Dragon Quest has been making waves these last few weeks. Early July we saw Dragon Quest Builders 2 arrive to bring a wide-open sandblox version of the classic RPG series to consoles, joining Terraria, Minecraft, and Portal Knights as building games ridiculously capable of decimating a social life. Dragon Quest XI saw a release on PlayStation 4 and 3DS, and quickly turned heads and emptied wallets as people flocked to getting it.
Shortly after, the Hero of the series made their way onto Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and even now the mana-slinging protagonist continues to rock the boat, top tournaments, and provide utterly hilarious memes.
And the fun train doesn’t seem to show signs of stopping (at least for now) with the incoming Switch port, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age (wow, that is a mouthful).
The story takes place in the world of Erdrea, a land once nearly consumed by darkness until the timely arrival of a hero known as the Luminary, so called because he wielded a blade of light. As the ages and reincarnations of the Luminary rolled by, the darkness once again returned, bringing incredible destruction and sorrow.
In a rare twist, the Hero faces persecution; the legend has two sides, where the Hero is believed to be the savior to banish the darkness from the land, and the steadily growing and more vocal side who believe the Hero is a beacon for the darkness, and only by their death can true peace be attained. On the run from a mad king hellbent on making him see a game over, the Hero meets friends along the way, fighting, exploring, and searching for the truth of the darkness, stopping the tyrannical King Carnelian and realizing his destiny as Erdrea’s savior.
Dragon Quest has long been known as essentially setting the ‘gold standard’ for RPGs. Nearly every common RPG trope has its roots in the old classic, and it ‘s refreshing to see that Dragon Quest can keep up with the times whiles still retaining its familiar flavor, including the truly iconic rousing theme that inspires veterans, and delights newcomers.
The Definitive Edition has some new wrinkles coming for it, including Japanese-specific voice-acting, character-specific stories, and the option to go back to the 16-bit style. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age (please don’t make me type that again) is set for a September 27th, 2019 release date. Until next time, stay and play savvy, gamers!
