Review - DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - The best JRPG ever made is here.

 Eternal rival of Final Fantasy, which tries to renew itself every year, Dragon Quest has always made the safe and intelligent choice to remain true to itself over three decades, culminating in this new release called "Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age", improving on the perfectly refined old-school open-world turn-based RPG gameplay, which we already enjoyed immensely in Dragon Quest VIII.

 Get ready to play Square Enix's latest masterpiece, Dragon Quest XI, like a fine aging wine in a bottle made of gold with a diamond cork.

Store	Platform	OVERALL RATING: 97%
Buy it on Steam	PC	+ THE POSITIVE + The most beautiful Dragon Quest ever! + Akira Toriyama cel-shaded characters! + A wonderful thrilling story! + A great open world, which you can explore on horse! + Satisfying turn-based fighting mechanics + So many quests! + Great convenient map and travel system! + Colossal game length! + Puff-puff is not censored!  - THE NEGATIVE - Too bad we don't get Japanese voices - Midi music will please nostalgic fans, but it's not for everybody - Open-world is not completely "open"
Buy it on Amazon	PS4
Buy it on Amazon	3DS (Japanese only!)
NOT RELEASED YET!	Switch

JAPAN NATIONAL'S VIDEO GAME😎🇯🇵👍

 Launched in 1986 in Japan, Dragon Quest is one of the earliest series that made Japanese RPGs so popular, and became one of the most beloved franchises in Japan. Each new Dragon Quest release is always met with critical acclaim and success in Japan. (over 64 million copies sold!)

FUN FACT !

 Dragon Quest owes a lot to western games! The creator, Yuji Horii, has explained that Dragon Quest combined the best elements of two of his favorite rpgs, Wizardry(developed by Sir-tech, which we mentioned earlier in our Wizards & Warriors review!) and Ultima(Origin Systems).

Atreyu: "Let's go, Artax, I'm sure you'll get plenty of action in the next city!" Artax: "There'd better be! I'm tired of horsing around!"

THE GENRE  
A 3D third-person view open-world turn-based Japanese RPG.

THE STORY
 "Unravel an Epic Mystery in a Riveting Tale – DRAGON QUEST XI tells the tale of a hunted hero: denigrated as a demon and pursued by a malicious monarch, you must embark on a quest to unravel the mystery of your fate and save a doomed world. At the heart of the game is an immersive story with twists and turns that pull you in and keep you craving more – from the opening cutscene to the final credits!"

This is a screenshot of the Japanese version, but I just wanted to show you the goofy looking "Lips" enemy! Be careful, he'll "suck" your mojo out with his "tongue lashing" attack! What do you mean, "let him do it"?

 The story might feel generic, innocent and light-hearted at first, but when you think about it, not that many games offer that anymore nowadays, in the current fashion of dark and creepy intrigues, filled with complex tortured emo characters with lots of personal issues.

 Although very simple and naive in appearance, the plot of DQ XI gets deeper over the hours and you'll enjoy crossing the path of many colorful endearing characters, especially since the storyline is well-paced and the writing itself particularly good. Often navigating between humor and emotions, the cutscenes are really pleasant to follow like a real anime movie.

"You came to the wrong neighborhood... Sweetheart." *runs away screaming*

"DO I NEED TO HAVE PLAYED ALL OF THE PREVIOUS DRAGON QUESTS TO ENJOY THIS ONE?"
No.
If anything, starting to play this series with the 11th episode is a nice way to introduce yourself to this universe, since the gameplay is more accessible and less obscure than the very first games. (Notice I don't say "dumbed-down" or "streamlined". It's simply more well-thought and less annoying.) 
Also, anyway, each episode of this series can be considered stand-alone.

"Oooh forgive me, your royal highness! Let me get on my knees and beg for your pardon!" *tries to look at her panties*😋

GAMEPLAY - GOOD OLD DRAGON QUEST😌

BATTLE SYSTEM
Pretty much turn-based JRPG standard since the early 90s or so, with very minor tweaks. 

Characters progress in a classic way(the fights bring experience, which itself level up your characters, etc), but the title adds a system of "skill grid" that allows to distribute skill points in different attributes and powers, and offers great flexibility in the way we can evolve heroes. 
(A bit similar to Final Fantasy XII.) 

Beck: "OK, birdy, this is a turn-based game, so now it's my turn, so you have to wait patiently until I'm doAAAARGH" *gets his eyes clawed out by the boss*

TIP !

 Don't be ashamed to use the "autobattle" mode(tactics menu!) when you want to grind, or when you go back to areas with weak enemies and that you want to speed things up a bit because you're bored.

You can assign some different tactics to your partners, like "offensive", "defensive", etc, and let them fight totally in a complete autonomous way!

Alright, in some cases, the autobattle feature doesn't work well. In this case, I got literally raped by gigantic tentacles.

Also, I really appreciate how we don't have random encounters anymore, so we're not interrupted when trying to go somewhere. Enemies are visible on the field and fighting can be avoided!(God, it would be nice in real life... What do you mean, it's like this in real life?) It makes the world of DQ XI more lively than ever!

Finally, a nice "dynamic" touch:  you can move the camera around during your battles, AND your characters as well!
Unfortunately, it's only a cosmetic addition, and doesn't change the way you fight.
And no, Willy, you can't really zoom in on Jade's boobs, sorry!

I know somebody whose anus will be bleeding soon! You know why my enemies call me hemorrhoid? I irritate assholes!

THE MAP

The world map is particularly intuitive and easy to use, and the quest log always indicates the current objective. 

 You'll appreciate how easy it is to travel around too!

HOW TO UNLOCK FAST TRAVEL ?

 Find Hotto city, and a new quest will start, involving rescuing a potential party member. Once completed, you'll have to fight "Jarvis", and defeating him will send you back to Hotto, and you'll learn a new "Zoom" spell from "Veronica", which lets you fast travel to any location that you have unlocked on the map!

Monster: "Hey Veronica! You know what's the best about having sex with 28 year olds? There's 20 of them! har har har" *Veronica casts Boom to his junk*

GAME LENGTH

I never skip chest day, especially in this game.

You'll need around 100 hours to complete it, including the side-quests.
If you take your time, it might go up to 120 hours, maybe even more, which is quite a lot to say the least. 

So, take your time, it's going to last you a few days. At least.
The last time I played a game that long was when I installed "Dragon Age: Inquisition".

Oh, there are a few options to make the game harder, like "weak enemies give less xp", but since the game isn't THAT easy, I didn't see the need to use it. Overall, the difficulty feels pretty balanced.

"Hey, I think I found a nice place under that big tree to have our threesome!"

THE INVENTORY
Your inventory works the same way as the one in Dragon Quest VIII. 
Indeed, you will have an inventory for each hero and a "main" inventory. 

It's up to you to sort it out in order to choose the best equipment for your heroes. 
Overall, the inventory is much more ergonomic, visual and fully-featured than the ones we got in every previous game. 

Every item is nicely detailed, visually and in its description too, sometimes with a little touch of humor characteristic of the Dragon Quest series.

Don't worry, you won't miss opportunities to fill your inventory, whether it's by defeating enemies, looting chests, rob your opponents, or simply buy new equipment and items in shops.

*Eleven the hero and Jade talk on whatsapp* Eleven: "So, are you from Heliodor, originally?" Jade:"Actually, no, I'm from-"  Eleven:"and then I'll suck your nipples while caressing your clit. Oops ignore that, wrong person."

OVERALL
All in all, a pretty "safe" Dragon Quest, not trying anything revolutionary, but it keeps improving on old mechanics(some of them are more than 30 years old!), and it just works perfectly. This is exactly what its hardcore fans were demanding, actually.
You know what they say: don't change a winning team!

A FEW LITTLE DISAPPOINTMENTS
- It would have been nice if side-quests had better rewards!
- The "guest characters" you have no control over will often make stupid moves, which can be detrimental to you in some fights.(using too strong attacks on enemies about to die, attacking enemies which are put to sleep, which awakes them, etc.)

To tell you the truth, the first time I heard "puff-puff", I thought about the magical dragon, though...

THE PUFF PUFF MYSTERY!

 Since the very first Dragon Quest, the player has always encountered a specific type of "business" woman in towns, who would make the strange proposition of performing a "Puff Puff" on him, in exchange for gold. Sounds legit.

Usually, if you pay, the screen goes black, and some text would appear on screen suggesting that something sexual happened. 

In case you wonder, the term "Puff Puff" ("pafu pafu"(ぱふぱふ) in Japanese) is used to signify when a woman is rubbing her breasts around someone's face. This act often shows up in manga & anime, but is usually used in a comedic manner.

Unfortunately, the secret has been unveiled in Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, where we see a woman in a bunny outfit, rubbing a pair of slime enemies around the main character's face. Funny joke, but I can't help feeling that they have toned down the "fanservice" just to please SJWs.👎

The "puff puff" scenes are in general cut out of the Western versions of Dragon Quest, but this is not the case in Dragon Quest XI!(on the other hand, you won't see a thing anyway...)

GRAPHICS - TAKE MY BREATH AWAY🤩

We are dealing here with an open-world game very similar to Dragon Quest VIII, except MUCH larger, and, above all, with much more beautiful and detailed areas, offering us a nice variety in its heavenly environments.

Although being open-world, the game isn't seamless like the Witcher III or Breath of the wild, though. It's divided into more or less large areas, linked together by some loading time. There are LOTS of invisible walls and you'll feel limitations pretty early in the game, which might cause exploration of such areas not that interesting.

Gulliver lost one of his testicles during the blue balls epidemy, and it landed in this magical forest! Now it's all covered in perverted green tentacles and contains a +20 ATK strap-on dildo, which Jade can equip. What do you mean, I can't rewrite the story?

 
Not exactly a technical marvel, DQ XI is however full of charm, and the strong visual identity, full of vibrant colors and cute cel-shaded characters, works wonders. Once again, the magical Unreal Engine 4 manages to impress us with the sublime lighting, which you'll appreciate even more thanks to the fabulous day/night cycle! 

