"When you put it down, you can't help but miss it" No joke. Played it a bit before I started Spider-Man. For the first few hours of Spider-Man I kept thinking of DQ11.
Yea I got it yesterday with my first check in a long time along with until dawn(friends have been recommending it forever at this point since they know I like horror games) and black ops 3(I've been curious about the mixed reactions on single player) I got dq11 to play over my holiday break but I started it just to see and then I ended up ignoring not only until dawn and black ops but spiderman and other games Im working on. Its just done so well and environments are a lot more open than I though. I got to the kingsbarrow dungeon last night. Can't wait to jump back in but work and school are gonna prevent me from playing too much the next few weeks.
The total opposite for me... I played Spiderman first, then hopped on this... Im just about done with the final DLC story for Spiderman, and im eager to get back on DQ11
Wild Link Don’t Be. Time wise it IS about 30 ish hours for post game story, but the story is just fantastic. If you’re a long time DQ fan, or if you just got super invested in the story of 11, you owe it to yourself to do the post game story. That’s where a lot of the more subtle moments of the story reach its payoff.
@@scenedikemon oh dw i am all in. I just have my first child coming in 4 weeks so its just a scary time. Got me worrying i wont be playing like i used too haha
Wild Link Congratulations :D not going into spoilers then, but this IS dragon quest, so perhaps some of the themes in the game will really speak to you. Best wishes :)
But Ben wrote the review and captured the footage, and Ian edited the video. Blood probably liaised with Square Enix as well given the issues with the audio.
Brandon is from GameTrailers, which he used to do great reviews for. I just found out that he moved to EasyAllies (never watched an EasyAllies review until yesterday), I'll be going through a ton of reviews for the next while!
Great review Ben, as always. As for the difficulty - just using the "Super Strong Enemies" option while having everything else turned off is already enough to turn the game into a real challenge. If you're the kind of player who likes to fight *everything* they see, add "Reduced Experience from Easy Fights" to the mix and you're golden.
don t get your expectation to High, Dragon quest Is the grandfather of Jrpg, no joke, all tropes were invented by this franchise so dont go expecting to be a persona 5 killer, a hardcore shin megami tensei game or a edgy emo final fantasy game.
How about me? Im 35 years old, like a good sprawling RPG but bounce right off most JRPGs due to the main cast frequently looking about 14 years old and everyone talking like theyre in a saturday morning cartoon. Ive also never seen an episode of Dragon ball Z or Pokemon or any of the other cultural touchstones. Will I like it? I've yet to see a review from someone who isn't already into all that stuff.
@@blakchristianbale oh I have, and yeah all the familrr jrpg trappings are there. I just wondered if all these 9 out of 10s would mean I could look past it this time. I suppose no one can answer that but me though
@@shoutingstone no one can answer that to you but you but by what you're saying I'm thinking this is not the game for you. This is the grandpa of all JRPGs, this is where all those tropes you mention were born. The game is quite long, the voice acting is like a Saturday morning cartoon, it is not too difficult, it is not open world per se... What I can tell you is that towns are masterfully designed with sprawling architecture and lots of verticality, the world building in dragon quest games is excellent and this is no exception, attention to detail is very good (although many things will be passed I'd you're not looking for it), the different cultures and dialects is very interesting and the amount of content is vast. Dragon Quest is to JRPGs what Disney is to animated movies. This particular game trimmed lots of the things most people get turned off by in previous offerings and the JRPG genre as a whole. If you've enjoyed any JRPG from 1990-2004, then you'll love this game, but if you don't relate to those things I think you won't like it very much and will face disappointment after so much hype.
To swipe from the Kotaku review: this game is chill as heck and is great for winding down or before bed. I'm binging it, but I'd recommend playing it after a solid Spiderman session; wind down from all the webslinging and such
Watch the (absurdly long) Kotaku review. The reviewer's played through it all the way 3 times since the Japanese version came out, and he suggests playing it about an hour at a time. The game gives you a recap of what you've been doing when you open it up, so it's surprisingly good for smaller, more separated sessions
Great review. Fleshing out a traditional story with twists, down to earth solid classical composition and a turn based battle in which you have to think in order to punch above your weight - all something of a lost art. It's a very important title in my eyes, in a world where we're only taught to seek fun in a momental and temperamental excitement.
Been playing it since launch..... does not disappoint a true love letter for any jrpg fan just a beautiful amazing game and since we get so few Dragon Quest games in the West I am glad wife and I pre ordered this.
This game looks incredible! I've never played a Dragon Quest game before (hated RPGs when I was younger). My backlog needs to be cleaned out a bit, but I think I'm going to scoop this later. Thanks for the review Ben.
You guys make the best reviews. The writing, voice work and editing are all second to none. Compared to the other reviews of this same game, I got far more insight as to what the game is actually like without spoiling anything, so thank you. You give established publications a run for their money.
Man I really love Dragon Quest 11, from someone that only played through Dragon Quest 9 the game is a breath of fresh air that fixes almost every annoyance from that DS game. Tension and co-op degraces are mixed together with the pep system, skillful use of the forge makes you feel more in control than the fully rng krockpot, riding enemies, horses, and platforming shakes up exploration too. I throught the voice acting might be weird with the accents but I sat through every cutscene. So far I'm absorbed with this game.
