Dragon Quest XI, Yay or Nay?

This has been the question that frequently pops up in my inner monologues since the day the game launched. Do I get Dragon Quest XI?

I’m a newcomer to the series with zero experience with the Dragon Quest franchise. I had a copy of one of its PS1 titles but it only ever collected dust. I believe I tried it out but disliked it enough to completely forget about what I had played.

Now with this iteration, the feelings are changing. Dragon Quest XI looks pretty good in the sense that it fulfills all JRPG tropes with some nice flair. That’s about it really but I’ve been dying for a huge JRPG for a while now which is why I find it so appealing. Of course, the fact that it carries the Dragon Quest name also brings a lot to the table now that I know the franchise actually has enough merit to warrant such a large user base.

On the other hand, it also looks completely bland. Everything is the same as any classic JRPG with few reasons to care about the story or characters (except for the fan favourite lady). It is a game revered by fans as it holds true to the traditional nature of JRPG combat and tropes but I find that without at least some sort of innovation added to that, it comes up only as a disappointment. I’ve also seen the voice acting and I get now why people say they prefer the lack of voices like in the Japanese release.

Here’s the surprise though, I’ve actually managed to play a little bit of it before its release! I did some light exploration, combat and tinkered with the general interface and mechanics. From that, I feel that it comes up a little short. I’m not going to nitpick things like ‘The character runs too slow!’ but I do believe certain things should be a standard in the industry and developers must at least match up to that level.

The combat feels OK at best as I find the turn-based system to be very uninspired. At least make it look good, ya know? It just falls a little short but it could improve as the game progresses so I’m hopeful on that. I find the exploration to be rather basic as well, a problem that should have already been fixed in this day and age. Counterarguments to mine state that the game is meant to be relaxing, something you play as if you’re relaxing in the bath tub or on a cold night with a hot cup of tea. If that’s the case, I do believe it has a lot of merit to tailor to that experience. The other mechanics fit in as decently as they should; nothing creative but definitely solid enough to carry the game. I reckon this gets better later in but I didn’t get that from my impression of it.

At the end of it all, I’m still trying to decide whether or not to get it. A fun, relaxing time with a chance to sink my teeth into the latest in a popular franchise or a drawn-out bore to be had with a franchise uninspired by the world around it?