Dragon Quest XI Impressions
Iâve started Dragon Quest XI! I
was given the game as a gift for Christmas and so I started the
journey! I was ready to be in it for the long haul. That first play
session lasted around 7 hours. Now, depending on when I can schedule
this post, I may have already gotten way further in than you think.
But I am writing this only with those 7 hours in my head so keep that
in mind.
Honestly, the game is a bit slow,
even at the start. Barring the cutscenes, the game starts off very
ordinary (as ordinary as any JRPG) and it follows a very linear
pattern from there. Combat itself is just a collection of commands
but Iâm very sure this becomes far more strategic once I have more
magic and skills to use. It also wonât hurt that Iâll have more
party members in the future to play around with.
But it really does keep to the very
traditional grind of JRPGs. I now know why people have said to take
this game at night, after a nice bath with a hot cup of coffee or
tea. It lulls you very easily, and that can either be a good or a bad
thing! After all, no one wants to fall asleep playing their game but
then again, itâs always great to have this dreamy experience when
youâre all cozy and comfortable at home. In the future, I do feel
that this game has the potential to appeal more to the latter but I
need to progress through a little more before I can say so for sure.
There are very purposeful,
methodical actions you have to make in the game that could be done
better in my opinion. Like, it doesnât even appeal to the above
lifestyle as Iâve described. Itâs just a bit of a misfire, almost
as if itâs just a feature included to appeal to old school fans of
the traditional system. Even combat is needlessly slow moving but it
is what it is I suppose. I canât really say much about it since I
havenât gone far enough with many skills or party members yet.
But what is surprising is the story
beats. I went in expecting a full-on traditional JRPG and for the
most part, yes, thatâs what I got. But the story beats can shift so
fast that Iâm not quite ready to take in what theyâre showing me
(in a good way). Theyâve also gone and thrown in so many iconic
(and usually dead) old school story elements that itâs actually
entertaining to me! If this keeps up, Iâd say theyâre doing a
damn fine job with the narrative aspect of it, which is a surprise
all things considered.
Itâs also a bit unfortunate that
there is a very noticeable motion blur when playing on the PS4 Pro
and since the game has already been out for a while and that has
still not been fixed, I donât think itâs ever going to be fixed.
Itâs not really a game breaker since you donât get to move around
that quickly anyway unless you really just want to hit each story
beat as you go along.
Overall, it strikes me as an
interesting balance. I love some of the stuff, I do not like some
other stuff. I find the narrative fascinating, I find the gameplay a
bit dry. It really is just a matter of how they continue from this
point
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