I've never touched a DQ game before but I'm so in on this one, just based on how beautiful and charming everything looks ! Incredible review Ben, one of your best !
After about 40 hours of playtime, I think Draconian Quest (hard mode) is the preferred way to play the game, with at least superhard enemies turned on. The challenge is a notable step up, and it makes several of the bosses have actual stakes and challenge (several bosses have caused a total wipe for me, causing me to rethink my strategy).
Rune Soldier Yeah, I had a hard time with that one, the spider boss, and Tentacular so far on Draconian. I actually decided to grind for 30 minutes and get Kabuff for Serena to stand a chance against Tentacular in particular, since you’re constantly getting hit by physical aoe. I’m pretty sure I was underleveled as well, since the party members I was getting ended up being a little higher than my crew, so it’s not like I was grinding for every single boss if that’s a concern for anyone.
It should be noted that the Draconian Modifiers weren't in the original japanese game and aren't balanced at all. The recommended way to play is just not to grind and take the bosses at the level they were intended too, or just underleveled. That said the Draconian modifiers "Harder Enemies" and "No XP from weaker Enemies" are just a grind extensions in a way. If you like the combat and prefer to have to do more of it before experiencing the story, these are the modifiers for you. Beware that the "Harder Enemies" adds quite a bit of RNG though.
Yes, I'm playing with all the modifiers on except "no armor" since I thought it would be a bit lame not being able to use the armor that I craft. The game is quite challenging but enjoyable. I just barely managed to defeat the Desert Slayer earlier today (on my 5th try) but it was sweet.
Dragon quest is the most consistent and respected Jrpg Franchise in Japan, Square better Not Screw Up this franchise, which they don t. Final fantasy on the other hand...well....it all began After FF 12.
BackdriftNightfall Here's a thing, every other big developers will always have "the pressure" of developing their big franchise games. SE is neither special nor exclusive. FFXV is just a bad case of bad complications for years from problematic game engine, the story, concepts, management, etc. This is even more worse with SE really stubborn on making FF game like advent children with the over the top actions but RPG too in general & has been happening since FFXIII or so.
For fans of DQ8's difficulty and balance: Play with 'Reduced Exp from Easy Monsters' and 'Super Strong Monsters'. It makes the enemy AI much more engaging, gold becomes important and overall just 'feels more Dragon Quest'. It also maintains XI's flow as you'll know to move on from a zone when your party stops earning EXP. (I also turned the voices off, but only because I wanted to play the game how the Japanese do.)
With every review I've seen, the one common complaint is the music. And I agree. Not that the music isn't good, but why they chose to not make it orchestral is beyond me.
Didn’t think I would enjoy this more than 8 , especially since it wasn’t orchestrated and it’s slightly easier , but god damn do I love this game. My new favorite dragon quest game for the characters , the locations , and the amount of weapons and Armour, god it’s so good . I’m 83 hours in and still not done
Draconian mode's monster difficulty seems a bit much, especially compared to the default difficulty. If the default is a 1, Draconian is 6-8. It's really only ever a problem on bosses, but the bosses just feel grossly imbalanced in that mode.
Also totally unrelated, but I finally gave Yakuza 0 a chance. Hearing the allies praise it forever helped in my decision. Damn what a game! It's incredible.
@@shineinouzen7412 very Japanese is about the only way I can describe it. I think it's great. If you don't like long cut scenes and story then it's probably not for you. It's got some almost Metal Gear length scenes in it.
I'm 16 hours in and find the Draconian setting for super strong enemies to be the perfect challenge. Battles keep me engaged instead of being an auto-attacking mash fest that many of these games turn into.
Easy Allies - couple of things, don't Underestimate the effectiveness of the Puff Puff against some Monsters, and very Amusing to watch as well. Nintendo Switch is getting its Definitive Version this FALL and will come with Both Orcstrated Music and 8Bit Midi as well as you can Select from Both Western and Japanese voice Acting and 16bit and Normal Gaphics. I think the Switch Version is the ONE to get. MORE DQ News, Square Enix is Producing a DQ Movie in Japan , based upon the Story in DQ 5 : Hand of the Hevenly Bride and will be shown in Japan 8.2 2019 , but its NOT Likley it will come to America.
I think I’ll wait for the Switch version. On another note it’s cool that this is a solid DQ game but ever since Persona 5 I want JRPGs to just go nuts whether that’s the look or mechanics. Persona 5 should be the example that you can make JRPGs genuinely exciting despite the core gameplay being intact.
You might not want to and get it for the PC. There are quite a few loading screens, you are basically constantly travelling after the first few hours of the game, and I doubt the Switch will handle them as fast as a SSD.
Have been playing with harder enemies switched on and difficulty feels pretty much in line with other DQ games. Not exactly challenging but at least enough to keep you on your toes in battles.
The lack of difficulty is easily fixable with the Super Strong Monsters option. It's stupid that they won't let you select it once the game is started, but at least it's there.
I agree with the quality of the music on the PS4 - there should have been an orchestrated soundtrack available as a choice to use similar to the PS2 version of DQ8. The fact that the PC version got an orchestrated mod as such makes it just alot more saddening to deal with.
