First Full Look at Dragon Quest XI Gameplay

At the Recent Jump Festa event, Square Enix showed off the first footage of the next installment in the Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest XI. Lots of information was revealed during the stream showing the opening cinematic, a gameplay related video exploring the map and a town, and a cutscene introducing one of the game's party members, the thief Camus. Dragon Quest XI's director, Takeshi Uchikawa, said the following about the game's map, "It is a vast map comparable to previous Dragon Quest titles. It won’t betray your expectations.”

What is particularly interesting about the 3DS footage is that the two screens display the same information in two different engines. The top in a full 3D world with modern graphics and the bottom in classic sprite era graphics.

Dragon Quest XI will be the first DQ since VIII to release on a PlayStation platform. It will also be coming to the 3DS and the Switch. As of right now it is planned to release in Japan next year, but there is likely going to be a western release as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCMRiZx78Jk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQGyfmcJulg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdHYS2OWYW0

I look at Camus and all I see is Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Future Gohan. That and the hero looks a little like Trunks has me sold on it.

Not sure how I feel about this. Toriyama's stylized art work doesn't really mesh as well with semi-hyper realistic cg like you would think it should. The horse and dog in the trailers look really surreal, same with the FF style landscapes crawling with the more cartoony Toriyama monsters.

The 3DS version is also a bit too busy for my taste and I wish the game would simply let you choose to play it in 3D or 2D and not try to do both.

Other than that, it looks pretty good, and I'm curious if the tree featured in the opening movie may be connected to the one in IX. Would be interesting to see the DQ team pull another I-III and IV-VI and have the last three titles interconnected.

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

The 3DS version is also a bit too busy for my taste and I wish the game would simply let you choose to play it in 3D or 2D and not try to do both.

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This is actually the case, as they've stated before. You start off with both and then you have to decide at a certain point.

I'm actually really loving all this so far! Here's hoping we won't have to wait too long for this to come out in the West!

EDIT:

Just noticed this!

http://app.famitsu.com/wp-content/up...1/DQ1_Logo.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...st_XI_Logo.jpg

So cute ! Can't wait to get this and just go around exploring on the horse :jess:

looks like dragon quest VI hero
hephurm looks cool and like his design
camille reminds old zenithia arc hero
in summary i m so hyped and good job sqare enix i recover hope in this generation not apology of remakes for eixample toukiden riwani (toukiden psp original version japan exclusive) or translates type 0 final fantasy (along exist years ago in psp original version japan exclusive) in other words this generation its take of chance for translates psp japanese games and can play in our lenguage this is not bad idea but the fact is ¿its too late for try translate old psp games? the theory its ¿this generation tries translate suikoden tsumugareshi hyakunen no toki or 1&2)

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Originally Posted by Fynn

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

The 3DS version is also a bit too busy for my taste and I wish the game would simply let you choose to play it in 3D or 2D and not try to do both.

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This is actually the case, as they've stated before. You start off with both and then you have to decide at a certain point.

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Or you could just look at one screen and not the other.

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Originally Posted by Depression Moon

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Originally Posted by Fynn

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

The 3DS version is also a bit too busy for my taste and I wish the game would simply let you choose to play it in 3D or 2D and not try to do both.

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This is actually the case, as they've stated before. You start off with both and then you have to decide at a certain point.

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Or you could just look at one screen and not the other.

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Kind of hard to do that when your peripheral vision catches the movement from the other screen, course it's a moot point now since Fynn explained you can choose to stick with one eventually.

I'm pretty sure you even have to decide on one, since the game just opens on both screens so that you can check it out, but then you just gotta go with one of the other. I don't think you can change that later.

Now this game opens up a whole sort of dilemmas for me. Should I get this for PS4 with its jaw-dropping graphics and iverworld that really reminds me of the best part of DQVIII, or the 3DS version for the portability and more traditional feel? And if I go for the 3DS version, should I go with the DQVII-like art style, or the old-timey 16bit sprites?

This is all too much for me. Ideally, I hope this would turn out to be completely different experiences so that I'd be justified in buying both, but it's hard to tell now

I'm actually planning on the 3DS version and using the 16-bit graphics. DQ just feels better to me as an old school 2D experience.

I can't believe they made it two ways. That is too cool. The 3D looks beautiful so I may have to go with that.

If I were to get a Dragon Quest game, would this be a good start? Or is it better to start with one of the older ones.

I think start with VIII. It's more modern and will be closer to other games you may have played but still has the classic charm. IV or V are also great alternatives.

The two styles gives it more replay value. I'd play it in 3D first then on my 2nd playthrough in 2D.

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Originally Posted by Formalhaut

If I were to get a Dragon Quest game, would this be a good start? Or is it better to start with one of the older ones.

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You could do it like Del says, or you could start from the beginning, like I did, and let me tell you, it really gives you a nice sense of progression throughout the series and lets you appreciate the little things. If you do start from another game, just keep in min that I, II and III have to be played in order to fully appreciate, and the same goes for IV, V and VI, as while the series as a whole is pretty much like FF in that they're all separate stories with separate worlds, these two trilogies actually have games that form a much deeper connection even in story, especially the first trilogy.

The first three games are available on mobile (and if you decide to emulate them instead, go for the SNES versions), while IV, V and VI are available there as well, and in DS. VII and VIII are on 3DS (VIII coming out in January, unless you go with the PS2 original), while IX is on DS. X still hasn't released outside of Japan, but the chances are growing, judging by the release of VII and VIII on 3DS and the fact that China is getting the game.

Check out my reviews for I-VI if you're interested :p If anything, DQI is at least a very short game, so you can always check that out. It's worth taking a look just to see what the first ever JRPG was like.

But will the Switch version switch between the old style sprites or the newer models depending on whether it's in console or handheld mode? :D

It'll probably just be the PS4 version :p

The graphics always look great in DQ but then I'm always reminded about how much of a grindfest these games are just to go up one level. I wish they came with a zen mode or something.

Fynn and I can tell you it doesn't take all that long just to go up one level. I only played V and VIII, but in neither it felt that long.

Yeah, beat I to VII and played a bit of VIII in the past and they're really not that grindy. Of course, grindier than FF, but still not as demanding as other RPGs out there

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Yeah, beat I to VII and played a bit of VIII in the past and they're really not that grindy. Of course, grindier than FF, but still not as demanding as other RPGs out there

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Depends on the version actually. Most of the remakes tone down the grind, but the originals were kind of guilty of it. If it wasn't XP that was in short demand then it was usually Gold. Either way, it always seemed like you were under-leveled or under-equipped.

I am staring at my physical copy of Dragon Warrior VII right now, and I vividly remember clocking hours of gameplay and only just beating that fire element Easter Island statue boss.

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

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Originally Posted by Fynn

Yeah, beat I to VII and played a bit of VIII in the past and they're really not that grindy. Of course, grindier than FF, but still not as demanding as other RPGs out there

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Depends on the version actually. Most of the remakes tone down the grind, but the originals were kind of guilty of it. If it wasn't XP that was in short demand then it was usually Gold. Either way, it always seemed like you were under-leveled or under-equipped.

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Exactly how I felt about VIII. You'd get strong enough for the boss only to repeat the grind for the next one. I remember grinding so hard and that one mole boss still taking a century to kill with hi tension on everybody.

Pre-ordered.