Those wanting to get their hands on Dragon Quest XI S ahead of its release date are in luck. The announcement was made by Square Enix during this year’s Dragon Quest Summer Festival in Tokyo.
No release date was given, nor did Square Enix disclose exactly which chunk of Dragon Quest XI will be playable, though it’s safe to assume those who download the preview will start right from the beginning.
Hopefully you’ll be able to get a solid couple of hours under the belt before your time is up. That should be enough time to get to grips with XI’s story, characters, and new features such as the revised combat system. Whether some of the Switch version’s bonus perks (like the 16-bit mode) will be accessible during the demo is unknown.
For now, the demo has only been confirmed for Japan though we’re guessing it will launch internationally via the Nintendo eShop.
Being more than just a simple port, Square Enix seems to giving Dragon Quest XI S more of a push – giving players access to a demo ahead of launch could help inform newcomers yet to try the series or those currently sat on the fence.
We recently went hands on with Dragon Quest XI S at Nintendo’s headquarters and we came away thoroughly impressed. Despite being retooled for the slightly less powerful Nintendo Switch, this version doesn’t feel watered down compared to its PlayStation 4 and PC counterparts, even when in handheld mode.
If anything, it’s an enhancement with Square Enix taking time to make some important quality of life changes. For the time-conscious JRPG fan, the combat has been sped up while retaining all of its tactical nuance with an option to automate party member actions.
There’s extra content to explore in this version too with series fans also being able to listen to the orchestral version of XI’s score which was sadly stripped from its original release due to complicated legal issues.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition will be launching exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on September 27th.
Source: Gematsu