Great review guys, love that DQ8 costume your hero wore. Also, that music restriction is wack, my condolences lol For anyone curious/unfamiliar with Dragon Quest, I basically describe it as JRPG comfort food. I've only played thru DQ8 and DQ5 but the underlying appeal is "charm" that's hard to deny. The adventures are well-balanced, serene, humorous, and consistently satisfying (unlike Final Fantasy, some would say). I wouldn't jump in right now if your JRPG fuel has been recently spent from something like Octopath, though, but that's just me. Would love to get around to this game myself once the price goes down. At that point, Toriyama will have conquered my PS4 screen-time between DQ and Dragonball Fighterz.
I also find it a bit lacking. DQVIII had some really good tracks, despite it being MIDI. I also think it's a crying shame that the overworld doesn't have a night version of the travel music while the towns do. Pretty sure VIII had one. I also think it's way too upbeat. Which makes the lack of a nightime version even more glaring.
Unless I'm mistaken, the Japanese version of DQ8 had midi soundtrack but no voice acting and the international version had a proper orchestral version, but with fewer tracks, and voice acting (that was great, by the way).
its a good review but you really shouldn't mention lack of difficulty when ben didn't even use the stronger enemies difficulty option, or any of the other difficulty options. Lots of people are saying its really difficult
My biggest complaint is with perfectionist pearls. Why do I need these stupid things to upgrade stuff I already own? Why don't I get a bonus pearl when I very a +3 item? Just a completely stupid restriction.
While I, unexpectedly, enjoy the game a lot (not a JRPG fan usually) the main "adventure" theme is driving me insane. Could a game of this size really not afford to make more than,like, three music pieces that is played ad nausea? Every area, and town having the same music is a huge let down for me. Not to mention I am so sick of the tune playing in the wilds I'm seriously considering turning off the music. It's not a bad track on it's own but it does NOT stand up to hours and hours of repeated listening. This is worse than "Indestructible" in launch version of Street Fighter 4. xD Also: As someone who likes challenges it's really frustrating to read the comments and realize I should have played with "Tough Monsters" turned on. -_-
Not Square Enix's fault, that piece of shit Sugiyama (the composer) owns the rights himself and causes the problems. He's also just a terrible human being outside of music composition, hence why I called him a piece of shit lol.
I assume the music style is that way to strike a Dragon Quest nostalgia cord... but crap every song I heard during this review was grating as heck. I wish the music got the same treatment as the visuals. The visuals kept the same style but no one could ever accuse these graphics of being from any generation but this one with the lighting effects the physics applied to monsters and character clothing. Music in these kinds of game play a huge part of pulling me into the experience and setting the emotional landscape. Chrono Trigger goes from being a 10/10 experience to a 15/10 with its ridiculously good soundtrack. When I first started this review, just the beauty of the art style combined with current gen graphics had me seriously wanting to play this game, but that music from what I heard was at best "meh" and at worst grating in such a fashion as to take my attention off of how great the game is looking and feeling. Perfect example of a game keeping the same feel of the previous game's music but updating it and using all the tools available to the console generation is Chrono Cross. Yes I'm fanboying on those two games, but FREAKING HECK. Go listen to this for 20 seconds and then you'll be like, "Oh yeah I see what he's talking about." ruclips.net/video/bnKNwBVG5Yw/видео.htmlm Yes the whole game isn't live recorded like that first track, but even the songs created using sounds available to the PSX are still flipping intricate and amazing and striving to push further and be more and better and succeed in doing that. Take this song Lizard Dance ruclips.net/video/bnKNwBVG5Yw/видео.html or this song Arni Village ruclips.net/video/bnKNwBVG5Yw/видео.html Compare Arni Village to Peaceful Days from Chrono Trigger ruclips.net/video/0Lo8Q5tL0WQ/видео.html which is also a "walking about in a town" theme. They give you this similar vibe because the composer kept similar ideas to give you a peaceful, quiet town life feel. The way the melody is always moving at a simple and pace not doing anything crazy or moving away from it's 4/4 quarter notes or it's 6/8 eight notes. They feel very similar and it invokes the same feeling of a peaceful town. This is how you update the music but keep the FEELING the music gave the game. The composition of the pieces of music should make you think nostalgically not the quality of instrumentation or recording or lack of too many instruments playing at the same time as was the NES problem. Yes there is definitely a place for chiptune and other musical ways of evoking nostalgia, but making your next console entry of one of the genre defining franchises is not the place. This was them not being confident in Dragon Quest standing on its own two feet and trying to hard to hit you with the throwback feel. The art of Dragon Quest XI makes me think nostalgically about Dragon Quest not the graphics, the graphics are beautiful and they didn't decided to nerf their graphics to try to get some nostalgia. The style of the music should invoke my nostalgia not the poorness of the instrumentation. Maybe I'm insane but I feel so so sad about that MIDI music it's pushing me away from Dragon Quest XI. (Wow I'm writing an essay about this in a youtube comment... I really am insane)
Great review guys, I'm playing the game with all the Draconian Quest restrictions on except 'no armor' and the game is tough as hell. Whenever you enter a new area you have to careful and I need multiple tries for each boss. It's quite fun if you enjoy a good challenge and are a DQ or jrpg veteran.
