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Square Enix debuted Dragon Quest XI’s opening cinematic, as well as gameplay from both the PS4 and 3DS versions of the game, at the Jump Festa 2017 convention.
Jump Festa is one of Japan’s most biggest anime and manga conventions, and the event continues to have an increasingly large gaming presence. This was pointed out by Square Enix’s willingness to reveal new information of the next year’s biggest game releases at Jump Festa 2017. One of the most head-turning debuts this year was Dragon Quest XI, after Square Enix decided to show both the opening cinematic and gameplay from both the PS4 and 3DS version of the game.
The first trailer is the opening cinematic of Dragon Quest XI. It should be especially nostalgic for old-school RPG fans, as it has that classic form of introducing each of the main characters and enemies while also teasing some of the game’s deeper secrets. It also continues to strengthen the notion that Dragon Quest XI will be visually impressive, complementing the style of artist Akira Tokiyama.
The gameplay trailer of Dragon Quest XI is something else altogether. The trailer is divided into two different parts, the first half from the PlayStation 4 and the second from the Nintendo 3DS. Clearly the difference between the two games will be significant, but just how different is a matter of some speculation. Having the 3DS game showing it’s mapped to a 2D plane and the PS4 version quite clearly entirely 3D, Square might certainly market the games as two different and worthwhile experiences.
Concentrating on the PlayStation 4 version alone, the game looks very impressive. The stylized look definitely seems more detailed than the gameplay videos from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but maybe not so much as Square Enix’s other RPG in development Kingdom Hearts III. That being said, the Dragon Quest series hasn’t been that type of technical showcase RPG, so it’s perhaps no wonder to see Kingdom Hearts III show off more of a wow factor.
Dragon Quest XI is tentatively planned for release in Japan in 2017 for both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo 3DS, including Nintendo Switch. Western release announcements have yet to be made.
