{"id":858981,"date":"2026-09-24T13:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T13:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858981\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T13:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T13:26:15","slug":"dragon-quest-xi-s-echoes-of-an-elusive-age-definitive-edition-review-switch-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/858981\/","title":{"rendered":"DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition Review (Switch 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The least disappointing aspect (and the main headlining feature) is the improved performance, which is relatively modest but welcome. Quality mode boosts docked play to 1440p and 30fps, while Performance mode gets you 1080p and 60fps docked and handheld. Regardless of which mode you’re in, the frame rate stays stable even in busier environments and flashier combat animations. All things considered, this is the best way to play on a portable platform.<\/p>\n

Importantly, however, there are no new content additions for this release\u2014it is quite literally the exact same game apart from the performance improvements. And this is where the value proposition starts to drop. Assuming you have Boost Mode<\/a> activated, owners of the Switch 1 version can play in 900p and 30fps on Switch 2; definitely an inferior experience, but not enormously so.<\/p>\n

Then you pair this with the unfriendliness of this new release to owners of the original. Despite no obvious reason, there’s no way to transfer old saves to the Switch 2 version. If you were hoping this version could be a good excuse to return to your half-finished save to wrap things up, you’ll unfortunately have to start all over. Beyond this, there’s no free or reduced-cost upgrade path for previous owners, either, so you’ll have to pay the full 40 bucks for what ultimately amounts to a frame rate and resolution patch.<\/p>\n

So, is it worth the punt? Yes and no. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age<\/a> continues to be one of the greatest examples of a ‘pure’ JRPG, and this is certainly the best version of it for a handheld. Yet it feels like the overall value proposition is lopsided here. Everything looks and plays great with the performance boost, but Square couldn\u2019t have made it much more discouraging for pre-existing owners to get the upgrade.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a newcomer or a fan who\u2019s looking to do a fresh run, I think it\u2019s worth it, but don\u2019t pay full price. This is the epitome of a \u2018wait for a sale\u2019 release, and there are plenty of other RPGs on the Switch 2 (many of which are also Dragon Quest<\/a> games) to tide you over while you wait.<\/p>\n

Performance boosts lead to sharper, smoother gameplayStill the same legendary RPG it always was
\nNo option to transfer old savesNo upgrade path for owners of the Switch version<\/p>\n

Not Bad 6\/10<\/p>\n

Review copy provided by Square Enix<\/a>
How we review products<\/a>
Scoring Policy<\/a><\/p>\n

\"DRAGON<\/a><\/p>\n

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The least disappointing aspect (and the main headlining feature) is the improved performance, which is relatively modest but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":858982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[362625,305499,7853,1299,75,74],"class_list":["post-858981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-dragon-quest-xi-s-echoes-of-an-elusive-age-definitive-edition","tag-mini-review","tag-mini-reviews","tag-nintendo","tag-nintendo-switch-2","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=858981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=858981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=858981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=858981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}