I barely want to quit this game because the mobs easy for me i think what keep me hold on this game for more than 100 hours coz they have good storylines.
Why midi tracks? I mean I love midi tracks, but....it's 2018. They even have an orchestral soundtrack for the game, but it's not in the game? Why not let us choose?
Because the composer would not give SE the license to use the orchestrated tracks. Anyways it would have been crazy expensive due to Japan's copyright laws; every member of the orchestra owns the rights to their instrument's sound, so they would all be entitled to individual licensing fees.
How is the level of grinding? I tend to prefer shorter games these days. I can find enjoyment in long games, but with my work schedule long games are often quickly abandoned. If the grind part of this game is minimal I would like to explore the world and story of this game.
Frack On its regular difficulty setting, this game is the opposite of grindy- you have to actively avoid battles on the overworld and stay underleveled to retain any real difficulty. It’s a super fun, relaxing game, but even without grinding it will likely take 50+ hours to beat.
"When you put it down, you can't help but miss it"
No joke. Played it a bit before I started Spider-Man. For the first few hours of Spider-Man I kept thinking of DQ11.
Glad to see people of Culture here.
been playing sparingly like 3-5 hours a day. hope to finish it soon
Yea I got it yesterday with my first check in a long time along with until dawn(friends have been recommending it forever at this point since they know I like horror games) and black ops 3(I've been curious about the mixed reactions on single player) I got dq11 to play over my holiday break but I started it just to see and then I ended up ignoring not only until dawn and black ops but spiderman and other games Im working on. Its just done so well and environments are a lot more open than I though. I got to the kingsbarrow dungeon last night. Can't wait to jump back in but work and school are gonna prevent me from playing too much the next few weeks.
The total opposite for me... I played Spiderman first, then hopped on this... Im just about done with the final DLC story for Spiderman, and im eager to get back on DQ11
This was literally me but also kinda vice versa for Spider-Man at times
It should be noted that the post game is also MASSIVE, including loads of story content.
It should be noted this scared me more than it excites me haha
Wild Link Don’t Be. Time wise it IS about 30 ish hours for post game story, but the story is just fantastic. If you’re a long time DQ fan, or if you just got super invested in the story of 11, you owe it to yourself to do the post game story. That’s where a lot of the more subtle moments of the story reach its payoff.
@@scenedikemon oh dw i am all in. I just have my first child coming in 4 weeks so its just a scary time. Got me worrying i wont be playing like i used too haha
Wild Link Congratulations :D not going into spoilers then, but this IS dragon quest, so perhaps some of the themes in the game will really speak to you. Best wishes :)
@@legendofkailia5596 Good luck with your first child!
That editing at the end was masterfully thought out, Ian. Also I'm glad you guys found a workaround for the review music issue!
pc players can dl a mod that sorts out the music issues :)
What a killer review put together from you guys! Praise the script, edits and audio.
By "you guys", I hope you mean the ever illustrious Brandon Jones.
@@salikraees9690 By the "you guys" he means the editor (Ian), the reviewer (Ben), and Brandon as well.
But Ben wrote the review and captured the footage, and Ian edited the video.
Blood probably liaised with Square Enix as well given the issues with the audio.
Brandon is from GameTrailers, which he used to do great reviews for. I just found out that he moved to EasyAllies (never watched an EasyAllies review until yesterday), I'll be going through a ton of reviews for the next while!
Great review Ben, as always. As for the difficulty - just using the "Super Strong Enemies" option while having everything else turned off is already enough to turn the game into a real challenge. If you're the kind of player who likes to fight *everything* they see, add "Reduced Experience from Easy Fights" to the mix and you're golden.
Those 2 options turned on are exactly what I use and it's perfect. I wish Ni no Kuni 2 had that on launch.
"Wait" Nice one Ian.
I stopped the review when I thought it was pretty much over.
"What the hell is this guy talking about??"
:resume playing:
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Who's Ian?
Never played a Dragon Quest. Might have to pick this up.
don t get your expectation to High, Dragon quest Is the grandfather of Jrpg, no joke, all tropes were invented by this franchise so dont go expecting to be a persona 5 killer, a hardcore shin megami tensei game or a edgy emo final fantasy game.
How about me? Im 35 years old, like a good sprawling RPG but bounce right off most JRPGs due to the main cast frequently looking about 14 years old and everyone talking like theyre in a saturday morning cartoon. Ive also never seen an episode of Dragon ball Z or Pokemon or any of the other cultural touchstones. Will I like it? I've yet to see a review from someone who isn't already into all that stuff.
ShoutingStone I mean, watch the video to judge the character designs, but as far as dialogue goes you probably won't like it.
