Jump to content

Dragon Quest XI Reviews (PC Orchestral mod out)


crispy4000

Recommended Posts

I've played a little over 4 hours, and I'm really liking it so far. There are a couple things that I want to highlight that make this game a lot more enjoyable for me over the last couple DQ games I've played.

Speed - running, riding a horse, getting into and out battle - everything just feels a little faster. There's not really any down time.

Convenience - camp sites are great. Being able to save and heal and forge all in the same place without having to trudge back to town is so good. I've also run into item vendors and priests scattered around on their own. You never seem to be too far from what you need. 

 

And of course it just looks fantastic. I know it's not fair comparing it to PS1/PS2 games played on a 3DS, but just being in this world feels great.

 

I like how there's been some shade thrown in this thread about peoples gaming habits. I admit that I start a lot of JRPGs and finish almost none of them. I probably don't even cross this 4 hour mark with a lot of them.  But this one so far is such a smooth, enjoyable experience, I'll probably end up seeing it through to the end. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope the music gets a lot better. The early music is really... bad? Like, actually bad. I'm not used to JRPGs with music that I don't like. Even the cheapest ones have catchy tunes. This almost sounds like parody Dragon Quest music designed specifically to be bleating and irritating.

 

Other than that, having a great time so far. It's definitely picking up a lot faster than previous games and they added just enough to make it feel modern without overdoing it.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That sounds like a good idea. But it kinda bums me out. Maybe someone will release an alternate OST mod pack or something. 

 

 

This one is probably my least favorite. Particularly starting at like 43 seconds in. It sounds soooo bad.

 

Compare that with Ys 8's first overworld tune which I found to be totally awesome, a bit cheesy but I like cheesy (hence why I like most JRPG music!):

 

 

Luckily that's the only part of DQXI I'm not loving so far.

 

I don't even know if the DQ music sounds bad on its own, but I feel like it doesn't fit what I look for in an overworld theme at all. The overworld theme sounds like stodgy music for an ornate castle interior or some sort of ceremony, not some big adventure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice, I just got a second pair of rubber gloves!  They're a rare drop from the first rabbit enemies you come across.  My steal rate should be above 30% now.

... It's quite a grind to get the second pair though.  You'll want to use a dual pep power (itemized kill) between the Hero and Erik.  You learn it once you unlock the first sword skill.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

DQXI's beginning isn't a slog.  I think it's pretty well paced so far.

Walk 10 feet, cutscene. Walk 10 feet, cutscene. Fight 2 monsters. Climb a ladder very slowly. Cutscene. Walk 10 feet. Cutscene. 

 

That is barely an exaggeration.

 

My guess is this will end up being one of my favorite games ever. But it’s a slog to start. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the first 30 minutes maybe, but that's a lot of games.  Exposition is exposition.

 

There's still very little tutorial, and they give you a horse pretty much the moment you step out of the first town.  It really doesn't take long at to get going, and you get a giant city to explore soon after that.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

For the first 30 minutes maybe, but that's a lot of games.  Exposition is exposition.

 

There's still very little tutorial, and they give you a horse pretty much the moment you step out of the first town.  It really doesn't take long at to get going, and you get a giant city to explore soon after that.

 

 

The slog continues in the first big city. Just because other games do it doesn’t mean it’s not a slog. It’s nice you can explore a little bit but it’s not a lack of variety that makes it bad, it’s bad in and of itself. 

 

Again, it’s totally expected and I still love the game. But I’m not gonna make excuses for it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just don't see any egregious faults here.  There's a few cutscenes?  It's not overload, and they don't drag on or overly tutorialize.  There's typically a good bit of exploration in cities/fields/dungeons to pad them out (unlike say, FFXIII).  Which is absolutely true by the first big city, which has plenty to see ransack.

 

The only thing that's bugged me so far is that some of non-party characters take too long to deliver their voice lines.  I'm thinking of one specific part maybe 10 hours in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I could see the slow start complaint, but I didn't really feel that way at all. In fact, for what I expect out of a Dragon Quest game, this has gotten pretty much straight to the point. I feel like the first hour of DQ8 was running around a small town doing chores. Also I enjoyed exploring the big city in this one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spoiler

So past MC has a voice but not current MC?! Come on. Just give him a voice.  Regardless that whole part of the story was really well done.  

