Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition Reviews
A suite of enhancements help bring the virtues of this staunchly traditional RPG into focus.
JRPG fans who've been patient enough to wait will be rewarded in playing through Dragon Quest 11 S, which is easily the superior version.
If you’re anything like me, your first (and only) experience with the Hero comes from playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If the Hero has appealed to you in any way in that game as a Fighter, you owe it to yourself to play Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition. I can’t help but feel like the Switch version of the game would be my preferred choice of platform, simply since I could play the game anywhere, even if for just a few minutes at a time. However, the PlayStation 4 version comes highly recommended if you’re looking to take in the incredible visuals awaiting you in the world of Erdrea.
Expands and improves upon an excellent foundation in meaningful ways, with minimal compromise on the Switch's mobile hardware.
Old school to a fault, but fans of the series – and anyone else that appreciates its honest charms – will find much to love in this simplistic but heart-warming role-player.
Steeped in tradition and not afraid to show it, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age reflects the best qualities of the series' past.
Dragon Quest XI is already an incredible JRPG, but this massively updated Switch release makes it almost mandatory. With new outfits, new quests, an entirely new 2D mode and a huge range of quality of life improvements, it's easy to consider this the best version of the game to play. The only thing holding it back from earning that title are some unfortunate visual and performance issues. A handy patch can fix the latter, but really the only reason not to prefer this version is if pristine graphics are your highest priority.
Even if it is mostly the same game we had on the PS4 and PC, it still shines and the abundant new content mantains it fresh. And even if its visuals do not reach what we saw on the other versions (which is logical), it gets close and it is an adaptation with great merit for the Switch.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Square Enix has decide to make the definitive version of an immediate classic out of something that, at the beginning, may have looked like a simple adapted portable option: in this case we will find tenths of hours of gameplay, a magnificent turn based battle system and a whole new way to play the game in the West: the 2D mode, which will make nostalgics fall in love once more.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The huge amount of features makes this game one of the most content-packed, varied, enjoyable RPGs ever... Although some technical issues are not as polished as we'd have desired.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
There are already plenty of solid roleplaying games on the Switch, but you absolutely need to add Dragon Quest XI S to your collection if you haven’t already done so. Put simply, it is still a thoroughly incredible game and almost peerless within the genre.
Dragon Quest 11 has its flaws, and it may ultimately function as a breezy trip down memory lane for the experienced and a fabulous gateway experience for the uninitiated, but that is exactly what it sets out to be. At that, it is perfect.
An already essential JRPG has been enriched in this latest version with a large number of unpublished content. Unmissable.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Dragon Quest XI S is as perfect a port as you could ask for, and makes you feel good about owning a Switch in the first place.
While a straight port of Dragon Quest XI with the perk of playing portably on Switch would have been enticing enough, Square Enix went not just the extra mile, but many extra miles with the content rich Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition.
Dragon Quest is a wonderful title and nice reprieve from a harsh year.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition is an achievement that Square should be proud of; this is one of the best games they’ve put out in years.
Whether it’s your first Dragon Quest game or your eleventh, Dragon Quest XI S truly earns its “Definitive Edition” title by making an already exceptional RPG experience even better. Thanks to its wealth of refinements, new features, and the ability to play through the whole game in its 2D mode, Dragon Quest XI S will feel as much like a new experience for seasoned players of the original game as much as it will for those who are coming to the series for the first time. If Dragon Quest XI was intended to be made as a love letter to the classic JRPGs of the past, then consider the Definitive Edition to be its coda.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a highly enjoyable game that screams 'high quality production.' Despite its lack of gameplay innovation it still provides a certain level of enjoyment most JRPGs do not.
Thanks to modern hardware and quality of life improvements, this is one of the best Dragon Quest games to date that newcomers and veterans alike will enjoy immensely.