Board 8 > Playing my first dragon quest game

(+) Yeah! (+)

I dunno, it's been installed through game pass for so long I might as well. Dragon Quest XI S Word Salad

I know nothing about this series other than Sir Chris loves it and it looks super japanese.

not a playthrough topic because I might bounce off it within an hour, but I'm trying to branch out in what I play. Worked for Persona 5 (fucking banger that game is) and Nier Automata was pretty good

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one thing that might help is not comparing it to persona 5 or nier. it's a completely different beast in terms of pacing, gameplay, music... everything really.

just don't expect a fast-paced action packed experience. it's an old series that maintains its traditional approach to battles and storylines to great results, if you're willing to invest time and patience.

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DQ does everything at its own pace, but it always does it incredibly well and chock full of character.

DQ11 is one of my favorite JRPGs in recent memory.

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I honestly cant think of a more JRPG game than DQ11

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Yeah DQ has it own pace, which actually worked out well for me, as I played throughout the year last year with 11.

I could drop it and pick it up at any time without being completely lost. It eventually grabbed my full attention and now I'm just going through some end game stuff.

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Having never played a Dragon Quest game before I dived in with XI last year and did not regret it. One of my favourite games of recent years

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https://youtu.be/mspnURxwYVQ

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colliding posted...

one thing that might help is not comparing it to persona 5 or nier. it's a completely different beast in terms of pacing, gameplay, music... everything really.

just don't expect a fast-paced action packed experience. it's an old series that maintains its traditional approach to battles and storylines to great results, if you're willing to invest time and patience.

Oh I'm not comparing it to those games, just examples of games I would have never touched before having so much time during covid.

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Just keep in mind it is a slowwww burn. The demo for XI was like 10 hours, and it barely scratched the surface of the game.

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I clearly watched too much game if thrones because as soon as I was in front of the king I knew it would end poorly

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Also should I be exploring more because I just beelined it to the city and horse stomped all the enemies on the way

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Not really much to explore in the early section as most routes are blocked

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It's so old school that I feel it's sometimes a detriment to the game as a whole but it is very very VERY JRPG

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Great game. If you like it I suggest checking out VIII as well

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I got like 20 hours in and it felt like nothing happened. Havent played it in a few months since.

I might pick it up again, but I feel like Im too old for 50 hours of McGuffin hunting. I liked Persona because it feels like you are always moving forward. I felt in XI I was pretty much never moving

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RikkuAlmighty posted...

DQ does everything at its own pace, but it always does it incredibly well and chock full of character.

what

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???

I don't see anything wrong with that claim

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I dunno man I played dq11 and it couldn't have felt more like a paint by numbers, introductory rpg. I think the first word I would use to describe dq11 is "soulless".

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oh, honey

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DQ games are so excruciatingly slow. If you're into that, I hear they are great.

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Great series; hope you enjoy it!

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After playing 4 Trails games in a row hearing Dragon Quest described as "slow" is really weird

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MZero posted...

After playing 4 Trails games in a row hearing Dragon Quest described as "slow" is really weird

compared to FF, it is

Compared to a Altus game

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LiquidOshawott posted...

compared to FF, it is

Compared to a Altus game

I just really disagree with this. I've played tons of Atlus games and never felt as bogged down as playing DQXI

It's not about the length of the game, it's the tightness of the story. It felt like I played DQXI for 10 hours and achieved basically nothing. I ran errands for a town or something. It's filler.

(As an aside, this is also why I think P5 is a better game than P5 Royal. I feel like the extra content interwoven in P5R dramatically decreases the cohesion of the story and encourages tedious activity like grinding flowers or stars in momentos)

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By far the best game in the series. Not just because of no forced grinding and not just because you have a real sense of direction throughout the game.

It just feels like one of the most polished, balanced, and enjoyable experiences you'll ever get to play. It excels on every note.

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Dragon Quest XI is fantastic. It's like Dragon Quest VII, if VII wasn't boring and repetitive and every quest actually meant something. It's a candidate for best JRPG of the 2010s for sure.

