Recently I've been playing a couple of old-school RPGs, some older than others.
Final Fantasy VII and IX, Tales of Symphonia, Seiken Densetsu 3, Terranigma and TES4: Oblivion.
Those are all great games, however the one that has me playing the most isn't even old, it just feels like a natural evolution of what we've had in the past whilst still managing to keep itself really modern: Dragon Quest XI S.
This game is not the most recent, having come out in 2017 in the 3DS as a very different looking version but with the same story. I'm a patient gamer though, and it definitely paid off to wait.
I have not played such an incredible looking, sounding and playing JRPG ever. There are things that are prettier in the graphics department, but the way they use the Akira Toriyama artstyle in this beautiful 3D world taking advantage of what newer technology can do is just absolutely stunning.
Honestly, in-game screenshots look like promotional material, things I could only dream of back in the PS2 days. But nope, this is all real, and it's glorious. Sometimes I just stop to take a look at my surroundings, just admire all the landscapes, the towns, the sea, everything here is absolutely stunning and some parts stand out so much.
Some scenarios, like Nautica here, remind me of games like Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii, with a cartoony vibe to it but here it's just even more stunning with things running at 60FPS 1440p on my very modest rig.
Now the story, this is apparently the first game in the first saga (I to III) chronologically and there are a lot of things alluding to this. I have not beaten the game yet, but I'm finding out more and more and a lot of things here link to DQ I and II which I played as a kid on the Gameboy Color.
All Dragon Quest games can be played without prior knowledge of the ones before, but I feel like this is a great entry point to the series, although I, II and III are a little dated now and may not be to everyone's taste.
I feel like remaking those games would be great but it might just be wishful thinking.
This game alone is worth playing even if you don't intend on playing the rest of the series, however I'm sure that 90% of those who play this through will become interested because it feels a lot like the older games, just with newer mechanics, better graphics and just... everything being better.
I know this might not be everyone's favourite Dragon Quest game, and I personally haven't played them all (Only I, II and 8) but this is making me want to play through the entire series just to get more and more, but I'm lucky that I still have lots to chew through here.
Another thing that I feel like I need to mention about this game is the sound design... This is another reason why this feels old-school. The sound effects alone just SOUND like Dragon Quest, but crisp, modern, while still managing to give me nostalgia, it's beautiful.
And the soundtrack... Man, the soundtrack. If there's one thing that got me into starting this game, it has to be the intro with the classic DQ opening played by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. The animation in that opening is beautiful and very reminiscent of the game (just looking a little better) and the music just gives me chills every time I hear it. It reminds me of the past, and makes me excited for this future we're in.
Dragon Quest "came back" even if it never left, and I don't think there's another JRPG out there right now that captures the classic vibe of SNES and PS1 titles while still managing to be so modern and such a HUGE advancement to the genre and the industry as a whole.
Of course I shouldn't have expected less from Dragon Quest, from Square Enix, from a game that received a perfect 40/40 Famitsu score, but my God, I'm in love again.
If you have Xbox Game Pass then go play this NOW. It's one of the best titles currently available on that service right now, it's even in Google Stadia afaik. Even if you don't have a subscription service with this title, definitely take a look at it and maybe buy it if you're interested. If you're into JRPGs, even completely different ones like Final Fantasy, this will be an incredible ride.
I'm not yet sure how it ends, but I don't think I want to know, I want this thing to last forever.
I'll leave you with this masterpiece, the best opening to any game I've ever seen or heard, beating even the ones in the Persona titles which are also absolutely incredible: