DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition Game Review

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age was already a beautiful game and a spectacular RPG. While it was eventually brought to the Nintendo Switch, it was with some compromise. Understandably, fans have waited a while for a "better" version that didn't compromise the visuals so much. The good news is, we got that game, and it's got everything from the previous releases and more. The bad news is, we're nevertheless getting bilked for it.

Any conversation about Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition has to start with the sad fact that it's a Game Key Card release. So if you want a physical copy, your only solution is to compromise. A Game Key Card is still better than no physical release, but folks interested in a dedicated cartridge shouldn't have to compromise—not at this point in the game, and especially not for a Dragon Quest title. Worse still is the lack of an upgrade path for prior owners. If you already own a copy of Dragon Quest XI S on the Nintendo Switch, there's no way to upgrade to the Switch 2 version; the Switch 2 version is considered a completely different SKU. So you not only have to buy a whole extra game for the upgrade, but you also have to leave your hard-earned save file behind. Dragon Quest games being what they are, this can mean dozens of hours of effectively lost progress, since you have to start a game all over again. Does this have anything to do with the game itself? No, but anyone invested in Dragon Quest XI deserves respect for their time and money. It's bad PR for Square Enix to get two bites at the apple like this from fans.

As mentioned earlier, this wouldn't hurt so bad if Dragon Quest XI wasn't such a long game—and one that brings replay value right out of the box. For starters, the game opens with what they call "Draconic Quest" options: toggles you can choose to initiate a challenge run, which you can also trigger at any in-game church. These include effects such as making in-game enemies stronger, restricting you from buying equipment, restricting you from using any equipment except what you can earn from enemies, and more. This also goes hand in hand with Dragon Quest XI's skill system. Taking cues from Dragon Quest VIII and IX, as well as Final Fantasy XII's license board, your party members earn skill points on level-up that you can invest in skill trees for various weapons or characteristics, like the Hero's Luminary skill or Erik's Guile. This allows a lot of versatility and experimentation with characters, like letting your dedicated spellcasters dabble in physical weapons. It's also a bit less punishing than VIII, since you can pay a few hundred gold at a church to re-spec your character at any time.

The Fun-Sized Forge also offers plenty of strategy. Replacing the Krak Pot from older Dragon Quest titles, the Fun-Sized Forge is its own little minigame that allows players to make equipment and accessories for their characters—provided you have the materials. And the game wants you to make use of it, since you can buy missing materials with in-game money. Using the forge well can get you equipment far better than what you can buy, and you can even re-forge equipment you own to improve its bonuses. It's also engaging, as you figure out what kind of hammer stroke you need to maximize your odds of bonuses without over-tempering your equipment.

I want to take a moment to talk about turn-based battles. Many have tried to "fix" turn-based battles by making them more immediately "engaging," such as by adding parry systems, action commands, or functions like Stagger meters or Break meters. While these mechanics are fine on paper, they ultimately just gild the lily. Even with its sole "gimmick" being the Pep Powers of your party members (which proc randomly), Dragon Quest XI's turn-based battles are still fun and breezy. It helps that character AI is pretty smart, if you choose to let characters make their own choices. But since so much of the strategy happens before battle, there's no room for boredom: your strategy comes from how you develop your characters. The skills you give them, the equipment you equip them with, the bonuses you expect them to have—these decisions feel important, and even if Dragon Quest's battles are "simple," they make your strategies shine. Other developers should take note: the wheel doesn't need reinventing. It just needs to roll smoothly.

In terms of presentation and experience: this is a Dragon Quest game. You may have opinions about how these games are remade, but the fact remains: the standard for these games is as high as ever. Akira Toriyama's character designs are as iconic, charming, and lovable as ever, from the gruff Erik to the ever-flamboyant Sylvando. The whimsical monsters are all of your old favorites: drooling crabs, grimacing demons, portly pot-loving lizards, and Slimes of every color, flavor, and precious metal. The music, aside from the iconic overture, is perhaps the weakest part—it's hard to tell some of these village or battle themes apart after eleven games. But they're effective, and all the better in this version of the game since they're performed by a proper orchestra. And, of course, it's the story that hits home. The silly character designs and pun-filled names melt away as you explore the emotional depths of these characters, from our Hero's tragic home to Sylvando's surprising wisdom. This game earns its story beats, and its cast will work its way into your heart. As it has for eleven Dragon Quest games, it will do so for future entries in the series.

New to this edition is the option to choose how the game is rendered, whether emphasizing graphical fidelity or smoother framerates. I chose framerates and let Ramia sort it all out; Dragon Quest XI looks spectacular on the Switch 2, even in handheld mode. You don't even notice the ghosting on the screen all that much. The game does show its graphical age a bit; Dragon Quest XI is coming up on a decade old, after all. But if the worst of it is a sword handle clipping through our Hero's hair or a few canned animations at the expense of Toriyama's designs looking as good as they ever will outside of a major motion picture, that's no problem at all. To my inexperienced mind, I don't know what about this graphical toggle made transferring a save file completely impossible.

I struggle with calling Dragon Quest XI one of the best RPGs ever made, if only because this review was my first time actually experiencing the game since its release a decade ago. But—it's still a must-play for the genre, representing the pinnacle of so much of the Dragon Quest series. Which makes it all the more heartbreaking that Square Enix cheaped out on players with the upgrade path. I cannot tell people in good faith to simply avoid this product on principle; that isn't reasonable. Many people still haven't experienced Dragon Quest XI in some capacity or other. It'll go on sale someday. Or maybe a loved one will buy it for them as a gift. But anyone who walks into Dragon Quest XI will experience a truly great game. And it even plays better on the Switch 2. Now if only Square Enix could've been reasonable...