Release: 2018
Platform: PC
Developer and Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: JRPG
Gameplay Stats: 151 hours, 100% achievements
It's been a while! Life's been busy so I haven't had as much time for gaming, much less reviews. I made time over the last three months to demolish DQ 11 though, so let me tell you why!
Visual: This game is really pretty! It's done in an anime style from famed Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama. I know that many people don't like his character design, but I don't mind them at all. Not to say that they're my favorite, but they're fine by me. The game is a beautiful cell shaded world and many of the vistas are fitting for desktop backgrounds. Akira Toriyama has been on since the start, so all of the character and enemy designs are pretty familiar for any fans of the series. The effects and style throughout are really consistent and I find myself being a fan. That being said, this series has always played it safe and XI is no exception. I'd be very interested to see this game through the eyes of a different artist.
Audio: I think this is a pretty big misstep of the game. For whatever reason, they decided to ship this game with little .MIDI tunes for the whole journey. If you aren't familiar with the file type, suffice to say that the music and sound effects sound like they're from 15-20 years ago. The composer for the game has made full, orchestral recordings of every single song in this game, but they decided to release it with the nostalgia sounds. I've heard that the composer is very protective of his music and that's the reason for the poor quality shipped with the game, but I can't confirm or deny that, I haven't done enough research. That being said, there is an orchestral soundtrack mod for the PC version of the game and as soon as I was able to I switched the music and the game was substantially better for it. I didn't have a problem with the nostalgic sound effects since I've played most of the series as long as they were over the orchestrated songs. I could see this being annoying for someone new to the series or a younger gamer.
Story: So, here's the thing with Dragon Quest games. They're designed for playing in short bursts, so they aren't overly complicated. There are little story arcs throughout the entire game that only take a couple hours to play, and I think that's how this game shines. It's a nursery rhyme. The stories aren't overly complicated, although they are lovingly crafted, and they are meant to be experienced slowly. This game doesn't have a complicated plot, nor does it stray too far from the tropes. There aren't many surprises (other than one big one about 60% of the way through) and I think that's okay for this series. I'd have liked a darker story, but that would be out of place in this series.
Gameplay: Pretty standard JRPG fare here. Turn based battles, lots of equipment checking/upgrading, and the majority of the improvements made by the characters are statistical. There are a few quality of life improvements made over previous entries in the series, but it's still behind newer JRPGs like the Tales series. They added a run button that is so wonderful, I can't put it into words. Apparently they added this for the Western release and it helps the speed of the game immensely. I don't know that I would've had the patience to finish this game without the sprint to be honest.
So, I really enjoyed this game. I don't think this review reads that way, but I promise you I did. I think Dragon Quest is a series that's heavily rooted in the past, which is enjoyable if you know what you're getting into. I think the games are really good if you like the genre and are patient. They are a stand-out in terms of the amount of love poured into the game by the development team. I'd have a hard time recommending this game to someone new to JRPGs, but if you already love the genre, I'd recommend this game. [8.5/10]
Comments
Post a Comment