DRAGON QUEST XI: ECHOES OF AN ELUSIVE AGE

Still kicking it old school

Dating back to 1986, Dragon Quest is one of the oldest ongoing JRPG series around, and still one of the most popular in Japan. While many of its peers have constantly tried to reinvent themselves, when we go hands-on with it we discover Dragon Quest XI is still keeping it very retro – it’s simply modernising what that ‘retro’ means.

The village you hail from is green and lush, and there’s plenty to keep us busy as we put off being an adult and set off on our journey. There are sidequests to complete, and lots of friendly, colourful characters to chat with. Being able to jump higher up in these town areas helps keep them from feeling too rigid, and there’s lots to explore.

DUST IN THE WIND

As you’d expect, it’s a massive game, with heaps of story, so we’re quickly pushed forward to a later point during our demo. We briefly explore a desert city, then set off into the sands with a full party to track down a sand monster. By mounting our horse, we’re able to dash through most enemies on the map to avoid fighting them. There are no random encounters here; touching enemies will send you into a fight, or you can get the jump with a surprise attack. Standard stuff.

Combat is turn-based, though you easily have full control over the tactics of your party from the start. You have a range of options for everyone, from always controlling manually, to being offensive but conserving MP, defensive, or going all-out. This aside the game feels very familiar, there’s standard attacks, and the option to mix things up with magical strikes and special abilities. Stronger enemies will require you to think smart and make sure you use buffs and debuffs.

While nothing in Dragon Quest XI seems like it’ll be rewriting the book, Square Enix has this Dragon Quest running like a well-oiled machine, and quality-of-life improvements stop that classic JRPG feeling from becoming too much of a drag, putting just how much you want to engage with certain quintessential elements in your hands. It’s a very modern take on a very classic example of the genre.

“QUALITY-OF-LIFE IMPROVEMENTS STOP THAT CLASSIC JRPG FEELING FROM BECOMING TOO MUCH OF A DRAG.”

Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, is back as character designer.

Above You’re a “luminary”, a reincarnation of a hero. Not everyone is thrilled by this, as you end up in jail quite early in the game.