Dragon Quest XI S Progress

[cprmauldin 310]

On 3/11/2020 at 10:57 AM, Erdrick The Hero said:

To be fair I got him to play DQV and DQ8 both on PS2 a few years ago, and he played through those and while he didn't seem to particularly dislike either one, he seemed pretty indifferent.

Yeah sounds like the guy just isn't into DQ.

 

Not for everyone, I suppose.

[YangustheLegendaryBandit 3,204]

4 minutes ago, cprmauldin said:

Yeah sounds like the guy just isn't into DQ.

Not for everyone, I suppose.

I gave a friend in high school a copy of one of the DS Zenithia games as a birthday gift years ago, and he didn’t even make it past the second dungeon because “The game is really difficult.” This is someone who plays a lot of Pokémon and does all the shiny hunting/EV and IV training, so I assumed he would have no problem with the game. I even told him to go and buy boomerangs when he can since they hit all enemies, but he never played the game again.

I regret buying him the game and never bothered talking about DQ with him again.

[ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega 172]

After a VERY long hiatus, I FINALLY returned to my save file last night and am currently in the process of saving Erik from the gold monsters/vikings.

As a massive lifelong Dragon Quest fan, I have NEVER left a brand new Dragon Quest game incomplete for months at a time if it was my first playthrough. Unfortunately, my life has simply been too busy this entire past year and I've been working very long hours Monday-Friday leaving me very little, if any, game time during the week. With little to no time during the week and mainly only weekend excursions, it's made this game difficult for me to fully enjoy. It's not this game's fault--it's the fault of my circumstances and the truncated way in which I've been forced to play this game. I hate it. This is not the way I like playing Dragon Quest games and 11 is, unfortunately, a unique circumstance for me.

I was tempted to simply shelve this game until I can finally reduce my work hours but I had two issues:

 

1. I have NO idea when that will happen (it could literally happen any time or take longer--I don't know yet)

2. I've...missed the game. A lot. So, I'm back to playing the game in piecemeal as of last night. I hate that. Dragon Quest is an immersive experience that shouldn't be played in such a way, if you ask me...but what do I do? If I miss the game and the world of Erdrea, I either have to suck it up and just deal with it or hold off for God knows how long until my work hours are reduced. I chose to just suck it up and play it even with my reduced hours.

 

I will definitely NEED to properly replay this game unhindered one day once I'm back to working regular hours. I need to do this game proper justice.

Thankfully, this game is so accessible and so informative/user friendly that I was able to slide right back into the adventure last night with little confusion on where I was.

I also just realized...the Dark World really seems to comprise of a large chunk of this game. I feel like I'm playing two games in one. It's reminding me greatly of Dragon Quest III, to be honest. Dragon Quest III felt like a whole other game in one once I reached the Dark World and this is the same, really. 

I've really grown to love the Dark World in this game as well. It feels like Dragon Quest's answer to Final Fantasy III--er, VI (I'll never stop calling it III by accident). It honestly reminds me of the Dark World from Dragon Quest VIII if you left the sky gray but colored the environments in.

I've missed the world of Erdrea and I'm glad to be back. That's how much I've missed this game--I'm willing to continue playing it in piecemeal if I have to. But I WILL do this game the service it deserves one day down the line but replaying it in one go once my life gets less busy.

[ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega 172]

On 3/13/2020 at 4:08 PM, YangustheLegendaryBandit said:

I gave a friend in high school a copy of one of the DS Zenithia games as a birthday gift years ago, and he didn’t even make it past the second dungeon because “The game is really difficult.” This is someone who plays a lot of Pokémon and does all the shiny hunting/EV and IV training, so I assumed he would have no problem with the game. I even told him to go and buy boomerangs when he can since they hit all enemies, but he never played the game again.

I regret buying him the game and never bothered talking about DQ with him again.

Sounds like he doesn't care for the JRPG style. I've seen a lot of people refer to Dragon Quest games as "boring grindfests" but I have to be honest: there are a LOT of games out there that I consider to be boring grindfests...Dragon Quest has never been among them.

 

The thing about Dragon Quest is that it has a bit of an acquired taste for mainstream gamers, it seems. Dragon Quest gives you a much in return as you put into it and I think that concept is lost on many gamers.

