Square Enix announced today that Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age has arrived on PlayStation 4 and PC. The game is available in stores in the usual countries around the world, and on PlayStation Network and Steam.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the first mainline title in the franchise to arrive in North America since Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies reached the DS in July of 2010. It is the first console entry in the series to head west since Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King hit PlayStation 2 in November of 2005.
In Dragon Quest XI, players meet up with a "hunted hero" and follow him as he travels the world with a group of companions and determine the mystery of his fate. I haven't played the game, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess the fate of the world hangs in the balance. That's how these things go.
The game features a strategic combat system, a beautiful world full of bright visuals, charming characters and an enchanting story. I borrowed a lot of those adjectives from the press release I happen to have handy, just so you know, but they really do seem to fit and the game is already a hit with critics who got their hands on a copy ahead of release. We didn't manage to do so, because Square Enix hates us.
The press release also mentions several upgrades and enhancements that were not in the Japanese version, which debuted in July of last year. Those features include:
- English Voiceover
- Draconian Quest, a hard mode that offers additional challenges for more experienced players.
- Overhauled Menus & UI, with graphical enhancements and more intuitive navigation.
- Camera Mode, allowing players to take in views of the beautiful landscape, character renders and ferocious monsters in detail.
- A New Dash Function and many other system enhancements, such as improved character and camera movement
