Dragon Quest 11 on Switch: A Brilliant, Clever, Multi-Platform Port!
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- Опубликовано: 22 окт 2019
- Yes, we're late to the party here - so thanks for all of the requests! This isn't a Switch classic, but judged in terms of its status as a multi-platform conversion, it's exceptionally impressive work. Join John Linneman for an in-depth breakdown on how Square-Enix brought a game that already taxed PlayStation 4 onto Nintendo's console hybrid while maintaining an remarkable level of quality and performance.
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Игры
Whatever version you buy,please do. The West needs more Dragon Quest.
krispy bacon I agree especially after playing on PC at 60fps
Crestofhonor 23 ikr, the game looks like a next gen rpg game!!
I can't agree with this. The midi soundtrack on the PS4 and unmodded PC version is so terrible I couldn't play it.
Bought it day one on Switch! I've played over 100 hours and I'm loving every hour of it.
Why we have to pay to those fascist who don't give us normal soundtrack? I don't want to hear midi-crap, why Japanese play normal PS4 version?
That moment of Batman Dragon Quest was brilliant
Especially the THWACK!
@@louie242y Now I want a JRPG style Batman 66 game
I got this last night to have something to play on vacation. Noticed this immediately. Girlfriend even mentioned it as well. Watched this to see what they thought and was pleasantly surprised with that little scene in the video.
@@DrazenX195 Batman is in the game?
@@qwerttzizzi No but he's in King's Quest II.
This game's beauty makes my eyes melt.
Especially on PC. Played through it on ps4 and now on PC and its blowing me away
GamingTyphoon same, best rpg game ever
The reason why it was ported is also heartwarming. Apparently it was a request by the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, and the devs kept their promise.
Beatle Mania we really need to mention that A LOT, people don’t know how much square enix loves/cares about Nintendo (especially their former president: Iwata!!)😢💔!!
@@beatlemania8273 That's a nice story and all and good press, but there was next to no chance this wouldn't make it onto the Switch. The series has always been most successful in Japan, and with the Switch being what it is it's a perfect match.
The small gameplay tweaks really improve the experience, the portable forge and the ability to speed-up the battles were a godsend, it's really worth it to play this version over the others
Will the other versions get the speed-up feature with an update or something?
Cutter Elf probably not
@@weaverquest it's hard to predict, imho Nintendo was closely involved with this version because they knew it would sell like crazy in Japan, so I wouldn't be surprised if the code of XI S was partially owned by Nintendo, for instance I expect the orchestral renditions to be something that was requested by Nintendo, thus not being availabe on other platforms in the forseable future, they also advertised XI S as a Switch exclusive which leads me to believe most of these features will stay on Switch.
Also the updated music... its so much more enjoyable to do things without the trash MIDI versions of the songs.
Yeah...and the regular speed takes away from my time, so there's that
This game has got me hooked on the series. What a beautiful series that deserves more attention
this game is what is getting me to buy some of the DQ games for platforms i have (except on PS4 since its technically the inferior version in terms of content) which the first two were DQ VII and VIII, all i need is to buy the ones on DS including the side games.
Link200767 you mean 3ds right
@@kuroinova2056 yes.
It looks like it's made for 9 year-olds, but ok..
Nick Motsarsky Yes because every game needs to be hardcore and ultra realistic graphics 24/7 to be good am I right?
Never played a Dragon Quest game.
I freaking looooove this game playing it on switch every day for hours. You get lost so fast.
I wish all possible success to this franchise. It deserves to get as much attention as possible
When my wife heard the battle theme she thought I was playing something 007 related.
Every time I hear it I think of Get Smart.
Maybe she needs to watch more of the 25 james bond movies... she shoulds have said i don't know, Either Indiana Jones or Lawrence of arabia ou star wars the tone is much closer than the james bond scores
@@yusuk364 she's kind of busy teaching kids but I'll let her know.
@@jcsandrea He's a loser virgin
I’ve been having a great time with DQXI on Switch, and I’ve got to say this was one of your best videos - felt like you had loads of fun with it while also going into real depth!
The switch port seems to hold up quite well with the developers pouring good effort in it.
