LethalBrizzleGaming Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition Review

Often cited as the grandfather of JRPG's, Dragon Quest is a franchise I've been embarrassingly slow to dive into. DQXI feels like the culmination of not only this series, but the genre and its history as a whole. Usually this is the part where I'd tell you how gripping the story is, how engaging the gameplay is, how whimsical the soundtrack is etc, but I'm going to refrain from regurgitating that familiar structure and format. Instead, I'll just say that while DQXI might not do anything groundbreaking or catapult the genre forward to brand new heights, it excels in all the tropes and traditions we've come to adore as fans of the genre. Rather than reinventing anything, DQXI feels like a celebration of everything that made JRPG's special to begin with. From the opening title sequence all the way to the last trophy for the platinum, 124 hours of pure JRPG excellence has propelled this entry into my personal top 3 favourite games of all time, a big statement. After sitting on it for a couple of days, allowing my thoughts to gather and the dust to settle, I've come to believe it might genuinely be THE perfect JRPG. And the best thing? I've got an entire franchise to go back and experience. I truly cannot wait.