Dragon Quest XI is one of the best games ever made. From its deep gameplay and charming characters to its gorgeous visuals and stunning music, Echoes of an Elusive Age is a game that no one should miss out on.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $59.99
Platforms: PS4
MonsterVine was Provided With a PS4 Code for Review
After playing Ni no Kuni 2 earlier this year, I felt that modern RPGs couldn’t get much better. Then Dragon Quest XI came out. Echoes of an Elusive Age is not only one of the best RPGs ever made, but one of the best games ever made in general. This is a lofty claim to make,but it’s justified by the quality and polish that exudes from every inch of Dragon Quest XI.
The story of Dragon Quest XI is simple at its onset. You play as the Luminary, a normal young man who turns out to be the reincarnation of an ancient hero. Viewed as a menace by the most powerful kingdom in the land, the Luminary must traverse the world of Erdrea with his ragtag team of companions in order to stop the return of an ancient evil, and to clear the hero’s name. While the main plot is completely serviceable, it’s the smaller stories that make the narrative so enthralling.
Some side-plots are surprisingly heavy with emotion, like the doomed romance between a mermaid and a sailor, while others are clever and full of creativity, like the legend of a menacing mural that grants good fortune to people who disappear. Each smaller story comes together to tell the tale of the Luminary, with each quest showing more and more civilians that the Luminary may not be the fearsome Darkspawn that they’ve been told he is. It’s rewarding to hear NPCs in each town speak to you in a more positive light as the game goes on, as it feels like you’re slowly making an impact on Erdrea as a whole.
The main party of Dragon Quest XI is a complete joy to travel with, as each character fills their own niche to perfection. The smart and snarky Erik is the perfect first companion for the somewhat naive Luminary, while the soft and kind Rab makes for the perfect mentor as the story progresses. Erik and the incredibly flamboyant performer Sylvando are my personal favorites, but there isn’t a single party member that I disliked. Each of their own backstories begin to come to light throughout the journey, which makes them feel like a true family by the end. I’d argue that this team is just as good as Dragon Quest VIII’s, which I hold in incredibly high regard.
The writing is exceptional as well, as it tends to be in the Dragon Quest series, Multi-layered puns and healthy doses of wordplay are commonplace in Echoes of an Elusive Age, with a quality of writing that keeps this constant goofiness from becoming hackneyed or grating. There were a few enemies whose names earned an actual chuckle out of me, and I’d like to point out the simple brilliance of naming the frozen, Nordic-based city “Sniflheim”. The nearby school for young girls that is based entirely around collecting mini-medals is one of many good examples of how goofy Dragon Quest XI can be when it wants to, though listing further examples would take away from how silly and endearing Erdrea can be.
“I never felt like I was running out of things to do in Echoes of an Elusive Age, as there’s enough side-content to excite even the most ardent of completionists.“
Echoes of an Elusive Age’s combat manages to balance depth and accessibility in a way that few RPGs could dream of, partially because of how customizable battling can be. If you prefer action-RPGs, the free-form combat option lets you move your characters around while you fight. If you’re a purist like me, you can battle every foe in the game from a set spot using fixed camera angles. This doesn’t change combat in any advantageous way, but it lets players of different tastes and preferences experience Dragon Quest XI more comfortably.
Either way, combat is still a turn-based affair. Character/enemy stats determine turn order, which can be altered through stat buffs and debuffs. Every party member has their own strengths and weaknesses, which depend on their equipment and how you level them. There’s a lot of room to make each character your own, thanks to different skill trees and weapons. If you want to use Erik as a fast and hefty physical attacker, you can spend his skill points on knife skills and stat boosts. If you want him to focus on stealing and inflicting status effects, then you can go between his knife and “Guile” skill trees. You can even roll back skill points if you want to start over, meaning you never feel stuck in one character type. The addition of “Pep Powers”, animated team attacks with a wide range of different effects, gives combat a cinematic essence while being incredibly useful in battle. The Pep attacks can be exciting, silly, and everything inbetween, so it’s quite fun to watch them play out.
I never felt like I was running out of things to do in Echoes of an Elusive Age, as there’s enough side-content to excite even the most ardent of completionists. Casino minigames, secret islands, sprawling side-stories, and piles of collectibles are peppered throughout the world of Erdrea, rewarding exploration and frequent revisits of previously visited areas. Even mundane tasks like examining bookshelves and cabinets is worthwhile, as useful recipes and mini-medals can be found and used to acquire strong equipment.
The artwork of Akira Toriyama (creator of Dragon Ball) has never looked better in 3D. Classic enemies have been perfectly converted from pixel-based sprites to living 3D models, while new enemy designs fit perfectly into the world of Dragon Quest. I think Dragon Quest has some of the best creature design in gaming, and the beautiful visuals of Echoes of an Elusive Age make them look even better. Very few series could get away with having one creature with as many variations as the Slime has, as it’s the creative simplicity of Dragon Quest that makes such a basic creature so fun to look at.
“The orchestral score is beautiful and memorable, and it features the best iteration of the iconic Dragon Quest overture.“
Every city and settlement is based on a real nation, which means you’ll visit some stunning locations that feel familiar but breath-taking. There are lots of neat little details that you begin to notice as the game goes on, from each enemy’s unique status ailment animations to the expressions of townsfolk when they see you rummaging through their closets. It’s all rather minor, but it adds a bit of life to the already gorgeous world of Dragon Quest XI.
The music in Dragon Quest games is always a highlight, and Echoes of an Elusive Age is certainly no exception. The orchestral score is beautiful and memorable, and it features the best iteration of the iconic Dragon Quest overture. Almost every single song managed to get stuck in my head at some point in the game, with the main battle theme becoming particularly entrenched in my brain. The use of classic sound effects from the NES-era Dragon Quest titles is much appreciated, as it makes the title feel closer to its roots. It’s not new to Dragon Quest XI, but it’s still a masterful use of weaponized nostalgia.
The Final Word
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is one of the best games ever made. Every single bit of the massive RPG feels polished to perfection. The characters and story are some of the best in the genre, while fighting enemies and exploring the world of Erdrea is an endless joy. It’s hard to overstate just how fantastic Dragon Quest XI is, but I can assure you that you’d be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on this genre-defining title.
MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent
