Dragon Quest XI is the epitome of the fairytale format in JRPGs. Crazy high production values, tons of features, and great exploration are the high points of this classic adventure. There is a space for this kind of game, but I am at a personal point in my life where very little of the actual meat of this game managed to catch my attention. There is charm in the locales and different cultures that inhabit them that definitely helps creating a compelling journey that will resonate with people, but the core elements that punctuate this game tend to be too basic and boilerplate for me to care about the overall experience.

I would be more generous with the game if the basic plotting didn’t feel written and planned by an AI. This is not hyperbole. I want more of the DQIV brand of Dragon Quest: switching from playable characters of completely different backgrounds (sometimes accompanied by different gameplay styles!) to frame a colorful world full of life and mystique, all to culminate into that amazing classic adventure story that feels earned after exploring the precious and varied world that now needs a hero. Not… the chosen one plot but with Trunks. I think you gather dragon balls at some point?

I would be even kinder to this game if the music was great. Music is an important part of gaming for me and I have huge appreciation for it. Dragon Quest XI doesn’t have a terrible, godawful soundtrack, but it’s pretty bad by JRPG standards.

I dropped this game very early, around the point where Veronica first joins you, but I have a strict policy that if a game bores me to death, I should always drop it, and after hearing the 50th loop of that terrible world map theme and basic attacking and healing for 8 hours, I was dreading every single session with this game. I don’t think Dragon Quest is for me.

Had to shelf this guy. The visuals and narrative of this game just cannot be understated, especially the former. This is a truly beautiful game, from start to finish. The story has very well realized characters and is just very thematically sound, it's a great story. Some of the set pieces are really something, seeing Jin's change of heart throughout the game is up there with the stunning visuals.

However, it's really just not that fun to play. An action game without a lock-on feature is just... a bizarre decision. At a certain point combat becomes kill or be killed in one hit, which may sound interesting, but it's more like the game is a cakewalk until it's a tightrope walk. The world is a bit too vast with inconsequential side quests that couldn't hold my interest.
It's a good game, I understand why some people really enjoyed it, but a bit overhyped in my opinion.