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Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age(JP) is a role-playing game that has been released exclusively in Japan for Nintendo 3DS, and was re-released for the Nintendo Switch as Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition. It was originally set to be released in 2016 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Dragon Quest series, but was pushed a year later and was only released in Japan. The game was developed and published by Square Enix with the release outside Japan handled by Nintendo.
Gameplay[]
Switch version[]
The Switch version is capable of toggling between the 16-bit visuals resembling the classic Dragon Quest titles and the HD graphics of a modern RPG. Another feature is the ability to switch between American and Japanese voice acting. The game also comes with special costumes for all the characters and special new character specific questlines for the party members.
Plot[]
The game is set in the world of Erdrea and begins as the kingdom of Dundrasil is invaded and destroyed by an army of monsters. The protagonist, an infant during the attack, survives and is found floating down a river by an old man named Chalky in the village of Cobblestone. The protagonist is adopted by Chalky's daughter Amber and raised in the village. After the protagonist's coming-of-age ceremony, Amber reveals the truth to him about his birth and adoption and sends him to meet King Carnelian of Heliodor. However, the king accuses him of being an evil entity and throws him into the dungeons.
Imprisoned, the protagonist meets a thief named Erik who reveals that he was sent to meet him, as the mark on his hand is proof that he is the Luminary, a legendary hero chosen by the world tree Yggdrasil to save Erdrea from evil. The pair escape and evade capture, later joined by two mages: Veronica , who is trapped in a child's body due to a curse, and her twin sister, Serena. On their quest to help the Luminary reach Yggdrasil, they gain three other companions: Sylvando, a traveling entertainer, Jade, the exiled princess of Heliodor who helped the infant protagonist escape during the attack of Dundrasil, and Rab, the former king of Dundrasil and the protagonist's grandfather.
The party eventually arrives at the heart of Yggdrasil, which contains the Sword of Light, the Luminary's destined weapon. However, just as the Luminary is about to take it, he and the party are intercepted by Carnelian and his retainers Jasper and Hendrik. It is revealed that Carnelian was possessed by an evil sorcerer known as Mordegon, also was responsible for Dundrasil's destruction, and Jasper is Mordegon's agent. The two subdue Hendrik and the Luminary's party, with Mordegon taking the Sword of Light, corrupting it into the Sword of Shadows, and absorbing the heart of Yggdrasil, destroying the tree and plunging the world into an age of darkness.
Separated from the others, the Luminary returns to Cobblestone, turned into a fortified refuge for Heliodor citizens led by Carnelian and Hendrik, who apologize to the Luminary for all the troubles they caused him. Hendrik joins forces with the Luminary, and together they reclaim Heliodor from Mordegon's forces. At one point, a dark spirit summons a mysterious orb called Erdwin's Lantern, however Mordegon destroys it so no one stands in his way. After reuniting with the rest of the party, except for Veronica, who perished saving the others during the fall of Yggdrasil, the Luminary obtains the means to forge a new Sword of Light, which they use to defeat Jasper and Mordegon, restoring Yggdrasil and the world.
Afterwards, the party discovers the means to bring Veronica (and other people who perished) back within the Tower of Lost Time. There, they meet the Timekeeper, who gives the Luminary the power to go back in time and defeat Mordegon before he can steal the Sword of Light and Yggdrasil's heart, thus saving Veronica from sacrificing herself and preventing Mordegon's dark age. However, due to Mordegon's absence, Erdwin's Lantern wasn't destroyed, thus the dark spirit is able to merge with it and awaken as the game's other main antagonist: The Dark One, Calasmos. The party learns that a prior Luminary named Erdwin was betrayed and killed by his mage companion Morcant, who absorbed Calasmos' powers and transformed into Mordegon. Since he could not be destroyed forever without the power of the Luminary, Serenica, Erdwin's former sage companion and lover, then sealed the weakened Calasmos within Erdwin's Lantern and attempted to return to the past at the Tower of Lost Time, but was turned into the Timekeeper instead.
The party then confronts and destroys Calasmos, before the Luminary entrusts his mark to Serenica, who reverts to her original form and uses it to return to the past and reunite with Erdwin. Accompanied by Veronica and Serena, he also returns the Sword of Light to Yggdrasil, who reveals itself to be Yggdragon, an ancient dragon of light who was defeated by Calasmos ages ago, whose body transformed into the tree Yggdrasil and gave life to Erdrea. Yggdragon bestows upon the Luminary the title of "Erdrick", the mightiest of all heroes, and keeps the Sword for the day when a new hero will need it to defend Erdrea from evil.
In the mid-credits, Serenica reunites with Erdwin in the past, while after the credits, a young mother, after reading the Luminary's story in a book, wakes up her child from bed, setting up the beginning of Dragon Quest III.
Reception[]
Dragon Quest XI on the 3DS received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic, with critics praising it for its visuals, traditional turn-based combat, plot, and characters. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition is a "Must Play" game according to Metacritic with a metascore of 91/100 based on 48 critic reviews.[1]
Legacy[]
The Luminary appeared as a playable character via downloadable content in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Yggdrasil's Altar is his related stage and comes with several music tracks from the series. In addition, a Luminary Amiibo was released in October 2020. Luminary was voiced by Mitsuki Saiga, who voiced Link in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Link's Awakening for the Switch (which was released the same year as the Switch version of this game). In addition, a Luminary Amiibo was released in October 2020.
Gallery[]
| Main article: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age/gallery |
Video[]
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References[]
- ↑ Metascore on Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive EditionMetacritic, Retrieved February 12, 2020
- ↑ Romano, Sal (July 28, 2015) "Dragon Quest XI announced for PS4, 3DS"
http://gematsu.com/2015/07/dragon-quest-xi-announced-ps4-3ds
Published by: Gematsu
External links[]
- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age at GameFAQs
| Dragon Quest series | |
|---|---|
| Main series | Dragon Quest (I & II) • II (I & II) • III (I-II-III) • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI |
| Monsters series | Monsters (Remake) • Monsters 2 (Remake) • Caravan Heart • Joker • Joker 2 (Professional) • Joker 3 (Professional) • The Dark Prince |
| Mystery Dungeon series | Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon • Torneko no Daibōken 2 • Torneko no Daibōken 3 |
| Slime series | Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest • Rocket Slime • Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3 |
| Spin-offs | Swords • Monster Battle Road Victory • Wars • Itadaki Street DS • Fortune Street • Heroes I + II • Theatrhythm • Builders • Builders 2 Rivals • Treasures |
| Related | Enix • Chunsoft • Level-5 • Yuji Horii • Akira Toriyama • Koichi Sugiyama • Chrono Trigger |
This Dragon Quest-related article is a stub. Please help by expanding it.