I'm not going to admit I was wrong, but... A year ago Dragon Quest 11 came out for PlayStation 4 and, while I certainly enjoyed it, I wasn't as keen on it as most. This was a staunchly traditional outing that didn't seem to offer too much beyond splendour (though it was so splendrous that it's easily the most lavish RPG I've ever played). Now, playing through Dragon Quest 11 a second time on Switch, I've adjusted my opinion a little. Why exactly is that?
Maybe a part of it is plain old Nintendo fanboyism, and seeing Dragon Quest back where it belongs on Nintendo hardware. But I like to think I'm a tiny bit more professional than that, and certainly a lot has changed for this new edition, embellishing the original in all the right places and adding a fair bit more besides. It's not as if the fundamentals of Dragon Quest 11 have been altered - far from it - and rather that they've been buffed and polished to the point where it's easier to appreciate what they're really getting at.
And this Dragon Quest, really, is all about tradition. As has always been so with Enix' series, but 11's very essence seems to be to respect the ways of this 33-year-old franchise. Set in the vibrant whimsy of Erdrea, Dragon Quest 11 sees your mute protagonist slowly awaken to their destiny to save the world. Its ripe old stuff made fresh by Dragon Quest's typical flair for character and dialogue (here voiced in English and, for the first time, Japanese), and enlivened by references to the series' past. There's a late nod to one game in particular, while this new Switch edition liberally scatters a fair few more around.
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