Good call on the boomerangs. That's what I always do with DQV in the beginning for the ghost quest. It's so easy to rack up some quick levels early on with the boomerang. People don't seem to have the patience to do a bit of tactical problem-solving with these games.

I've also noticed most people who hate Dragon Quest always seem to be people who are bigger fans of more action-oriented RPG's (such as modern Final Fantasy games). To be honest? I don't care for most modern RPG's myself. This Dragon Quest style is my preferred style.

I guess it comes down to a matter of taste more than anything.

I'm just happy Dragon Quest is finally doing well. I'll bet that friend of yours may like DQXI--especially with its default battle system.

Edited March 16 by ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega

[YangustheLegendaryBandit 3,204]

7 hours ago, ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega said:

Sounds like he doesn't care for the JRPG style. I've seen a lot of people refer to Dragon Quest games as "boring grindfests" but I have to be honest: there are a LOT of games out there that I consider to be boring grindfests...Dragon Quest has never been among them.

 

The thing about Dragon Quest is that it has a bit of an acquired taste for mainstream gamers, it seems. Dragon Quest gives you a much in return as you put into it and I think that concept is lost on many gamers.

Good call on the boomerangs. That's what I always do with DQV in the beginning for the ghost quest. It's so easy to rack up some quick levels early on with the boomerang. People don't seem to have the patience to do a bit of tactical problem-solving with these games.

I've also noticed most people who hate Dragon Quest always seem to be people who are bigger fans of more action-oriented RPG's (such as modern Final Fantasy games). To be honest? I don't care for most modern RPG's myself. This Dragon Quest style is my preferred style.

I guess it comes down to a matter of taste more than anything.

I'm just happy Dragon Quest is finally doing well. I'll bet that friend of yours may like DQXI--especially with its default battle system.

 

[ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega 172]

14 hours ago, YangustheLegendaryBandit said:

 

You're right! I made all those assumptions and you assumed he would like Dragon Quest. We're an assumptive pair, it would seem. 

[cprmauldin 310]

On 3/16/2020 at 8:39 AM, ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega said:

Sounds like he doesn't care for the JRPG style. I've seen a lot of people refer to Dragon Quest games as "boring grindfests" but I have to be honest: there are a LOT of games out there that I consider to be boring grindfests...Dragon Quest has never been among them.

 

The thing about Dragon Quest is that it has a bit of an acquired taste for mainstream gamers, it seems. Dragon Quest gives you a much in return as you put into it and I think that concept is lost on many gamers.

Good call on the boomerangs. That's what I always do with DQV in the beginning for the ghost quest. It's so easy to rack up some quick levels early on with the boomerang. People don't seem to have the patience to do a bit of tactical problem-solving with these games.

I've also noticed most people who hate Dragon Quest always seem to be people who are bigger fans of more action-oriented RPG's (such as modern Final Fantasy games). To be honest? I don't care for most modern RPG's myself. This Dragon Quest style is my preferred style.

I guess it comes down to a matter of taste more than anything.

I'm just happy Dragon Quest is finally doing well. I'll bet that friend of yours may like DQXI--especially with its default battle system.

Yeah. 

 

I've seen a few Reddit posts where people are like, "HOW MUCH LONGER DO I HAVE"

 

I usually suggest they seek out other games in the future. 

[ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega 172]

2 hours ago, cprmauldin said:

Yeah. 

 

I've seen a few Reddit posts where people are like, "HOW MUCH LONGER DO I HAVE"

 

I usually suggest they seek out other games in the future. 

It's a shame. Dragon Quest games are the most enjoyable RPG experiences I've ever had. Sure, I enjoyed Final Fantasy (Final Fantasy VII and earlier--I hate this new era of Final Fantasy) but those games are lacking a certain charm and soul that Dragon Quest possesses, in my opinion. It's a zany series that doesn't take itself TOO seriously...just serious enough.

[cprmauldin 310]

On 3/17/2020 at 12:28 PM, ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega said:

 in my opinion. It's a zany series that doesn't take itself TOO seriously...just serious enough.

This is a concise yet accurate description

 

Somehow DQ manages to be cute and charming but also dark and serious. All at the same time. 

