Dragon Quest XI

[DANGERMAN]

yeah the music is probably the worst thing about DQ11. I thought people were being ridiculous when I first saw complaints, but there's not enough variety and it's not interesting enough

 

I was enjoying it when I stopped, you playing it and getting past where I was (I remember doing the magic school) is prompting me to go back

[radiofloyd]

6 hours ago, DANGERMAN said:

yeah the music is probably the worst thing about DQ11. I thought people were being ridiculous when I first saw complaints, but there's not enough variety and it's not interesting enough

 

I was enjoying it when I stopped, you playing it and getting past where I was (I remember doing the magic school) is prompting me to go back

 

Do it! You can’t abandon a Dragon Quest mid-way through. 

[radiofloyd]

Alright entering into proper spoiler territory now:

 

Spoiler

Passed the 50 hour mark. When you go to the Yggdrasil Tree it basically tiggers an event similar to Final Fantasy VI where the world is cast into darkness and you are split up from your party members.

 

I defeated the bad guys in Heliodor and that restored light to the world. Now I’m setting off with my new party member, Hendrik.

 

 

[DANGERMAN]

I managed to play a bit yesterday. I effed up a painting now I've been told by the queen of the mermaids (proper gritty shit Dragon Quest) that I need to go to the ice kingdom, so that's next 

[radiofloyd]

Spoiler

Got Rab and Slyvando back in my team now and access to the ship again. Hopefully I’ll have the whole team back together soon.

 

[DANGERMAN]

I'm catching you up a bit, it's taking a long time though, might be my fault for getting in to needless fights. 

 

Spoiler

I've just got Rab back but haven't used him yet. I barely used him before hand, I used the princess and the 2 magic girls, one to heal one to fuck stuff up. Rab can kind of fill both roles, and both me and Hendrik can heal ourselves too so we're covered on that front

 

Gameplay wise, there's not much to say. It's still more Dragon Quest, which is fine, and I am enjoying it, certainly more than Ni No Kuni 2, but less than some of the better games in the series. I can't shake the feeling that it needs to kick up to another gear though, it's good, it's just not amazing yet

[radiofloyd]

At that rate you’ll probably power past me. Yeah it’s definitely not amazing. Made some more progress tonight. 

 

Spoiler

I freed the King of Dundrasil from his misery which means that my hero has his luminary powers restored.

 

 

[DANGERMAN]

I've literally just done that bit, rested at a campfire because that fight took its toll, saved and turned it off. I'll play some more later, but so many repeated areas is really taking the gloss off. If I didn't think it was a design rather than narrative lead decision I'd be more forgiving of it I think, but it's really making this section of the game feel slow, knowing there's at least 3 more chunks of it we've still got left to do before things move on

 

edit: actually, I've just had a quick look at a guide (area names rather than any details) it doesn't look like there's a huge amount left, certainly compared to what's gone before

[radiofloyd]

Amazing in such a long rpg that we’re  both right now at the exact same stage in the story. My playtime is around 60 hours and my hero character is level 42, if memory serves. How about you?

[DANGERMAN]

level 45 and 63 hours, which is pretty close considering I'm on PC so have left the game on menus because I can't suspend. I'm at the next area now though, it's really close, not too much of a trek

[DANGERMAN]

in tot he 70s and finally reached an area I haven't been to before. Although to be fair, the recent areas have all been relatively short. I also think the developers expected to be getting an bit tired of the treking around because I was given the ability to Zoom to a couple of locations, which is next on my list.