First stop: the Elven whorehouse where I was conceived. And I hope that this time, I won't pick up the trannie! And then I'll get some brothel sprouts.

From majestic towns to picturesque villages, vast desert expanses and sunny oceans, the invitation to travel is undeniable. Each area has an unique layout and characteristics, and each town has its own culture, with plenty of NPCs doing their daily tasks.

You'll appreciate countless details which make every environment so lively, like the plants swaying in the breeze, flocks of birds, or the glimmering waters!
The amazing character animations all look very smooth like in some high-budget anime movie, and they're very varied! 

FUN FACT !

 You're wondering why the characters seem so familiar? The creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, has designed every character and monster in the entire Dragon Quest series! (Remember he also designed Chrono Trigger characters, with his immediately recognizable style!)

Why is there a man with a moustache wearing a dress staring at me, next to that stall? Hmm mystery, mystery... Oh well, I'll go talk to him!

MUSIC & SFX - MIDI, LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT!🤔

MUSIC
A lot of things have been said about the midi OST. Many people think it sounds cheap and totally outdated. Interestingly, according to most comments I've seen on Youtube videos, it seems that Japanese people are okay with it and love the OST in general.
(if you don't know what midi is, here's a very nice video about it, with some great examples of 90s video games midi OSTs. => LGR - Roland Sound Canvas: '90s MIDI Greatness

QUESTION !

 Does anybody recognize what Soundfont was used in this game? Could it be something like Roland's Sound Canvas? I don't recognize the instruments.

Clearly, it's not for everybody. 

It does totally sound like a 90s game on PS1.(For some reason, the Sega Saturn had some incredible orchestrations and the PS1 pales in comparison, so it's a better analogy.) But as a 80s/90s nostalgic kid, I find it charming and the most important is that the melodies fit well the Dragon Quest universe. 

On the other hand, they're clearly not as memorable as the previous games.

Just judge for yourself!

SFX
The sound effects also sound 90s in general. (again, 32-bit era, so it's not too bad.)
Some of them actually sound quite realistic, like waterfalls or wind, but the character attacks usually sound quite crazy. Some biting attacks sound like you're being slammed with a pan, while slashing with a sword sounds like you're ironing a file or something.
It doesn't really improve as you change your gear throughout the game. 

On the other hand, it does feel "harmonious" with the OST, and contributes even more to make the game feel 90s.

VOICES👍🇺🇸👎🇯🇵

ME. WANT. PUFF-PUFF. NOW.

 LOTS of people have been disappointed with the lack of Japanese voices, although we do get English dubs, strangely. It was a bit debate at Square Enix, but in the end, they decided to preserve Dragon Quest’s style up until now, and opted for no voice acting. 

 It would have taken a lot of time and money, (voice acting is much more expensive in Japan than in the West), not even mentioning the fact the script would’ve needed to be completed earlier. But the series creator, Yuji Horii, needed to fine-tune details of the script until the very very end. With the significance of this in mind, they decided to not include any voice acting into Dragon Quest XI.

I've got to say that for once, the English voices are GREAT and really professional. They're so good they make you forget about the lack of Japanese voices after a while.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, WILLY?
 "Puff puff me any day."

   A magical fairy tale JPRG in a huge open world with a rich atmosphere, gorgeous visuals, 90s turn-based gameplay, top notch voices(at least in English), what else can I ask for? As a huge fan since Dragon Quest VI on Super Nes(which wasn't even translated back then!), I'm in heaven, even before finding one of these Puff-Puff girls!
 
Can't say the story surprised me in any way, but at least it's professionally executed, has its share of laughs(and WTF moments), and easily tops the best games in the series!

Also, I find it surprising, but it's one of the very few RPGs which I feel like REPLAYING right after I finished it. This says a lot about how great this is. I just can't get enough of it!

RATING BOX

	VERSION TESTED: Edition of Light Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix Release Date: 4 September, 2018 Genre: RPG Single-player Difficulty: Normal  Store Platform Buy it on Steam PC Buy it on Amazon PS4 Buy it on Amazon 3DS (Japanese only!) NOT RELEASED YET! Switch
GRAPHICS: 96%
Not a technical marvel, and yet unbelievably beautiful, featuring some of the most iconic landscapes, AND most charismatic characters ever seen in a game.
MUSIC: 70%
Some nice melodies, and the 90s soundfont can be charming. Not for everybody, though.
SOUNDS: 77%
SFX, like the music, are also old-school and sometimes way off, but they don't stick out as much, and fit well the atmosphere in general.
GAMEPLAY: 96%
Extremely diverse and fun, the gameplay offers an experienced turn-based fighting system, countless interesting non-cliché quests(and many optional side-quests!), dozens of fun skills to master, a robust forging system, and even easter eggs hidden everywhere!
GAME LENGTH: 98%
Around 100 hours, and much more if you want to take your time.
OVERALL RATING: 97%
An incredible flawless triumph. Perfectly executed and offering a well-told story, memorable characters, stunning graphics and stellar gameplay, Dragon Quest XI can easily be considered the best in the series.

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