@@blakchristianbale oh I have, and yeah all the familrr jrpg trappings are there. I just wondered if all these 9 out of 10s would mean I could look past it this time. I suppose no one can answer that but me though
@@shoutingstone no one can answer that to you but you but by what you're saying I'm thinking this is not the game for you. This is the grandpa of all JRPGs, this is where all those tropes you mention were born. The game is quite long, the voice acting is like a Saturday morning cartoon, it is not too difficult, it is not open world per se... What I can tell you is that towns are masterfully designed with sprawling architecture and lots of verticality, the world building in dragon quest games is excellent and this is no exception, attention to detail is very good (although many things will be passed I'd you're not looking for it), the different cultures and dialects is very interesting and the amount of content is vast. Dragon Quest is to JRPGs what Disney is to animated movies. This particular game trimmed lots of the things most people get turned off by in previous offerings and the JRPG genre as a whole. If you've enjoyed any JRPG from 1990-2004, then you'll love this game, but if you don't relate to those things I think you won't like it very much and will face disappointment after so much hype.
The most impressive quest I will be doing is trying to balance playing this and Spider-Man!
Daniel Hollis you can’t go wrong with either it seems
To swipe from the Kotaku review: this game is chill as heck and is great for winding down or before bed. I'm binging it, but I'd recommend playing it after a solid Spiderman session; wind down from all the webslinging and such
Or make the this quest even more grand get rid of spiderman. And give 100 % to DQ 11 total focus and after play spiderman. (:
Watch the (absurdly long) Kotaku review. The reviewer's played through it all the way 3 times since the Japanese version came out, and he suggests playing it about an hour at a time. The game gives you a recap of what you've been doing when you open it up, so it's surprisingly good for smaller, more separated sessions
@@harrylane4 1 hour at a time is a bit too short. But 2-3 hours is perfect.
I have been looking forward to this review! Thank you!
I just watched 3 reviews back to back, all of which were AAA gaming sites. Then i come here and remember why i was subbed to GT for years.
i am absolutely in LOVE with this game so far. oh please have a good review score...
YAY! a 9.0! i'm so stoked!
Great review. Fleshing out a traditional story with twists, down to earth solid classical composition and a turn based battle in which you have to think in order to punch above your weight - all something of a lost art. It's a very important title in my eyes, in a world where we're only taught to seek fun in a momental and temperamental excitement.
Been playing it since launch..... does not disappoint a true love letter for any jrpg fan just a beautiful amazing game and since we get so few Dragon Quest games in the West I am glad wife and I pre ordered this.
Best review of the game, this is why I always prefer Easy Allies' reviews
Kotakus review is better
I'm so hyped to play this but sadly i'm broke until payday. Currently playing dragon quest 6 to tide me over. This just looks so good...
I can't stop playing this game it's amazing.
@Mic Dy yeah its pretty impressive. for me things really got good once you get to Gallopolis.
Same.
This game looks incredible! I've never played a Dragon Quest game before (hated RPGs when I was younger). My backlog needs to be cleaned out a bit, but I think I'm going to scoop this later. Thanks for the review Ben.
Koichi Sugiyama is an insane person.
You guys make the best reviews. The writing, voice work and editing are all second to none. Compared to the other reviews of this same game, I got far more insight as to what the game is actually like without spoiling anything, so thank you. You give established publications a run for their money.
Man I really love Dragon Quest 11, from someone that only played through Dragon Quest 9 the game is a breath of fresh air that fixes almost every annoyance from that DS game. Tension and co-op degraces are mixed together with the pep system, skillful use of the forge makes you feel more in control than the fully rng krockpot, riding enemies, horses, and platforming shakes up exploration too. I throught the voice acting might be weird with the accents but I sat through every cutscene. So far I'm absorbed with this game.
Postgame isn't a post game in this game it is the Final third of the game!
My very first dragon quest game. It was so good! I guess i have to add DQ games to my list of series that will be day 1 buys for me now.
I've never touched a DQ game before but I'm so in on this one, just based on how beautiful and charming everything looks ! Incredible review Ben, one of your best !
Always see the Easy Allies-GT reviews first.They have nourished me since I was a kid.
To these guys I trust
Been media blackout while eagerly anticipating this review, absolutely worth the wait! Thanks for the hard work fellas :D
After about 40 hours of playtime, I think Draconian Quest (hard mode) is the preferred way to play the game, with at least superhard enemies turned on. The challenge is a notable step up, and it makes several of the bosses have actual stakes and challenge (several bosses have caused a total wipe for me, causing me to rethink my strategy).
Brian McCallister I’m playing this way also, I love it so far!
Rune Soldier Yeah, I had a hard time with that one, the spider boss, and Tentacular so far on Draconian. I actually decided to grind for 30 minutes and get Kabuff for Serena to stand a chance against Tentacular in particular, since you’re constantly getting hit by physical aoe. I’m pretty sure I was underleveled as well, since the party members I was getting ended up being a little higher than my crew, so it’s not like I was grinding for every single boss if that’s a concern for anyone.
Yes i also started with it and i think it’s the perfect difficulty level. I recommend everyone to play that way
It should be noted that the Draconian Modifiers weren't in the original japanese game and aren't balanced at all. The recommended way to play is just not to grind and take the bosses at the level they were intended too, or just underleveled.
That said the Draconian modifiers "Harder Enemies" and "No XP from weaker Enemies" are just a grind extensions in a way. If you like the combat and prefer to have to do more of it before experiencing the story, these are the modifiers for you. Beware that the "Harder Enemies" adds quite a bit of RNG though.
