Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

My Steam client is bugged, actual gameplay at time of review is approx 160-200 hours in my combined save files.
TLDR: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the single best RPG of our generation and possibly one of the greatest games of all time. Your only question should be which version to buy and when you will take off 6 months from work to play it.
There's little I can say about this game that hasn't already been said. But I want to address the two main arguments that always come up: Platform differences and gameplay mechanics. If you're interested in hearing more about these two things, read on.
1) Gameplay Mechanics:
DQ XI, like its predecessors, is an old-school, somewhat grindy, turn-based RPG. I can't believe how many reviews of this game lambaste its "outdated" gameplay. If you don't understand this basic fact about the game, I'm not sure why you are even considering playing it.
Most RPG series have long-since abandoned turn-based combat, and for a good reason; it gets repetitive. Cooler, sleeker styles of combat, inspired by a mashup of Zelda, Secret of Mana, and MMORPGs are now the norm. This is fine and dandy. However, Dragon Quest has always stayed true to its roots, some would say to a fault. However, there's room in the world for both. For example, Disney has abandoned hand-drawn animation in its feature films, but I very much miss that style. I don't want to see CGI masterpieces like Toy Story and Wall-E go away, but there's room in the world for both. I feel the same way about Dragon Quest. Newer, slicker games exist, but that's not the point here. Old-school combat and progression mechanics still have a place in today's gaming landscape, and it's nice to take a break from the faster-paced games and play something like this. I don't want to see these types of games disappear the way Disney animation has. No one understands this more than the DQ dev team, and they've done everything possible to keep this style of game relevant in 2020.
This entry introduces every possible Quality of Life improvement you could ask for, while keeping combat traditional and turn-based.
- No random battles. Monsters appear onscreen and you can engage or avoid in most cases
- Fast battles. You can even modify combat speed to accelerate this if you wish
- Minimal grinding. Rarely will you find yourself walking in circles engaging enemies in order to beat a tough boss. If you're weak, it's probably because you avoided battle. If you fight most monsters you naturally encounter along the way, you'll always have enough power to beat the next boss.
- Fast travel is available very early on. Though you do eventually get a boat and airship as in most RPGs, they don't really allow faster travel, just access to new places. Travel is always simple and not time-consuming
- Varied battle options. After the first few characters are added to your party, battles almost never amount to simply selecting "attack" for all four members. Each battle is different, and you are always matching your battle tactics to the situation.
- Excellent ability trees allow for each character to play multiple roles, and easily switch roles at any time. No getting stuck with a build you hate as was the case in DQ VIII.
- Character actions are randomized as well, making each battle unique. Characters have an "agility" stat. All characters and monsters roll for initiative at the beginning of each combat round to determine action order. The higher your agility, the better shot you have at a high roll. It can even be possible for a character to attack twice in a row (last to act on round 1 followed by first to act in round 2) This makes each battle unique and allows you to manipulate the agility stat to your advantage later.
Overall, turn-based combat has never looked or played this well. If you hate turn-based combat, you won't like this game. If you've never tried turn-based before, there's no better place to start than right here. If you grew up on games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy II and III for SNES (like I did) you will feel right at home.
2) Platform differences in a nutshell:
PS4: You're boned, sorry. This is the worst version, as it's missing all of the improvements and can't be modded so it will likely never have them.
PC: The Orchestral Music mod is a must, as the MIDI that ships with the game is bafflingly bad. If your PC has enough power, this is by far the best-looking version, and who knows what other cool Steam mods may come out in the future.
Switch: This version doesn't look as crisp, but adds a slew of cool new features such as 2D mode complete with new 2D-only quests, new mounts, a couple new storylines for some of the main characters, and tons of other QoL stuff. None of it modifies the game in a meaningful way or changes your progression or power, so your core game experience remains the same. If you prefer cool add-ons to sharp graphics, or need the portability, then this is the version for you.
It sucks that we have to choose between nifty add-ons and sharp graphics. My opinion is that the Steam version looks much MUCH better than the Switch and given the cloud-save option, I know I'll be enjoying this game on Steam decades after the Switch is just another forgotten console in a milk crate in my closet with the rest. Dragon Quest games do not come around very often. We had to wait THIRTEEN years for this game since DQ VIII, and God only knows how long it will be before the next true sequel. How long next time...15 years? 20? These games are nothing less than an epoch in human history, and the PC Steam version seems to be the best way to ensure the games stay accessible forever.
The developers did hint that it they were considering adding the Switch bonus content to the PC version in the future, so hope is not lost. It's possible one day we may be able to have it all. Also, the modding community is always working on cool ways to tweak Steam games, so who knows what other fun add-ons they will come up with!
In conclusion:
I'm a 42 year old lifetime gamer. I've played hundreds of games for tens of thousands of hours since I was old enough to hold an Atari controller. This is without a doubt the most lovingly-crafted work of art I have ever seen and would easily be my #1 desert island game. (Yes, narrowly over Breath of the Wild) It has nearly infinite replay value, amazing attention to detail, and some truly heart-warming story moments with genuinely likeable characters. I don't say this lightly, but this may be the most impressive and amazing video game I've ever played. If there was ever an achievement that blurs the line between a game and a work of art, this is it.
That said, I know it's not for everyone, and I can understand those who don't have the patience for such a long slog. Some people don't care about playing a work of art, they just want to kill monsters, and that's a perfectly valid desire. DQ XI is a slow burn for sure, and not for the impatient gamer. However, if you appreciate details, play-balance, and game designers that actually care deeply about their finished product, you can do a lot worse than to sacrifice a chunk of your life to this masterpiece.
Comments enabled for the inevitable "ok boomer" meme posts. :)

