Two titles with nearly identical names are published: one that’s older, and one that is newer.
Obviously, the developer would prefer to shunt users over to the most recent edition, being Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition.
This, as everything seems to, does annoy some users, but there’s actually decent reasoning behind fans’ thought process that has them agitated over the sudden decision that has been echoed too often as of late.
The original Dragon Quest XI has far better lighting and character models that are noticeable when you place the two titles side by side for the purpose of comparisons, but it isn’t too noticeable when you’re playing either title in a proverbial void.
The blow can be softened when you note that Dragon Quest XI (the new edition) is available on the Xbox Game Pass, so it’s an affordable scoop if you’re looking to play through once and move on, but users that prefer the original version (with less content) are now up a creek without a paddle, unless they find piracy a viable option or recourse to play the title as they wish.
Square Enix has not stated that they’re looking at giving previous owners any form of a discount on the new release of the title, nor are they going to be offered a free upgrade to the newest version.
The newest version is a port of the Nintendo Switch version, meaning that everything frankly does look a bit rougher than could otherwise be expected in a modern title, especially considering that titles are arriving in swathes that offer breathtaking visuals that take advantage of the absurd amount of power that both PCs and consoles can offer.,
It should be noted that, as of publication, there appears to be an availability of the original title via the Humble Bundle store: the original being one that isn’t a ported version of the Nintendo Switch with additional content, but with what many have argued to offer subpar fidelity.
This has been an ongoing argument within forums of Dragon Quest for quite some time, as it was announced well prior that the ‘Definitive Edition’ was echoing the Nintendo Switch version rather than an actual upgraded version for a nomenclature ‘Definitive’ and the argument has gone back and forth for months at this point.
The long and short of it, as it stands, is that Dragon Quest XI is now available mostly as a singular, downgraded version, and people are a bit miffed.
