When I was first searching for some JRPGs to play, I was recommended Dragon Quest XI. People told me, “You have to try it, it’s really good!” Booting it up, I was excited. I had never played a Dragon Quest game before, but I knew how many copies it sold in Japan and that it's one of the foundations for modern JRPGs. Many games can trace their lineage to this very series. But oh boy, Dragon Quest XI just didn't hit the mark for me. It felt too simple and dull, making it hard to stay engaged or feel motivated to continue with the story.

The characters were pretty forgettable and seemed to fit every trope possible, with no substance beyond that. The mute protagonist was especially frustrating, which I normally don’t have a problem with. It seemed like he wanted to say something but couldn't, reducing him to a blank slate meant for your self-insert wishes, which didn't work for me.

The plot unfolds in a predictable manner: there's a bad dark lord doing bad things, and you need to stop him. The use of a traditional medieval fantasy setting didn’t help either to differentiate it from other JRPGs, whether modern or old. All in all, the plot felt standard, and whether it is comforting and safe or generic and cliche-ridden is up to the player to decide. What I can say is going to town, finding a problem, going out and fighting a monster, and then rinsing and repeating the process gets stale quite fast.

If you're looking for something with more depth and a bit more mature themes, this one might not be for you, so move along.