It's one of the few examples of developers actually downscaling the game correctly, instead of just forcefeeding the PS4 assets on the switch and cutting resolution and basic effects until it reach 30FPSish frames per second.
@@dan_loup yeah this game is a good example. unlike fortnite which took the devs more than a year to actually fix the game and legit changed almost every asset in the game, changing the settings and making the file size almost 2x bigger. the game finally got a stable 30fps in 900p docked ans is as smooth as back when it was season 4 on nintendo switch. :/
Makes me wonder if Square is going to try again with FF 15 on Switch. And actually put some effort into it this time.
Just so you know they announced this game in 2017 for the switch
@@smithwill9006 The game was actually announced in 2015 as one of the first confirmed games for the Switch (then called the NX).
14:20 "... distant enemies in the city" who hurt him?!
Everyone is an enemy... to the Darkspawn!
Just for the 60s Batman segment, this is the funniest video you've done so far. Nice.
This game is so charming that grinding and finding everything doesnt´t feel like a burden (even if you don't have to), it always finds a way to make you smile, be the music, the monsters expressions or just the fun of playing it. A must for classic rpg lovers indeed.
11:38 ok this passage caught me off guard
This is what Pokemon Sword and Shield should have been
It hurts so much that this is true.
I know right, I thought I was the only one who felt this way.
only changing the maker could make Pokemon look as good as this. GF will never care again
@@gnadov4506
Til people stop buying the games, they don't need to care.
Never will be either, Nintendo can release a pokemon game with potato graphics and 10,000,000 people will buy it either way.
A lot of PS4 -> Switch ports look very much like PS4 -> Switch ports. (Maybe it's the weird mix of ultra high poly models and low res textures and screen?) But DQ11 S, however, looks like an actual Switch game made for the ground up for the platform. It's a very well-made port that had a lot of work put into it beyond a simple resolution drop.
(Not to imply that teams like Panic Button don't do good / hard work! But I highly doubt those teams are given the resources to tweak the geometry and lighting of every level and model.)
That's why I don't like Panic Button ports. I understand that most of devs can't do what Square Enix done with DQXIS, but this port is what I like. Yooka-Laylee was also a great port with the same philosophy.
Yes exactly, they always say they Panic Button wants to keep the original vision/look of the game but I'd much rather have reduced polygon models and lighting than high poly models with super low res textures and ultra-low resolution like Doom or Wolfenstein have with subpar performance, like they took a 1080p 60fps game and got it to sub 540p 20-30fps and DQ XI is 540-810p 30fps from PS4 900p 30fps, though I assume PS4 had a bit of overhead but couldn't quite lock to 60 so they capped it at 30.
The cutbacks aren't too bad and the soundtrack and extra content almost makes up for it, but buying the game Day 1 on PS4 means I'll wait for a sale for the Switch version, though if they had a way to do Cross-Saves I would have bought it when it came out on Switch.
That is what happened, Square made a separate version of the game built from the ground up for the switch. That is why the developers said that the Switch version is a remake, not a port.
I only have the game on Switch and it is utterly enchanting. I had a friend come over who has it on PS4 Pro, saw me playing it portable, and was like Holy Crap that game is portable now? Instant classic and one of my faves only 20 hours in.
Dang it John! Now I’ll never be able to hear the battle music the same way again! 🤣
Now I need to go watch Tim Rogers' reviews again...
So true, his reviews and comentary on Dragon Quest as a whole are truly a work of art. I already owned Dragon Quest XI on PS4 and his updated review of the Switch version inspired me to buy it again on Switch and I 100% don't regret it.
Thank you for making this video! I've been curious about this game on a technical level ever since I played the demo. It ran so well, and was very visually impressive!
I find it mind boggling how good the character models look. They feel like some form of pre-rendered entity.
Kai right! Doubly impressed at how the NPCs look. A fantastic port
Jarvis dropped my jaw
Honestly, some of the cutscenes had me double taking to realize they were real time and not pre-rendered, especially when implementing the motion blur.
Thanks for this Digital Foundry!
I was waiting for this, I'm in love with this game.
I’ve been playing this on switch for the last week or so and I’ve been loving it, thank you for covering this great port! Love your stuff, John!
