annoying to buff yourself and it's like "lolno".
 
Zutrax

Zutrax

Member
Oct 31, 2017
4,192
I put something like 50 hours or so into it on Switch. Frankly I thought it was kind of a snoozefest. There was something oddly endearing about how contemporary it chose to be, but I really wanted something more I guess.

For someone who is specifically looking for the most basic level, straightforward, JRPG that's ever existed, Dragon Quest 11 is about as good as you'll get. But it didn't really feel ambitious, and the plot felt extremely by the numbers to me.

I can see why people love it, but you really have to be in the mood for exactly what it's going for. I don't think it's a wholehearted recommendation from me without caveats.
 
NediarPT88

NediarPT88

Member
Oct 29, 2017
15,113
Shan said:
Can I say I loathe disruptive wave when late bosses do it which remove your buffs/pep up/re-vamp instantly.

Beside that, I agree with the OP, excluding my casino time I easily have 100h+ in it and that doesn't even scratch tickington.
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Don't buff all your characters. If you spend like 4 actions buffing your party just for it to be undone with a boss turn it's not worthy, but let's say you just buff your damage dealers then it's a nice trade.
 
Tora

Tora

The Enlightened Wise Ones
Member
Jun 17, 2018
8,640
greengr said:
Biggest problem for me is the commitment required,a game like that has to go above and beyond if it asks over 80 hours from me and honestly even in a lockdown with all the free time in the world i can fit more game experiences in that timeframe.Would love to try it even if it was like 40 hours total.
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Beat it in around 45 hours on Switch if that helps, didn't do too much side stuff I think

Zutrax said:
I put something like 50 hours or so into it on Switch. Frankly I thought it was kind of a snoozefest. There was something oddly endearing about how contemporary it chose to be, but I really wanted something more I guess.

For someone who is specifically looking for the most basic level, straightforward, JRPG that's ever existed, Dragon Quest 11 is about as good as you'll get. But it didn't really feel ambitious, and the plot felt extremely by the numbers to me.

I can see why people love it, but you really have to be in the mood for exactly what it's going for. I don't think it's a wholehearted recommendation from me without caveats.
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My thoughts exactly, the game came at a perfect time for me last year and I was even thinking about how I would have definitely dropped it when I played Persona 5 Royal/Xenoblade DE/FF7 Remake back to back

Still a great entry point into JRPG's though for sure, I loved Sylvando
 
RingoGaSuki

RingoGaSuki

Member
Apr 22, 2019
2,441
You're absolutely right. I played through on 3DS and loved it, then grabbed XIS on Switch and spent 150 hours 100%-ing it. It's absolutely incredible in every single way. Most games that long you're glad to hit the end, but I was so sad, I could have gladly just kept playing XIS forever. It's such a warm, happy experience. Right up there with my favourite games of all time.
 
Zukuu

Zukuu

Member
Oct 30, 2017
6,809
It's 33% too long and should be 30h shorter. The needlessly tacked on last third made me quit the game out of boredome after 70h or so.
 

Deleted member 46493

User requested account closure
Banned
Aug 7, 2018
5,231
Platinum'd vanilla in '18 and I'm zooming through S on PS5. I'm super biased as a life long DQ fan though, it's difficult for me to be objective. Especially when this game includes nostalgia fan service (Tickington).

My main negative is revisiting old areas after Act 1. The game pulled an FFVI but the world didn't change enough to make it that interesting to rediscover.
 
Zera Bloodwinter

Zera Bloodwinter

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,941
Great game but the
second half of basically having to play the same areas over again was a bore. Aside from that solid 9/10 game for me.
 
Mona

Mona

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
26,151
i quit playing after 9 hours because it wasn't really grabbing me, but im thinking about giving it another shot sometime soon
 
Shan

Shan

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,956
NediarPT88 said:
Don't buff all your characters. If you spend like 4 actions buffing your party just for it to be undone with a boss turn it's not worthy, but let's say you just buff your damage dealers then it's a nice trade.
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That's a good point, I might as well. For reference the bosses that made me hate it are
Abject Terror and Darkest Despair
 
mikehaggar

mikehaggar

Developer at Pixel Arc Studios
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
1,379
Harrisburg, Pa
I can't wait to find time to play this game. I love the look of it and just gives me super, amazing "video game" feels every time I see media from it. My main dilemma is deciding which platform to play it on. Does the "S" version have noticeable pop-in on Xbox and PlayStation?
 
Fawz

Fawz

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,658
Montreal
Now that it's on Game Pass I'll likely give it a go. Good write up that outlines what's appealing about the game, I was not aware of the world adventure part and I'm always itching for some fantasy world exploration
 
SunPie

SunPie

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
170
The coziness of this game is unmatched. I've been trying to find another JRPG to play with a similar vibe but it really seems unique in this regard. Considering DQ 8 on 3DS.
 
Mortemis

Mortemis

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
7,416
I bought P5 royal recently but now I kinda regret not getting this instead. If I'm gonna dive into a really long rpg, I'd rather it be a DQ game.

