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

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 85 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 85
  3. Negative: 12 out of 85
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  1. KingMike860
    Dec 10, 2020
    10
    This game is a masterpiece you should definitely play it. Open world game great story good characters overall perfect game.
  2. Ali1983
    Dec 8, 2020
    9
    this game is soo classic and it's worth your time I played DQ 8 on PS2 back than and it's almost same style.... S version give better orchestra.

    great story 9/10
    good graphic 8/10
    excellent sound music10/10
    great game play 9/10
  3. MahOgre
    Dec 12, 2020
    9
    I alredy love DQ, and now they added the jap voices(had to play the original muting the voices, I'm an eng dub hater), and that "old school" mode is just a whole new game on top of the original experience, this one is good, extremely good.
  4. Theuzetz
    Dec 7, 2020
    10
    This game is a love letter to JRPG fans, and a great introduction for people that want to get into the genre. Not only one of the JRPGs I've ever played, but one of my favorite games of all time, this is a masterpiece no one should miss out on
  5. dnztanaci
    Dec 6, 2020
    10
    This is a must-play for JRPG fans. The price is also pretty good for its value.
  6. MeleeHD
    Dec 7, 2020
    8
    Pretty decent JRPG if you're a fan, espeically if you are Dragon Quest fan. You already know what to expect and of course filled with all the DQ humor, really enjoyable sitdown to game on
  7. UnknownMight
    Jan 1, 2021
    8
    A tad too traditional, don't go play this game expecting any novelties and you will enjoy it
  8. 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
  9. Zakis1991
    Dec 26, 2020
    0
    Спасибо, что заботитесь о русскоязычных игроках. Как всегда все языки мира кроме русского
  10. 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
  11. Forcer77
    Dec 21, 2020
    4
    I decided to play this game because I saw so many positive reviews and how people praise this game. So I got this game and expected to enjoy of playing one of the best games.... but when I started to play I was disappointed more and more with every hour I played.
    what can I say about this game? game mechanics is very primitive and childish, dialogues are boring and childish, side quests    I decided to play this game because I saw so many positive reviews and how people praise this game. So I got this game and expected to enjoy of playing one of the best games.... but when I started to play I was disappointed more and more with every hour I played.
    what can I say about this game? game mechanics is very primitive and childish, dialogues are boring and childish, side quests are just dumb, your enemies - monsters look like toys for children, combat system is easy and annoying, combat music is also very annoying and disgusting to listen it every time when you enter combat zone. Your protagonist can't speak. he can't say even a single word. he seems to be speechless. in his dialogues you can choose only "yes" or "no" and that's all...
    Of course I can't say that this game is completely bad but I couldn't finish it. I couldn't waste my time on it because there are much better games. It's not worth my time. I was really disappointed and I can't understand how people can like it so much... On my opinion this game obviously doesn't deserve so high score and ratings    … Expand
  12. 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
  13. 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.
  14. Davi2
    Dec 7, 2020
    7
    It's a pretty good game, very funny! I love it!, but is just that for that all
  15. bigdalton
    Jan 15, 2021
    10
    What a game. It gave me Final Fantasy 7-10 vibes all the way. While the menus could be a bit better the fighting, collecting, making armor and questing were top notch. The story is just beautiful and funny while keeping the tension high.
    I just finished perfect armor an all characters and will finish the last boss fight tonight. I might cry a little afterwards.

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS4 Game of 2020
93
#93 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. 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.
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  2. Het Nieuwsblad
    Jan 12, 2021
    80
    The extra features make Dragon quest XI S one of the best role playing games in recent history, but also make it a tough job. To explore the entire game world, finish the epic story and unravel all its secrets, you will need more than 100 hours of playtime. However, it also makes it the ideal companion to bring some light to these dark winter days.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jan 8, 2021
    90
    Though nothing groundbreaking, this version provides a collection of nice-to-have additions which boost an already great game, making it the one to go for (unless you’re a graphics snob). [Issue#184, p.89]
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