 

This bit contains a fairly large spoiler, actually a couple I guess, basically it's setting up for the end game so unless you're that far don't read

 

Spoiler

someone has died

Spoiler

ok, that was your 2nd warning. I wasn't really expecting them to go through with it, Veronica was built up to be very powerful and very key, she is/was both of those things, but I expected to see her return to being an adult before the end of the game. To be fair that absolutely could still happen, but given Serena now has her powers that does look pretty final, still, I wouldn't be amazed to see her Obi Wan in giving moral support during the final fight

 

The area I'm in now collecting some ore to make a weapon, it's a fairly difficult area. Maybe I've just played too much over the past week or so, maybe too much today, but I started just to dodge fights. I was having to heal after every fight, spamming skills (falcon attack is very powerful for the cost) and there weren't an abundance of places to heal and save, nor was I levelling up often enough to make that not matter. I do want to fight a bit more though, I could do with a few more levels before the end, but I guess the weapon making section feeling like needless padding is going to be all the grinding I need

 

 

 

Earlier stuff leading up to the previous section, I'll try to keep this fairly vague

Spoiler

There was a fight I lost. I wasn't fully healed and was thrown in to a surprise boss fight. I won that, but it's immediately followed by another one. Had I known I'd have filled my pockets with SP replenishing items and a few strong heal items, but I didn't so I died. I was expecting the worst and did rekit everyone, but nicely even though I was picking up from where I'd last saved it set me at full health and skipped the first fight, which meant the 2nd one on its own was pretty easy

 

I feel like some of the bosses from then on have been a bit cheap. Spells that steal SP, attacks that paralyse your whole group, charm them, or send them to sleep, they become a bit of a chore, especially as all of them will be able to attack twice from now on. Oh well, that's rpgs I guess

 

anyway, hard to know how much is left. I'm at 76 hours, I doubt I'll hit 86 but it's hard to know, the last area took a while, previous areas have been short, so who knows

[DANGERMAN]

for the first time since getting a full roster I got wiped out tonight. My 4 main characters were all killed, I was ready to piss and moan about the sudden difficulty spike on a boss that hits multiple times and seems to specifically target people, but my 3 reserves jumped in so I could finish the fight. He killed 2 of them very quickly and would have killed my final character if I hadn't killed him. I can't remember if I've seen that before, usually your reserves might as well not exist if they aren't in your starting line-up, more games should do this I think

 

 

Anyway, I'm on the final dungeon apparently, so I've taken that boss as a lesson and am going to grind like fuck ?

[DANGERMAN]

I finished this tonight. I've spent the last couple of days grinding, partly because I've been bedridden, partly because I figured that if the enemies in the area were giving me problems the bosses would slaughter me. 

 

I read a guide that said to be around level 55, but they had a build and equipment to counter the boss, so I figured I'd have to be a bit higher. I ended up between 61 and 65 for my team, and I went and forged some better gear. That was probably all a bit much, I trounced a boss in about 3 turns. 

 

I'm not going to say much more than that. There's more to do so I might go back at some point. I enjoyed it quite a bit all told. Its not a patch on 5, 4, 8 or even 9. It never quite gets going as a story, it's far too tame, too well trodden, without enough quirk. 8 wasn't exactly a gritty story either, but it had enough humour to make it stand out. The only thing 11 has to really make it stand out is how nice the world and monsters look. 

 

Just to stress though, it's still a good game, it's just a bit of a by the numbers Dragon Quest game 

[radiofloyd]

Good job!

[radiofloyd]

I was away for the weekend so I played this for the first time in four or five days, and couldn’t summon much enthusiasm for it. Maybe I’ll come back to it but for now it’s going on the back burner. Gonna play some indie games for a while.

[DisturbedSwan]

Started this on Monday, I'm about 8 hours in.

 

Initial impressions are excellent. Not much has happened in the slightest in the story but I definitely feel sucked in and immersed into this world already.

 

A lot has been made about the MIDI-soundtrack on PS4 and this hasn't bothered me to be honest, hearing the orchestral main theme on the menu then in game does make me yearn for the whole game to be orchestral but I've really enjoyed a lot of the songs I've heard. I know a lot of the themes and songs probably repeat over between games but hearing them for the first time whilst actually playing a DQ game made it feel all the more special. There's just some sense of history and grandiose about the series that you can't shake when picking up the controller and actually stepping into a game for the first time.

