Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is out on PlayStation 4 early next month, and so the reviews have started trickling in. Many would consider Dragon Quest XI to be the biggest Japanese role-playing release of 2018, and there's no denying that its arrival is at least an important occasion for fans of the genre. After all, PlayStation consoles haven't had a mainline Dragon Quest title since the spectacular Dragon Quest VIII on the PlayStation 2.
Fortunately, it's looking like Dragon Quest XI is carrying on the series', er, quest for quality, with high scores all around.
US Gamer - 5/5
If you're in the market for a turn based RPG that feels nostalgic but doesn't force you to deal with old genre mechanics, you won't find a better quest.
RPG Fan - 95%
Dragon Quest XI remains unabashedly true to its roots as a JRPG fan's JRPG, and fans of the series are in for a treat at a scale of epic proportions. The best DQ games embody the spirit of grand adventure. In Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, Square Enix has delivered to us the grandest Dragon Quest of them all.
Game Informer - 8.25/10
Dragon Quest has stuck around for a reason: It does what it does well, and the formula still works. However, Dragon Quest XI’s lack of evolution is a hindrance. It’s about time the series took some risks.
Destructoid - 8/10
Enix, and by proxy Square, have found myriad ways to repackage the journey of Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age proves that they haven't run out of ideas yet. It's one of the easier modern Dragon Quests to get into precisely because it gets back to basics. If you've been pining for an older-school character-focused RPG instead of the player-created party focus of IX and the MMO aspect of X, the wait has ended.
Will you be nabbing Dragon Quest XI on PS4? Embark on a grand journey in the comments section below.
Comments 38
Day one
I think we know exactly how this game plays and there are no surprises... It's staying on the shelf as far as I am concerned but it will please those who want more of the same old DQ.
Hi everyone, is this the new Dragon Ball Z?
I'll wait for the Switch port, as I prefer to play my JRPGs on portable systems when possible, but I hope you guys have fun with it in the meantime. It looks and sounds fantastic.
"However, Dragon Quest XI’s lack of evolution is a hindrance. It’s about time the series took some risks."
No thanks, Game Informer. This mindset is what led to the Final Fantasy series becoming a bizarre mess and a shadow of its former self. There's no reason to fix what isn't broken.
@Ralizah FFXV is doing fine selling more than DQ and P5 combined and more than a lot of previous entries in the series so there is a point in innovation: appealing to a broader audience. I don't mean it needs to be as drastic as FF can be but I completely agree with Gameinformer, just shake things up a little bit...
I want it but with so many releases in september, it will have to wait for the time being unfortunately
@Ralizah ''There's no reason to fix what isn't broken.'' That's what I always said about Zelda, and they decided it needed fixing too. Didn't end well, so I completely agree with you
I have never played a mainline Dragon Quest game, so I'm pretty hyped to finally try this series out.
its on the list for the future but im pleased its being reviewed well
Got my super expensive collector's edition on the way! This is one of the only games this year I'm allowing to supercede my backlog. Can't wait!
Turn based combat? - check
Excellent English VO's? - check
Slimes? - check
Classic Dragon Quest. Can't wait.
Shame only two of the 4 versions of being released. You'd think they'd want as many options as possible to grow the brand.
I haven't played a Dragon Quest game in a long time, but this one might pull me back in. What did we do to deserve such great looking games anyway?
@Feena Final Fantasy games pretty much always sell well based on name alone. Moreover, FFXV had the benefit of launching on a highly successful console at a point in time when JRPGs were becoming more mainstream and visible than they ever had before. It was also the first normal mainline sequel we had gotten since FFXIII in 2009.
Despite all this, it has still sold less than VII, VIII, and X, and about on par with XIII (widely considered one of the worst games in the series). Obviously it still enjoyed extremely good sales, but there is no evidence that the series "needed shaking up" to keep selling or reviewing well.
I'm just glad that Capcom has finally deciding to stop homogenizing their games to appeal to normies. Resident Evil 2, Monster Hunter World, and, from the looks of them, Mega Man 11 and Devil May Cry 5 keep enough of the classic gameplay about them to please established fans while also making smart changes to subtly modernize them. I wish Square-Enix had taken this approach with the Final Fantasy series.
nice cant wait.the graphics are amazing.same as the gameplay.word up son
Cannot wait. I've been playing through the 3DS version of 8 in preparation, and it's just as great as I remember. Hopefully 11 can top it.
I read the review at Eurogamer and their review criteria baffles my mind. They gave Sea of Thieves a Recommended at launch based on future potential (seriously), but didn't give this a badge based on how they thought it compared to Dragon Quest VIII. There’s a reason I stopped visiting that site.
already preordered
Never played a Dragon Quest before but very tempted to give it a go!
Would love to get the Collector's Edition but it's yet another Square Enix online store exclusive. > <
Btw, this is what Kotaku said on Facebook, "Dragon Quest XI is the best game in the series, and one of the best video games we've ever played. We don't say that lightly."
Really looking forward to next week! I love the series and have enjoyed the handheld installments, but have wanted a big gorgeous console entry ever since 8 came out.
Oh man can't wait for this. Gonna dig out Dragon Quest VIII on PS2 just to get the sparks going!
I'll buy this eventually during a BF/Holiday 2018 sale or sometime in 2019 more than likely.
Already spent $400 on Spider-Man (via the PS4 Pro Bundle), so I'm tapped out until Red Dead Redemption II maybe...
@lacerz Eurogamer has the most inconsistent review scores ever, that they had to ditch them and go for the Recommended, Essential badges. I also had to stop taking them seriously after RDR getting an 8 and GTAV a 9 and then they go out and give some indie game or never before heard game which probably lasts 3hrs 10/10. As if said games like RDR didn't change the game. Eurogamer are like the kid who thinks everything underground is better than mainstream just so they look cool. And then there's their constant pushing of PC superiority, nitpicking pixel counts and frame rates making people spend time tweaking settings more than actually playing the damn game!
As soon as I'm done with Spiderman and all the extras I will play DQ , sucks that they were releasing within days of each other. Super excited tho.
Despite being 44 years old i feel giddy with excitement for this game!Have played all the Dragon Quest games and Journey Of The Cursed King was easily my favourite one and all time favourite rpg.
My most hyped game this year and it's finally here!Can.Not.Wait!
IGN's review is laughable.
Great scores across the board. Has me really excited for next week. Though i wish it didn't release literally days before Spider man. lol
@Ralizah I can see where you are coming from but I honestly don't wish SE goes that way, I am so happy the biggest budget JRPG is the one that is trying different approaches so I get to play very different games. I won't pick up DQXI because I played that game already... many times.
With XV I think they tapped into a new audience, like they meant to, and it's the kind of JRPG you could see somebody that is not that into the genre playing. And that is very FF. It's also outselling the FFs you mentioned and I can see it becoming the second most sold entry after VII
@TheArt According to Eurogamer, exclusives are bad, except if it’s exclusive for pc, so the weak consoles can’t limit the wonderful pc.
@PS_Nation Wouldn't be surprised they feel that way.
Can't wait, will get in at least 3 good days of playtime before Spiderman releases.
Day 1 for me, super excited for this hat
I meant yay not hat lol
I expect a 9 from this site
I did love playing Dragon Quest IX, but wasn't that keen on the Dragon Quest VII remaster, but they were quite different to each other and this new one looks quite different as well, so maybe it's best for me not to compare them.
Dragon Quest XI does look promising from the reviews and trailers so far.
Exceptional jrpg can't wait to get into it!
Day 1 here... Actually pushed back Jury Duty by 2 months so it would not interfere 🤣😅
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