As a PC gamer i enjoy the hell out of playing RPGs on handhelds. i just cant play em on big screens anymore so the switch version of dragon quest is heaven sent.
Right
Prior to beating it, I played S everywhere and time the cutscenes when I eat coz it feels like a TV series
Agree to a point but certain RPGs (Xenoblade being a prime example) suffers from a smaller screen with the amount of clutter and text that is hard to read on a smaller device...
Yeah that makes no sense at all. Enjoy mediocrity.
i'm right there with you.
Great video on a great game. I'm playing it right now (on Switch) and am really enjoying it. There's one tiny detail that kinda bothers me the way lighting works at night. For example if you are inside a house in DQ11 and look through open door the outside will be well lit just as the inside is (almost as if it was day outside), then when you run out it takes a few seconds and after that the outside switches to darkness of the night (almost as if someone flipped the light switch on the entire world). It's a minor thing, I know but it's very noticeable for me so I've decided to rest through the night whenever I can.
I demand a Batman JRPG
I already have like 45 hours in the Switch version and it's just a total class act all the way around. Really elegant and oldschool combat design with a lot of modern amenities to help cut down clutter or menu oversaturation. Just a charming cast and storyline. Incredible music and visuals. People who love JRPGs should not miss this game out.
I have 125 hours on this game and I'm still not done with everything. This game is truly amazing
One of your best this year John! You overkilled it with the Virtua Racing video in May but this one is one of your finer works indeed. Thanks for taking your time to fulfill our wish ;)
Johns introductions to his videos are always so well done. Great video as always. Keep it up!
i played so far about 30h on switch and for me it might be even the most impressive port so far
Jo Gr Better than Diablo 3? Because that game is absolutely flawless on Switch, in regards to performance as a 3rd party port.
I laughed like hell when I first battled a "Sham Hatwitch." That's one clever pun.
Axogreen DQXI secretly has the best Japanese to English localization of any JRPG in history, I kid you not. The quality of this game’s translation shouldn’t be understated.
The best monster in any dragonquest
@@AlexRN I concur. Even beyond puns, you have fluent NPC's, intriguing dialects, and witty characters, all consistent both in quality and style. The level of polish is unreal.
@@xXChipsAndGravyXx Not going to lie, I totally want a Sham Hatwitch plushie now.
@@axogreen876 its my dream
So glad you guys decided to cover this! I'm loving this game on Switch! Excellent conversion!
Oh my god! Finally! I feared you would skip this one!
Thank you!!
literally one of the best switch games ever. Soo much content.
I really hope dragon quest 12 releases on switch
I've never played a Dragon Quest game outside of Dragon Quest Builders 2. I'm about 40 hours into 11 on Switch right now and I've thought to myself several times that the game looks pretty good. But seeing the PS4 version for the first time, my God, that version of the game is absolutely gorgeous. The cell shading really pops and adds so much to the overall aesthetic. That said, I'm super pleased with the port to Switch. I wish all major third party ports to the system were of the same quality.
Honestly man, I envy you for the switch version. I played the PS4 version back when it came out, but I want the 2D mode and orchestrated music on switch instead.
I ended up selling my PS4 version for the Switch version. Rven though the game looks better on PS4, the added content and the updated OST makes it the superior version.
I'm new to the Dragon Quest series, I got Dragon Quest 11 for the Switch for Christmas, can't wait to play!
Awesome, thanks for this video. I've been waiting this for a long time.
I love how it has the old school mode and the updated score. This is another great thing about switch, when Ports of games are a bit special. Even if It's just a Mario hat for the character or something, I like it when we get exclusives. Makes buying games for a 2nd time a lot more appealing.
I was waiting for this!❤
This reminds me of how seriously creative the Square Enix developers were when they have made the Dragon Quest games and Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS.
This has somehow blown my mind like when I've played Epic Battle Fantasy 5 and seen how big and good it is for a game made in flash.
Damn, they put a ton of work into this port. Very impressive. Great vid!
I was hooked the moment I started up the demo. It looks beautiful, and it plays so nicely. Such an incredible thing to have on the Switch.
Unless you’re talking about the Japanese release which came out in 2017 then the PS4 release of DQXI you checked out was the English release which was 1 year ago, not 2. And yes this game is incredible, either on PS4, Switch or PC.