Yes, I'm playing with all the modifiers on except "no armor" since I thought it would be a bit lame not being able to use the armor that I craft. The game is quite challenging but enjoyable. I just barely managed to defeat the Desert Slayer earlier today (on my 5th try) but it was sweet.
DQ XI is way better than FFXV that clearly has a bigger budgets with almost a decade of development hell. Oh Square Enix ...
Dragon quest is the most consistent and respected Jrpg Franchise in Japan, Square better Not Screw Up this franchise, which they don t. Final fantasy on the other hand...well....it all began After FF 12.
FFXV is pure garbage
BackdriftNightfall
Here's a thing, every other big developers will always have "the pressure" of developing their big franchise games. SE is neither special nor exclusive. FFXV is just a bad case of bad complications for years from problematic game engine, the story, concepts, management, etc.
This is even more worse with SE really stubborn on making FF game like advent children with the over the top actions but RPG too in general & has been happening since FFXIII or so.
Final Fantasy XV isnt even a J Rpg for my Opinion.
Andy Kolb
Dude, it’s a JRPG because it was made in Japan lmao. What are you trying to pull here? 😅
Started playing it fro around 5 hours and can't put it down. Haven't felt like playing a grand adventure game in a long while. This is a must!
For fans of DQ8's difficulty and balance: Play with 'Reduced Exp from Easy Monsters' and 'Super Strong Monsters'.
It makes the enemy AI much more engaging, gold becomes important and overall just 'feels more Dragon Quest'. It also maintains XI's flow as you'll know to move on from a zone when your party stops earning EXP.
(I also turned the voices off, but only because I wanted to play the game how the Japanese do.)
Awesome. Came here just for this, Iiterally just posted asking if this was easier than 8 was so cheers to you m'sir. Grabbing my copy tomorrow!
I was waiting for this review, i only trust in easyallies.
Brodo21 Difficult to trust reviewers who gave the very average NNK2 a 9.5 and DQXI a 9.
You do know that a different ally reviewed Ni no kuni 2 and that every review is subjective, right?
I don't trust them anymore. I bought Nino Kuni 2 after watching their review and they lied me. And in no way was it 9.5. More like 7.5.
@@mishikomishiko9088 then why are you here? Just to suffer?
@@MikeRedead333 youtube decided that this video might be interesting for me.
Went to this review at random, heard that voice, and thought "Holy hell it's the Gametrailers guy!" Subbed.
I'm 3 hours in, the game is AWESOME
With every review I've seen, the one common complaint is the music. And I agree. Not that the music isn't good, but why they chose to not make it orchestral is beyond me.
That voice acting and animation got me choked up at the end.
Didn’t think I would enjoy this more than 8 , especially since it wasn’t orchestrated and it’s slightly easier , but god damn do I love this game. My new favorite dragon quest game for the characters , the locations , and the amount of weapons and Armour, god it’s so good . I’m 83 hours in and still not done
Draconian mode's monster difficulty seems a bit much, especially compared to the default difficulty. If the default is a 1, Draconian is 6-8. It's really only ever a problem on bosses, but the bosses just feel grossly imbalanced in that mode.
Also totally unrelated, but I finally gave Yakuza 0 a chance. Hearing the allies praise it forever helped in my decision. Damn what a game! It's incredible.
Really.. I was just thinking about picking that up, which led me to this video because I’m looking for a new game. Never played a Yakuza game.
@@shineinouzen7412 Do you like Japanese games?
Miles Williams
I like persona 5, Nier, Souls games, and a couple others.
@@shineinouzen7412 very Japanese is about the only way I can describe it. I think it's great. If you don't like long cut scenes and story then it's probably not for you. It's got some almost Metal Gear length scenes in it.
@@mileswilliams4807 after playing it I can agree that very Japanese is the best way to describe Yakuza
i never had any interest in dragon quest and I don`t like toriyamas artdesign But this review made me reconsider. Well done Ben!
I really hope they will remaster DG 8 journey of the cursed king. I miss that one. Not the same on 3ds.😞
I loved that game lol
I'm 16 hours in and find the Draconian setting for super strong enemies to be the perfect challenge. Battles keep me engaged instead of being an auto-attacking mash fest that many of these games turn into.
4:54 tell that to the Yakuza series. Prepare to cry about a love between two random cats
Which Yakuza is that from? I have 0, Kiwami and Kiwami 2
You guy's still do the best reviews!
I've never played a Dragon Quest game. I love JRPG's though. I don't know why I never got around to one of these. This game looks radd!
It's Gavin! (my hero's name in DQ8)
I freaking love dq 11. 3rd full play through currently
I know this has been said plenty but Brandon's voice is the best review voice. That's why I only come to easy allies.
11:33?! This review, is an Absolute Unit.
Don't trigger Jones, now.
Just check out the Kotaku one lol
2:42 = HOLY CRAP, didn't know you could ride monsters and whatnot! That's badass! I don't know why that is making me so hype for this! lol
Definitely gonna play with Draconian Quest active for no fleeting and harder monsters.
Great review as always!
Easy Allies - couple of things, don't Underestimate the effectiveness of the Puff Puff against some Monsters, and very Amusing to watch as well.