I'll get this soon enough.
 
stupei

stupei

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,801
Mona said:
i quit playing after 9 hours because it wasn't really grabbing me, but im thinking about giving it another shot sometime soon
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I really do think the way Tim Rogers suggested playing it for about a half hour to an hour every night just before bed as your kind of wind down at the end of a long day is an ideal way to play it. The straight forward earnest simplicity becomes such a soothing part of the appeal and it sort of ends up gradually drawing you in instead of aggressively grabbing you right off, if that makes sense? Best in bite sizes amounts but so worth it.
 
NabiscoFelt

NabiscoFelt

One Winged Slayer
Member
Aug 15, 2019
7,640
Definitely an excellent game. I have some problems with it (the back half is far weaker than the first half, imo), but it's just bursting with charm. The characters are great, the combat is stellar despite its relative simplicity, and the locations are all excellent. The ability to choose when you engage with battles is a godsend for this type of game, since I find mob battles in turn-based JRPGs to generally be kinda boring compared to boss battles.

I wouldn't say it's the best JRPG I've played recently, but it is certainly a very good one.
 
Antony

Antony

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,684
PlayStation Home
A masterpiece.
Undoubtably the best game within its series and one of the best RPG's of all time.
It's impeccably crafted, sublimely designed and a beautiful experience throughout, capped off with an incredible ending sequence.
XI exudes luxury, the gaming equivalent of a Swiss analogue wristwatch; its truly special.
 
Redcrayon

Redcrayon

Patient hunter
On Break
Oct 27, 2017
12,713
UK
My favourite JRPG in a very long time. It's been a year since I finished it now but I'm looking forward to playing again next year, I loved everything about it. It felt heartwarming, melancholic, heroic and silly in turn, grand game.
 
FTF

FTF

Member
Oct 28, 2017
28,398
New York
Yeah I really need to play this one day! It's on my list but much like Persona 5 Royal I just don't know if I'll ever actually get into it/find the time :/
 
lvl 99 Pixel

lvl 99 Pixel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,694
Maybe if it didn't force you to listen to that short overworld music loop for a hundred hours. Iirc it changes much, much later into another loop.
 
Lua

Lua

Member
Aug 9, 2018
1,951
I tried to like these games multiple times, but i just cant unfortunatelly. Maybe its just because i grew with final fantasy and its crazy plots, but i always find dragon quest to be very basic and very boring. But im happy for you op.
 
CarlSagan94

CarlSagan94

Member
Nov 3, 2018
946
Its an excellent JRPG and I loved my time with it, the game just oozes with charm and fun. The cast is awesome and the combat is the perfect classic turned based system I love.

However, the game does have important flaws that hurt my experience with it. The music is overall very weak (the midi version is simply atrocious and unplayable imo considering how repetitious the ost is), especially when i realised that like half the soundtrack is just remixes from older games. The story hurts me because the first two acts are honestly amazing, but the third act really damaged the story and pace.
 
Blade24070

Blade24070

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,002
It's one of my favorite games and experiences ever. Incredible game, a highlight of 2019 in the gaming space in a year filled with highlights for me.
 
Slushimi

Slushimi

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,549
I got convinced to get the game because of these type of threads, but after playing a fair share of it, it has been very boring to me.

It's the most generic JRPG I've played in a while. It doesn't help that the OST in game was horrible (looking at you overworld theme).

Like I know it's a good JRPG, because it does every basic requirement a JRPG has right. But the problems lies in that it never goes beyond that.
 
ShadowFox08

ShadowFox08

Banned
Nov 25, 2017
3,524
I've had it on switch for about 2 months now unopened. I'm kind of waiting for a performance patch for a switch pro. Is that sad? Although I heard it looks good enough in 720p in docked mode.
 
fluffydelusions

fluffydelusions

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,463
Been wanting to play it for a while but since the S version is out on PS4/PC now I'll grab it whenever it goes on sale next.
 
KrillinLikeAVillan

KrillinLikeAVillan

Member
Nov 8, 2017
6,315
Stockholm, Sweden
A genuine masterpiece and one of my all time favorite games.

s y said:
If only it wasn't turn based 😔
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Hours Left

Hours Left

Member
Oct 26, 2017
18,414
Aside from the music, it is one of the best JRPGs ever made, and indisputably shows that "classic" JRPGs will always be relevant.
 
FEVER333

FEVER333

Member
Sep 7, 2020
836
Currently playing through this thanks to Game Pass. It's my first DQ game, and I admittedly haven't dug too far into the genre, but I'm about 45 hours into this game and have loved every single minute of it. The characters are great, the story is charming, the combat is more than passable, and all of the different towns/cities are a treat to explore. I'm already dreading this game ending, even though I know have plenty left to go.

So glad I decided to give this one a chance. Quickly becoming one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
 
Shake Appeal

Shake Appeal

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,883
Lua said:
I tried to like these games multiple times, but i just cant unfortunatelly. Maybe its just because i grew with final fantasy and its crazy plots, but i always find dragon quest to be very basic and very boring. But im happy for you op.
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Yeah, I struggle to engage with the world and characters the way I do with, e.g., Trails.
 
Nali

Nali

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,651
At some point I need to go back and actually finish act 3, but it was a delightful ride, and I appreciate how stubbornly the series clings to its traditions while still working in modern polish and QOL. Stronger monsters is a must, though.
 
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