I think the point was that it was made and released 2 years ago. The English release didn't change anything, it was just translating it and releasing it worldwide. It was still the same game made and released in Japan a year prior
@@GodleyX The did add sprinting and voice acting which the Japanese version lacked.
The symphonic music is just beautiful
Amazing video John!
You guys need to look Fire Emblem on Switch.
This is the kind of conversion work I have been longing for!!! Game studios actually pouring tons of hours into reducing polycount on characters and general geometry, lighting and fx work. Generally when playing in lower resolutions, it's hard to spot the difference, especially when you don't do side by side comparisons. That way they don't have to go completely overboard lowering resolution to abysmall numbers (*caugh* wolfenstein). I hope that game studios will have the Switch in mind as a primary platform in the future, and actually having modelling, lighting and fx-work adapted during the development workflow. Offering striking visuals on performance machines, while still delivering the core experience and attractive visuals on-the-go, for switch. Not the potato-quality mess that a lot of 3rd party conversions are today.
What you are asking for take a lot of time and money. This game took an extra 2 years to release after the PS4 and a year after the PC version. Even if devs properly integrated remaking assists specially for the switch into their workflow, it could delay the work being done for Xbox, PS4, and PC. Developers have been spending years trying the streamline the development process which is why a of Japanese's developer have been moving away from in-house engines to engines like UR4. What you are asking for is devs to go back to making games like they did in the early 2000's and before where they had to most or less remaking the whole game specifically for each platform.
@@tyrcipher8811 I'm a game developer myself, doing both modelling and lightning. To be honest, yes, there is extra work to cater for such a release. But to be honest, you already make different tiers of LOD objects during modelling. it wouldn't cause such a delay to pollish tier 2 LOD objects for use in a Switch-release and tier 1 for the bigger consoles. And unreal definitely becomes better and better for each release. When next gen consoles does ray-tracing lightning/shadows/reflections. Switch could get around it with baked lightning, cube maps or SSR. something that Unreal 4 already supports. It is not like devs need to go back to machine code again. They could still use modern tool. Just make it a part of the development workflow.
@@DennisRamberg That is if they bother doing it in the first place, I'm looking at you AAA north america studios...
@@charlestrudel8308 if the market is big enough I think they will. Software sales are so good on switch currently. And there are 15 million users in the US alone. I'm hoping that Id Software has done it with Doom Eternal due to Doom being such a success on the Switch. If not, then I will be extremely puzzled by their decision. 😅 if it is any comfort Hi-Rez Studios did this with Paladins. Although geometric complexity is an actual option in the PC release. But looking at multiplatform switch games, it has only been afterthoughts so far. 😐
@@DennisRamberg yup. You summarize quite well.
THANK GOD! I hoped DF would cover this conversion.
You forgot to mention that the 4 characters of your team are displayed when you are on the map, when other versions only display one.
Your avatar picture looks somehow familiar.....:-P
I love this game so much. I am having a blast playing it on my Switch!
I wasnt sure if i get this game or Pokemon.
I ended up with DQ and MAN, im happy about it now.
You guys did it! Thank you! This game and port really is great. It deserves the love.
If you play this on the Switch as a portable, it looks amazing. Even more impressive (I'm sure) if you played on the even smaller Switch Lite screen. I've played 101 hours on my Switch 2.0 and loved every second of it.
fanboys
Just hold the regular Switch further away. It's always ridiculous to say that the Lite looks better because of the smaller screen.
Flavio GO Where the fuck did “fanboys” come from m8?
@@TheSwissMotard fanboys
@@TheSwissMotard but it does though lmao, it has a clearer image because the pixels aren't as stretched. not that the lite is a better console by any means, but the handheld screen is marginally better.
Even with the reductions, this is still amazingly beautiful
Square Enix actually did a good job with this version, like, really good
i wonder if they actually have a plan for FF7 remake on switch as well
@@pitwandesu2459 If FF7 Remake was done in cartoony style, maybe. And that would still involve bending over backwards in order to accomplish it, like in the case of Dragon Quest here, which probably only did it out of Nintendo nostalgia/tradition. Considering Switch has to settle for FF15 Pocket Edition, I doubt it.
