Dragon Quest is a game about adventure in its purest form. You play as the Luminary, Yggdrasil's chosen one, on a quest to defeat the Lord of Shadows. If that sounds familiar, it's probably because it is. On paper the story sounds exactly like every other RPG you've ever played, but what sets DQXI apart from the others is the characters and overall polish of the gameplay.
DQXI is paced nearly perfectly every step of the way, although my interest in exploring every nook and cranny faltered a little ways into the second half of the main story. All of the supporting characters are colorful and expertly written. The voice performances for each and every character are phenomenal and ooze personality. The character and monster designs of Akira Toriyama look beautiful and animate fluidly. The combat was mostly great, although the second half of the game can be entirely trivialized by a very simple combination of skills.
It also goes without saying that the orchestral score of Dragon Quest is remarkable, with heroic tunes that force you to hum and whistle along as you march along on your adventure.
The game isn't perfect, but I give it a 5 as a testament to its achievement as one of the greater JRPGs of recent years.