[Erdrick The Hero 906]

Despite obviously being Akira Toriyama's artwork (or the work of his understudies'/employees' in his own style), the Dragon Quest games borrow a lot of imagery and concepts from classic Disney films, hence the cuteness and charm. Unlike Disney though, Horii and his staff of writers aren't afraid to touch on dark, forbidding, and heart wrenching topics, and more than on just on the surface. While avoiding legitimate profanity and gore, Horii's stories are able to take on adult topics such as politics, religion, death, slavery, and the like, without being patronizing or insensitive. I'm not going to say everything is incredibly realistic, because a lot of it isn't, but DQ has certainly opened my mind to scenarios I never would have considered had I never played the games.

[ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega 172]

16 hours ago, cprmauldin said:

This is a concise yet accurate description

 

Somehow DQ manages to be cute and charming but also dark and serious. All at the same time. 

Exactly! It never feels TOO crushing in any scene. The only game I would say takes it past the usual Dragon Quest limits is Dragon Quest VII but that game manages to save itself with funny characters like Gabo/Ruff, Sir Mervyn and his prim and proper knight persona, Maribel's quips, etc.

[ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega 172]

13 hours ago, Erdrick The Hero said:

Despite obviously being Akira Toriyama's artwork (or the work of his understudies'/employees' in his own style), the Dragon Quest games borrow a lot of imagery and concepts from classic Disney films, hence the cuteness and charm. Unlike Disney though, Horii and his staff of writers aren't afraid to touch on dark, forbidding, and heart wrenching topics, and more than on just on the surface. While avoiding legitimate profanity and gore, Horii's stories are able to take on adult topics such as politics, religion, death, slavery, and the like, without being patronizing or insensitive. I'm not going to say everything is incredibly realistic, because a lot of it isn't, but DQ has certainly opened my mind to scenarios I never would have considered had I never played the games.

That's a great assessment, to be honest. It DOES resemble Disney but more like Disney if you pulled out the stops/made the stories more like the dark fairy tales they're based on. I'd say a good example would be films like Pirates of the Caribbean--Disney-produced but darker material than the animated films. Merge those two styles and you pretty much have Dragon Quest.

I'd also say Dragon Quest adheres to an old anime style, which makes sense.

[ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega 172]

So, I got home from a long workday yesterday and started playing DQXI around 11am. I wake up at 5:30 AM for work each morning so I probably should have slept. My wife was also staying away later than usual so I thought: "What the hell? If she's staying up a while then so will I" so I lay in bed and completed the Erik and Mia segments.

...Wow. This might be one of my favorite story lines of DQXI thus far. This one...HURT. Wow...

Spoiler

 

So, Erik and Mia were not only orphaned but ENSLAVED and Erik is forced to live with the guilt all those years. It was gut-wrenching. For some reason, the scene with the gold bird stirred emotion in me. I don't know--perhaps I was thinking that had taken that bird on as a pet and she essentially killed it (unless it was free from the spell like her afterword?) with her powers, leading Erik to tell her "ENOUGH".

So tragic with how their poverty led her to crave gold to the point where she was losing herself in her obsession.

And then there was my favorite scene: Erik being fully 100% willing to sacrifice himself to save his sister. I had the Luminary choose to stop Erik. The Luminary truly is the keeper of Erik's conscience. I'd imagine him saying: "Erik, stop! This isn't you!" in that moment. And that's when, rather than kill her, Erik lunges into the energy field to SAVE Mia, transforming into a gold statue in the process. I loved how he looked upon his sister with zero regret as he was being engulfed with the gold. I loved the way her love for her brother conquered her love for the gold, breaking the curse. I was quite emotional when Erik held her afterword, content and redeemed.

I loved Erik from the start but, after this scene, I loved him even more. The man tormented himself daily over feeling responsible for his sister's fate and was willing to die to save her. What more needs to be said? It's touching, beautiful, heart-breaking and heroic all that the same time. And, yet again, Erik had the Luminary to thank, cementing their bond even further.

 

I really view the Luminary as the brother Erik never had. The Luminary was the sibling Erik needed after losing his own. I was so enamored in this story that I didn't even realize it was 1am by the time I saved at the church, LOL!

It's great to be back to this game after a long hiatus and I must say that the writing and character studies in DQXI have been simply phenomenal so far--above average for this series, even. DQV and VII level, even.

Edited March 20 by ErdrickRotoLotoOrtega