 

Completed the first area. The enemy design is fantastic.  I think the only design I don’t care for is the MC. I wish Erik was MC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:
  Hide contents

So past MC has a voice but not current MC?! Come on. Just give him a voice.  Regardless that whole part of the story was really well done.  

 

Completed the first area. The enemy design is fantastic.  I think the only design I don’t care for is the MC. I wish Erik was MC

Erik is cool af

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that I have vsync sorted I get a lovely 4k 60 everywhere.

I'm really enjoying it so far, though my dislike of silent protagonists is still in full force. So much awkward staring and non-reactions. Erik asks if you're serious about being the Luminary, you stare at him with no emotion. :|

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, jaethos said:

Now that I have vsync sorted I get a lovely 4k 60 everywhere.

I'm really enjoying it so far, though my dislike of silent protagonists is still in full force. So much awkward staring and non-reactions. Erik asks if you're serious about being the Luminary, you stare at him with no emotion. :|

 

I've been saying for decades that the silent protagonist shtick was never good and makes no goddamn sense in any context! Every game that employs it is worse for it unless it's a specific story-related element. (Meaning the story was designed with it in mind, not people making shitty jokes about how quiet you are.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am enjoying the game so far. It is refreshing to play a JRPG that has so many thoughtful features that allows you to play how you want.  

 

For instance, you can choose before each fight whether to manually control each party member. Just grinding some XP and Gold? Set all party members to fight wisely and sit back. Fighting a boss? Set all party members to listen to commands. Tougher mob fight than expected? Turn on use big attacks for your party. It is great to have such control during a fight. You can changes these commands any time during a fight. 

 

I also love the ability to sprint anywhere in the world. A couple of times, I have been a bit over-leveled in the game so I just skipped fighting mobs and made my way to the boss. 

 

I am only about 15 hours in but it is quickly becoming my favorite JRPG this gen. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

I am enjoying the game so far. It is refreshing to play a JRPG that has so many thoughtful features that allows you to play how you want.  

 

For instance, you can choose before each fight whether to manually control each party member. Just grinding some XP and Gold? Set all party members to fight wisely and sit back. Fighting a boss? Set all party members to listen to commands. Tougher mob fight than expected? Turn on use big attacks for your party. It is great to have such control during a fight. You can changes these commands any time during a fight. 

 

I also love the ability to sprint anywhere in the world. A couple of times, I have been a bit over-leveled in the game so I just skipped fighting mobs and made my way to the boss. 

 

I am only about 15 hours in but it is quickly becoming my favorite JRPG this gen. 

 

I didn't know a few of the things you mentioned in here. Thanks. I plan to get back to this after Spidey. Only put in 4 hours or so but loved it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Auto-fight has been part of the series for a while, if I'm not mistaken.  I definitely remember it in DQIX.

 

... I think I might like the forge more than anything else QoL related.  It's just a smart way to balance out equipment, and changes up the typical buy-out-the-shop approach you usually take in RPGs this traditional.  It's much more interesting than the alchemy pot used in the past.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/12/2018 at 2:08 PM, jaethos said:

I'm very glad they added voice acting. All the stuff with Faris wouldn't have been anywhere near as good just reading text.

 

That's the one character so far I never appreciated.  He reads his lines so slowly, and is unlikable from the start.

... After playing more, there's some parts of DQXI that people adverse to JRPG tropes (and Japanese games in general) would absolutely hate.  If the game wants to tell a story, it has no problem taking the reigns and trying to force you to care, even if its unrelated to the larger quest or even your party.  That said, the localization is so good, and clever, that it's often easy to get caught up in it.

The game is well paced around those moments too.  Lots of exploration, stat tweaking, mini-games, etc, to pad them before and after.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Didn’t get as much playtime as I wanted last night because I fell asleep on the couch and didn’t wake up until 10. Did manage to play for a couple of hours and make it to Gondolia. It’s great when you enter a new city. How it opens up and sort of presents it’s self is great. Then exploring every inch of it and looking for chests/hidden items is extremely fun. So many townspeople to talk to also makes each city feel alive. This is giving Spider-Man a run for its money on GOTY. 

 

Also was wondering what type of battle-mode everyone chose to play with. Free-Form or Classic?

@CastlevaniaNut18

@Amazatron

@crispy4000

@Xbob42

@jaethos

@AndrewDean84

@best3444

@ManUtdRedDevils

 

I started the game using the default Free-Form but have since switched to the Classic mode. Classic feels more like Dragon Quest to me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...