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I think it's weird to call DQXI slow when it has options to speed up the game to ludicrous levels. Actually, all the DQ games have had really fast battle and traveling options compared to a lot of JRPGs. (They're usually not bogged down by excessive battle animations, and have had fast travel for AGES before other games did it).

Of course, the biggest complaint people have about the series are the weak plots, but I also think that misses the point of the stories in these games as well. Dragon Quest is not really about the huge overarching plotline and the inter-personal party drama like other JRPGs are. Often the story isn't anything more than "There's a big evil demon trying to take over the world. Find it and kill it." Instead the core of the games' writing is in the smaller, more inconsequential adventures you have along the way. Kind of more like an episodic TV show rather than, say, a movie with a distinct beginning/middle/end. The various towns you visit and the escapades you get into are more interesting than the overall plot, and there are minor NPCs that have more character and more interesting stories than main party members other RPGs have. If you focus on simply the goal the story presents you and view anything that doesn't directly feed into that as pointless diversions then yeah, I can see why you would think of the games as not being "tight" and being full of filler, but that really misses the point. It's about the journey, not the destination, and the various quests unrelated to the main plot and the various side characters and stories you come across IS the meat of the game. These games are all about those little experiences you have across the adventure, and even in the smallest details the games are very rewarding in that manner. Like, even the most insignificant NPCs in the towns have some great and interesting dialogue that is worth exploring and reading. That something that a LOT of RPGs fail to make worth your time, but it's something Dragon Quest does excellently. I do feel that there are plenty of people who hate talking to NPCs and don't bother to explore towns and simply try to get to the next plot point, and it's those type of people who would absolutely hate these games because your reward for continuing to play isn't to make it to the next story beat, it's to visit a new area and to explore and discover the interesting little details sprinkled throughout (heck, it doesn't even have to be a NEW area. You'd be shocked to discover just how often NPC dialogue updates in older areas throughout these games. Even in places you really don't need to revisit the dialogue will change and add new layers to NPCs that many players wouldn't even think twice about. It's so refreshing compared to games that don't even bother to give an NPC a second line even when the world is about end). I can understand why people wouldn't like these games even if they like other JRPGs, because they do build these games differently and they're rewarding to play in a different way from other games. But calling them "soulless" or lacking in character is really off the mark. These games are FILLED to the brim with detail and character that's really easy to miss if you're the type to not take your time to pay attention to them.

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masterplum posted...

I just really disagree with this. I've played tons of Atlus games and never felt as bogged down as playing DQXI

It's not about the length of the game, it's the tightness of the story. It felt like I played DQXI for 10 hours and achieved basically nothing. I ran errands for a town or something. It's filler.

Dragon Quest is all about your characters on a journey, with stops that may or may not immediately advance the overarching narrative. So yes, you might have to spend time in a town solving their town-specific mystery. In this way, it's a lot like (early) One Piece. Is "Sky Island" filler? Some people say yes, some say no.

Having a "loose" story rather than a tight narrative like Persona 5 is just a different approach to storytelling. I think it's calming but people are fair to say they find it boring. In some cases this approach has worked out poorly (like DQVII - which the above poster mentioned). If you think nothing happens in DQXI, just try playing that one. However, I think both XI and VIII do this type of storytelling pretty well.

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Ive beaten 2/3 of the game. Havent gotten to the post-game yet despite finishing the main game maybe like 2 months ago or something? I liked DQ8 more, but 11 is pretty alright. Almost every sidequest is pretty boring fetch quests, but what can ya do.

masterplum posted...

As an aside, this is also why I think P5 is a better game than P5 Royal.

this is certainly a take

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MZero posted...

this is certainly a take

And not a good one. Just a typical contrarian GameFAQs one.

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I mean the new end game story arc in P5R is pretty freakin' bad but everything before that is done better sooo

what

the third semester is GREAT in P5R

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Great at being doodoo and making everyone act really really dumb and out of character

i did enjoy persona 5, but by the time i hit the 90 hour mark (i think i finished it at around 110 hours) i was begging for the game to be over

i can imagine the bonus dlc feeling like both a blessing and a curse

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p5r third semester is really good

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