Nintendo Switch is getting its Definitive Version this FALL and will come with Both Orcstrated Music and 8Bit Midi as well as you can Select from Both Western and Japanese voice Acting and 16bit and Normal Gaphics.
I think the Switch Version is the ONE to get.
MORE DQ News, Square Enix is Producing a DQ Movie in Japan , based upon the Story in DQ 5 : Hand of the Hevenly Bride and will be shown in Japan 8.2 2019 , but its NOT Likley it will come to America.
I have to agree, the music leaves a lot to be desired. Would've been great if it had a lot more variety.
Ha! Soul Crush from Valkyrie Profile was used here!
I think I’ll wait for the Switch version. On another note it’s cool that this is a solid DQ game but ever since Persona 5 I want JRPGs to just go nuts whether that’s the look or mechanics. Persona 5 should be the example that you can make JRPGs genuinely exciting despite the core gameplay being intact.
You might not want to and get it for the PC. There are quite a few loading screens, you are basically constantly travelling after the first few hours of the game, and I doubt the Switch will handle them as fast as a SSD.
Have been playing with harder enemies switched on and difficulty feels pretty much in line with other DQ games. Not exactly challenging but at least enough to keep you on your toes in battles.
Now this is what i was talking About!! In the end i ended Getting Both Dragon quest XI and Spiderman.
The lack of difficulty is easily fixable with the Super Strong Monsters option. It's stupid that they won't let you select it once the game is started, but at least it's there.
I think whenever I get the game, that'll be the only option I choose. Maybe the one for little exp for easy fights, as well.
@@War624 go with both
2 reviews in 1 week. This was a great week for games!
I agree with the quality of the music on the PS4 - there should have been an orchestrated soundtrack available as a choice to use similar to the PS2 version of DQ8. The fact that the PC version got an orchestrated mod as such makes it just alot more saddening to deal with.
should of played on draconian mode, you have to grind a few levels between each boss but it makes the combat so much more fun
Facts, thought Spider-Man was just gonna take over all my free time and tho it’s great I can’t help but wanna get back in this world, real dope game
LOL. I hope you had a good time doing this clipping of scenes just for the music.
Go ahead and buy it. Best rpg in years.. Im still lvl 18 with about 20h of gameplay and i can already confirm that
Has the english version been release? Thought these type of game is not popular outside Japan.
Thanks Ian, for leaving the best waifu for last.
Also, "Wait!"
Woah I hadn't seen this on PS4 yet. I'm surprised the publishers don't push for PC capture since it's such a stronger representation of the visuals.
Man, how am I going to find time for this between Spider-Man, Divinity 2, and Xenoblade 2? So. Many. Good. Games...
Hands Down the best JRPG for this generation.
Agreed
Masterfully done review, really insightful and engaging. You my good sir just earned a sub!
I always thought DQ8 will be the best one in the series... but 11 might just take that spot!
So what you’re saying is... this is the PERFECT game for my boys. Yayy! Great review by the way !
Great review guys, love that DQ8 costume your hero wore. Also, that music restriction is wack, my condolences lol
For anyone curious/unfamiliar with Dragon Quest, I basically describe it as JRPG comfort food. I've only played thru DQ8 and DQ5 but the underlying appeal is "charm" that's hard to deny. The adventures are well-balanced, serene, humorous, and consistently satisfying (unlike Final Fantasy, some would say). I wouldn't jump in right now if your JRPG fuel has been recently spent from something like Octopath, though, but that's just me. Would love to get around to this game myself once the price goes down. At that point, Toriyama will have conquered my PS4 screen-time between DQ and Dragonball Fighterz.
I don’t really like DB to much but I enjoy akira toriyamas art style a lot
So I'm not the only who thinks the music in this game is really lacking.
I also find it a bit lacking. DQVIII had some really good tracks, despite it being MIDI. I also think it's a crying shame that the overworld doesn't have a night version of the travel music while the towns do. Pretty sure VIII had one. I also think it's way too upbeat. Which makes the lack of a nightime version even more glaring.
Unless I'm mistaken, the Japanese version of DQ8 had midi soundtrack but no voice acting and the international version had a proper orchestral version, but with fewer tracks, and voice acting (that was great, by the way).
I LOVE this game.
its a good review but you really shouldn't mention lack of difficulty when ben didn't even use the stronger enemies difficulty option, or any of the other difficulty options. Lots of people are saying its really difficult
I have this on PC and it's amazing!
The review sounded a little harsher than a 9.0. I'm not complaining, I'd learn towards a 9.0 from the 30 hours I've put in so far. Just saying.
My biggest complaint is with perfectionist pearls. Why do I need these stupid things to upgrade stuff I already own? Why don't I get a bonus pearl when I very a +3 item? Just a completely stupid restriction.
While I, unexpectedly, enjoy the game a lot (not a JRPG fan usually) the main "adventure" theme is driving me insane. Could a game of this size really not afford to make more than,like, three music pieces that is played ad nausea? Every area, and town having the same music is a huge let down for me. Not to mention I am so sick of the tune playing in the wilds I'm seriously considering turning off the music. It's not a bad track on it's own but it does NOT stand up to hours and hours of repeated listening. This is worse than "Indestructible" in launch version of Street Fighter 4. xD
Also: As someone who likes challenges it's really frustrating to read the comments and realize I should have played with "Tough Monsters" turned on. -_-
To be fair, alot of the Dragon Quest games suffers from that. The composer of the series has been reuse alot of themes in any area.