You have a goal in life and friends on a bright and colorful world, this appeals to the male fantasy.

This game is fantastic.
What I love about the Dragon Quest games is that they don't try to reinvent the wheel with each game. They keep the core of what makes a Dragon Quest game a Dragon Quest game in tact, while only tweaking things here and there. With this game, the DQ franchise has surpassed the Final Fantasy franchise in terms of anything made in the last twenty years.
Now, I'm an old man (37) and grew up playing SNES RPGs and so I value turn based combat and being able to control ALL of my characters. This game delivers that very well. We all know that we spend the majority of our time in a JRPG in combat and this game doesn't disappoint for me. I actively always wanted to see what new skills I would unlock in the skill trees. There was tons of varied equipment and different sets to collect and the blacksmith upgrade system was oddly fun and addictive as well.
Graphics? Beautiful, full of vibrant colors and characters. More cartoony than realistic of course, but I personally like that.
Sound? I played with whatever music they had, but you apparently can download a patch with orchestral music. The voice work is solid and while I thought I would get annoyed at one character in particular, he was just both hilarious and heartwarming at the end of the day.
Story? Solid and serviceable. It's a Dragon Quest game. So the story isn't going to be Final Fantasy Tactics/Tactics Ogre levels of deep and complex, but it doesn't have to be. You will grow to love your merry band of misfits and their journey.
You will also get easily over 100-150 hours of game time out of this game if you are like me and wanted to do virtually everything and collect everything you can because you simply didn't want the game to end. Well worth the 60 bucks. Even better if you can nab it on sale.
I can't recommend this game enough.

Alright, this is by no surprise one of the best JRPG ever made. There are so many good design choices in one game which should inspire the future JRPG titles. Highly recommended purchase for any fan of the turn-based rpg~
Pros:
* 10/10 rendered cutscenes, super high budget stuff
* Beautiful graphics and animations
* All party members are getting character development! They have their own backstories and goals
* Battle system is still the same as the previous DQ titles except for the new pep-up skills
* Story has twists and its bloody amazing, it has so many surprises
* Character building is well made, it's using something similar to FF12's license tree
* Crafting is simplified which I'm not very fan of that, I prefer DQ8's experimental model over this one but that doesn't mean it's not good~ it's still a plus
* Costumes are a great addition to the game but sadly there is no costume slot... I want to use Bunny Jade... forever!
* High gameplay time that easily pays itself
Cons:
* No content from Switch version
* Post-game content levelling with metal slime hunting is boring.
* Side quests are mostly fetch quests, can get old quickly~
* The main villain is... how can I say... weak?
100%'d achievements in 90 hours on my first playthrough, 4 hours of metal slime farming, so many hours sink into the post-game content. It's a great JRPG that every fan of the genre must play.
My score is 9.5/10, because it lacks the content of Switch version~
It would be nice to get that version one day though.

I have never written a review for anything in my life, but this game deserves it. Coming from a competitive FPS console player, who switched to PC and bought this game ... mind blown. I know this game is on console too, and I've played a handful of other RPG games before, but nothing has ever kept my interest long enough to play it through completely - except for Skyrim, but the main storyline for that didn't last as long as this one did. 52 hours of main storyline gameplay, I hardly even played any of the sidequests yet, and did maybe about 2 hrs of just messing around in combat leveling my party. 52 hrs of amazing graphics, an epic journey, and intriguing turn-based combat. The details in the design, the diverse personalities of the characters, the fun voice acting, and the depth of the sounds ... best $60 I've ever spent in my life. I'm happy to be now drawn to JRPGs and the PC life, the bar has been set very high with this one. I was worried that it was going to be too child-like for me to even tolerate, but it ended up being the best game I've ever played. Never again will I spend $60 on a new FPS, now that I know what it really means for developers to put their blood, sweat and tears into a game. Thank you for this experience.

I am in shock at how much I like this game. Im a old school Nintendo dragon warrior fan and I was transported back. I was going to wait for a sale but i am glad I didnt because this made my thanksgiving!

This is the RPG you've been waiting for. Dear Square Enix, this is all you have to do to please your fans. Make games like this one.
It's highly recommended you play with draconian settings "strong monsters" as the normal difficulty is far too easy. The draconian settings feel just right however.