 

The visuals are spectacular for the most part - the grass does a look a bit weird at times - I honestly could not get enough of just walking around Heliodor, finding all the doors I could open and chests I could find, the interiors are sublime too, the castle interior in particular was truly gorgeous. It is just continually mind-blowing for me that this series - that I've always associated with handhelds - can look this damn spectacular and beautiful on a home console, it is just an absolute joy. The art design and enemy/character design are absolutely sublime too, gives them so much character and distinctiveness that sets the game apart from a lot of other JRPGs.

 

When the music, the incredibly beautiful charming visuals and art design come together it is just an absolute joy to play, I don't know how else to say it really. It is just so charming, jolly and such a vivid assault on the senses that you just cannot help but smile and hum gently away at one of the theme tunes (the Heliodor day tune is my favourite so far) and find yourself utterly lost in the world.

 

I really didn't expect the platforming to be so satisfying. As mentioned above, exploring hidden ladders and roofs in Heliodor to find a chest or jar to smash was a nice distraction, there's a verticality to the towns and environs that I really didn't expect to see. Some mild puzzle elements and platforming just make the whole world more believable, engaging and indulge that sense of wonder.

 

I was probably worried most about the combat going in. I knew about the auto-battle stuff going in and worried it would be super-passive and uninteresting and well it has been a bit like that at times, but I am incredibly early in and feel like the game hasn't even begun to mount a real challenge yet so I feel that will improve significantly as time goes on. I do like the basic turn-based-combat, tried and true is I suppose the best way to describe them but they do the job and feel just about satisfying enough (along with the distinct enemies you encounter) to keep things ticking along on the combat front.

 

Another slight negative is that it has been incredibly linear so far. I get that I'm very early in and just past the Prologue probably but I find myself wanting to explore and keep finding different paths blocked off or being directed aggressively to the next NPC for the next quest. 

 

But overall first impressions are excellent. A JRPG took my GOTY spot late last year (love you XC2 ❤️) could another take it this year...time will tell.

 

Pics:

 

 

[DANGERMAN]

I don't know if @radiofloyddid the same, but the first thing I did when I got a new party member (when they properly join your party rather than just tag along) is go in to the settings and make it so I controlled them in battle 

[radiofloyd]

I played the whole game with everyone set to “fight wisely”. Only for certain quests and one or two boss battles did I take direct control. I didn’t die once in the 60+ hours I played.

[DisturbedSwan]

I’m about 23 hours in now.

 

Have to say my opinion of it has dropped quite a bit since those first 8 hours. I am still enjoying it but I’m definitely not loving it or feel like I’m invested in the characters or story much at all.

 

It mostly reminds me of a better Ni No Kuni 2 really. Some of the towns have a similar feel and even the way of dishing out the story - focusing on one towns plight to the next just feels so similar. Like NNK2 I haven’t really warmed to any of the characters yet, all of them have promise at times but they just feel like overly simplistic characatures, I think Serena is genuinely awful though. I get that the silent protagonist is probably a DQ tradition but I just can’t really like the protagonist really, feels too much like a blank slate for me, just really bland.

 

The towns are probably my highlight though. Even though some of the designs aren’t exactly new - Gondolia is basically just that Venetian town from FFXV designed a little differently and less extravagant and Gallopolis is basically Gerudo Town from BotW - I feel like I get the most immersed and lost in the game when I’m just running around exploring, talking to everyone I can.

 

I think if I reach the 50 hour mark and am feeling the same way I may throw in the towel as I just don’t want to finish it for the sake of finishing it after slogging it through NNK2 earlier this year.

 

I’m starting to think no JRPG will ever live up to XC2 in future ?

[one-armed dwarf]

Dragon Quest is sort of a what you expect is what you're likely to get kind of series.  The thing you're describing about helping a town out with a problem is exactly what I did in VIII 13 years ago.

 

If you're not versed in JRPG then give those FF games a look next year on Switch. To you I'd recommend X and IX.

 

Not as open as Xenoblade but it's a series that's always evolving itself.