Just got this on the Switch, and I've been blown away by how good it is!
Thank John you for your hard work, know that for all drama and stress that may follow you and your colleagues around we truly appreciate and really enjoy hearing your opinions, we also like you for who you are.
Thank you all the great DF and DF-retro years my friend.
what did i miss?
@@somnia3423 No nothing specifically, just the difficulty that comes from their work and also reading so many comments, alongside the rampant console war and the fanboys that follow.
There were some accusations thrown around from petty people, but i won't give those people any air.
@@franciscor390 oh okay, thanks for clearing it up! your right
Easily one of the best optimised games and the best port on Switch right now. Technically superior to most first party titles even.
That batman part caught me off guard.
loved the demo looking forward to purchasing and playing this (first in the series for me!)
much as I'd love the better visuals the mobile play is worth it
There is so much detail in the towns and cities, they feel like alive places with each house having an accurate number of beds and almost all the npcs having dialogue.
This game is a gem on the Switch. I would love to see a DQ8 remake for the switch
This goes to show good art direction is more important than high polygon count
I loved your comparison to the battle music and 1960s Batman. I kind of wish it would do the spinning slime when entering battle... maybe as an optional animation that can be turned on and off lol.
Finally! Thanks for getting to this!
This game is great on any platform, the Switch added stuff just makes it better.
Really glad y'all took a look at this, it's a great port!!!
Was very impressed by the demo. Thanks for showing off this series to your massive following. This kinda port is what the switch should always have.
Great example of how important and effective reduction of geometry is! Smart use of LOD as well. Of course textures and resolution still takes a hit, but too many switch ports relies almost only on reducing resolution, effects and textures - not geometry. Meaning those first elements has to take a bigger hit to compensate for it. Of course this demands more work, but honestly I'd rather take a "slow switch port" than "same day release" when it's just rushed port.
Because of the extras, the Switch version is by far the best version. This is rare for a multiplatform game. Graphics look really close, the framerate is near perfect, it comes with a 2D mode, dual audio, orchestral audio and extra story quests.
Agreed with everything but the graphics looking close. The PC version doesn’t even look like the same game ad switch
Dragon quest builders 2 is nearly indistinguishable from the ps4 version too.
You can tell these posts are made by kids. They literally just showed you a video of how neutered the Switch version is, and it's so obvious you don't have a PC. The PC is so far above the Switch version in visuals, and sound with the orchestral mod, it's not even worth talking about.
I have both, and the Switch looks like some kind of shitty beta in comparison.
I've been playing jrpg's since Secret of Mana, and this game is absolutely ranked at the very, very top!!! :D
Now if we could just get a localization of Dragon Quest X.
Now i wait, For Switch Pro, and then enjoy the gam in 720p/60fps, without that much of detail reduction i can only hope!
been waiting for this one!!
DQXI really sets the standard on how Switch ports/versions should be done
3:10 Oh god the resolution of Xenoblades 2 on handheld still bums me out lol
its a nightmare on switch Lite
Xenoblade bums me out. That combat system and repetitive, unvaried voice recorded callouts in battle are awful.
@@terencecaron2922 I literally bought a Switch Lite 1 week ago, with Xenoblades 2 and Zelda. Immediately regretted not getting a regular Switch. That said, Zelda still looks amazing on the Lite!
@Anonymous i will never know what the docked experience is lol. Should have done more research b4 getting a lite. Expected first party games to run better
@@leonthesleepy It's not actually a first party game, its developed by Monolith Soft.
Yes the game is exclusive to the Switch but it was not developed in house by Nintendo like Zelda or Mario, hence the horrible optimization
I finished the first ending, I should continue for the second ending.
Yes you should.
If you don't you've only played like 60% of the game.
Mohammed Q8 absolutely !
Definitely. The so called “post game” is significant. The story isn’t over until the credits roll a second time.
it won't take long for the second ending then. just two extra bosses before the final. assuming you're only playing the main campaign
Thank you for the video, and shout-out to those who say that DF will not release the DQ XI Switch video 😁
There is also the fact that the switch version has your party on the map with you while the ps4 version only ever has the party leader and no one else. Unless they are suppose to be standing around in the town or in a cutscene.
that needs to be brought to the pc and ps4 versions
orchestral music for the switch is a great addition, the midi style music on ps4 was disappointing, still a great game though!