What's with the picture in picture on the bottom right hand corner for the first half of the video?
Excellent review despite the limitations put upon you guys.
Side note: get your shit together, Square Enix. What the hell?
Not Square Enix's fault, that piece of shit Sugiyama (the composer) owns the rights himself and causes the problems. He's also just a terrible human being outside of music composition, hence why I called him a piece of shit lol.
Great review, i'll pick up Spider-Man first just because it's shorter but i'll get this immediately after that.
I assume the music style is that way to strike a Dragon Quest nostalgia cord... but crap every song I heard during this review was grating as heck. I wish the music got the same treatment as the visuals. The visuals kept the same style but no one could ever accuse these graphics of being from any generation but this one with the lighting effects the physics applied to monsters and character clothing. Music in these kinds of game play a huge part of pulling me into the experience and setting the emotional landscape.
Chrono Trigger goes from being a 10/10 experience to a 15/10 with its ridiculously good soundtrack. When I first started this review, just the beauty of the art style combined with current gen graphics had me seriously wanting to play this game, but that music from what I heard was at best "meh" and at worst grating in such a fashion as to take my attention off of how great the game is looking and feeling.
Perfect example of a game keeping the same feel of the previous game's music but updating it and using all the tools available to the console generation is Chrono Cross. Yes I'm fanboying on those two games, but FREAKING HECK. Go listen to this for 20 seconds and then you'll be like, "Oh yeah I see what he's talking about." ruclips.net/video/bnKNwBVG5Yw/видео.htmlm
Yes the whole game isn't live recorded like that first track, but even the songs created using sounds available to the PSX are still flipping intricate and amazing and striving to push further and be more and better and succeed in doing that. Take this song Lizard Dance ruclips.net/video/bnKNwBVG5Yw/видео.html or this song Arni Village ruclips.net/video/bnKNwBVG5Yw/видео.html
Compare Arni Village to Peaceful Days from Chrono Trigger ruclips.net/video/0Lo8Q5tL0WQ/видео.html which is also a "walking about in a town" theme. They give you this similar vibe because the composer kept similar ideas to give you a peaceful, quiet town life feel. The way the melody is always moving at a simple and pace not doing anything crazy or moving away from it's 4/4 quarter notes or it's 6/8 eight notes. They feel very similar and it invokes the same feeling of a peaceful town. This is how you update the music but keep the FEELING the music gave the game.
The composition of the pieces of music should make you think nostalgically not the quality of instrumentation or recording or lack of too many instruments playing at the same time as was the NES problem. Yes there is definitely a place for chiptune and other musical ways of evoking nostalgia, but making your next console entry of one of the genre defining franchises is not the place. This was them not being confident in Dragon Quest standing on its own two feet and trying to hard to hit you with the throwback feel. The art of Dragon Quest XI makes me think nostalgically about Dragon Quest not the graphics, the graphics are beautiful and they didn't decided to nerf their graphics to try to get some nostalgia. The style of the music should invoke my nostalgia not the poorness of the instrumentation.
Maybe I'm insane but I feel so so sad about that MIDI music it's pushing me away from Dragon Quest XI.
(Wow I'm writing an essay about this in a youtube comment... I really am insane)
I was both with both DQ 9 and 8, will this game be any different?
I am loving the game !
What's up with the picture in picture thing in the corner of a lot of these scenes?
Great review guys, I'm playing the game with all the Draconian Quest restrictions on except 'no armor' and the game is tough as hell. Whenever you enter a new area you have to careful and I need multiple tries for each boss. It's quite fun if you enjoy a good challenge and are a DQ or jrpg veteran.
Sandy my favourite character
Did I hear that right? A JRPG that actually respects my time? SOLD!
great review BEN!
Great review, Ben.
I barely want to quit this game because the mobs easy for me i think what keep me hold on this game for more than 100 hours coz they have good storylines.
Why midi tracks? I mean I love midi tracks, but....it's 2018. They even have an orchestral soundtrack for the game, but it's not in the game? Why not let us choose?
Because the composer would not give SE the license to use the orchestrated tracks. Anyways it would have been crazy expensive due to Japan's copyright laws; every member of the orchestra owns the rights to their instrument's sound, so they would all be entitled to individual licensing fees.
put draconian settings extra hard monsters no exp for lower monsters on and it wont feel like an easy game
They have updated the soundtrack.
Great review, Squares weird licensing stuff is exhausting.
Fucking love this game, all I can say is I really hope I don't have to wait another 14 years for the next one.
Anyone prefer having a spiky hair hero?
How is the level of grinding? I tend to prefer shorter games these days. I can find enjoyment in long games, but with my work schedule long games are often quickly abandoned. If the grind part of this game is minimal I would like to explore the world and story of this game.
Frack On its regular difficulty setting, this game is the opposite of grindy- you have to actively avoid battles on the overworld and stay underleveled to retain any real difficulty. It’s a super fun, relaxing game, but even without grinding it will likely take 50+ hours to beat.
It's an awesome game so far. Great review, Ben!