I think I prefer the midi, it's what all the other Dragon Quest games sound like. Gives it unique sound identity.
Nah midi is better thanks :)
There are some interesting differences, but the game still looks very nice!
I'm grabbing it this weekend and going all out till the end.
When i first launched it on Switch, i was like "OMG, this is so blurry!!!", but after about 30-60 minutes i didnt even noticed it anymore. Its also weird, that it looks better in video (not just this one), than an actual game...
It seems developers are finally figuring out how to do Switch ports properly
finally ? has there been a huge amount of bad ports on the switch ?
Honestly while the details took a dip on the switch I still think it's beautiful. Not to mention for me at least you get adjusted to the visuals as you simply get lost in the game. Same thing happened as I have been replaying "Switcher 3" on the switch and I played it on pc first. To me a good story and immersive gameplay beats good graphics.tho it's a nice plus when the graphics are also there.
DQ11 and the Witcher 3 are amazing ports even with the adjustments.
Its just unfortunate that people, even the optimists are judging these games in comparison with the other versions (not counting DF of course) while if standing on their own they still look great and most run good enough.
The Switch ports that are really unplayable can still be counted, on at highest 2 hands.
@@tldr365 DF is actually fair and do place merit toward the achievement for the dev thought.
@@tldr365 of course, you are right.
I’ve been blown away so far from this game’s visuals!
Fantastic game, love it on my OG Switch docked and portable.
This is what it would feel like to play persona on the switch
Laughs in Atlus
Persona 5 on Switch would be even more close to the original game because it was on PS3. It would look pretty much like the PS4 version.
@@SanjiGenial Yeah and it could possibly run 720p portable and 900p docked but if it didn't lock to 30fps than 540p portable and 720p docked with no cuts to graphics settings would probably run great. I'd say Persona 3/FES/Portable and 4/Golden both hold up quite well and would run great on Switch, not to mention the hand drawn sprites in the Arena games would look great on Switch.
@Cyberpunkfan Sony doesnt own the persona IP
I wouldn't mind Persona on Swtich because then Joker in Smash would make sense.
Man, I almost wish I would have waited to play this game on Switch now... But then again, I did really enjoy playing it in gorgeous 4k on my 1080 ti. The Switch port got announced right as I was beating the end of the game (after like 120+ hours, no joke.. longest game I've ever played in my life.. and the whole thing was freaking awesome!)
This game was announced for the Switch in 2015 (known as the NX back then) this and Sonic Focuses where the fitst games announced for thevsystem
I love this game, and have been having a blast with it on my Switch. I haven't had any issues with the graphics and performance, and wouldn't have even been aware of them if you didn't have the side by side comparisons. But since I only have a regular PS4, and not the Pro model, I'm not sure how much difference there would be from the Switch version.
The standard PS4 version visually blows the Switch version out of the water. Still the Switch version looks great.
This is the game of the year for me!
Go, John! Go DF!
Go where?
Ever since I created a new draconian quest save file I’ve been addicted to this game. The difficulty is the Pokémon experience I’ve always wanted 😩🙌
Yessss at the end ! DF guys : you rock !!
Hard to believe you almost *Skipped* this one... multi-platform game analysis is what Digital Foundry's made for.
Still sad you skipped *Starlink* for some reason.
Skippable cutscenes and 3X speed battles make this game the definite version IMHO.
Perhaps Switch is the only console which supports VP9 hardware acceleration in this gen?
I've not notice that....
For anyone thinking what game to get during the holidays, I definitely suggest this!
Thank you for listening to the fans :')
Play more Dragon Quest. Show Square they are making a bad move being so nonchalant with the Final Fantasy series and its gameplay.
Accidentally played dq1 in one of those disk full of NES games back then, and now im here checking if dq11 is worth to play on switch as a first playthrough dang this franchise is something man.
Man, first time I played it I was like "hmm, blurrier than expected" and two minutes later I had totally forgotten about anything and was enjoying it like no other game in the recent years.