Now that another weekend of gaming has passed, we're curious to know if you got around to trying out the Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age demo on the Switch and whether or not it's convinced you to check out the full retail release when it arrives on 27th September.
If you haven't played it, then what are you waiting for it? It includes around ten hours of content and allows you to transfer your progress over to the main game. You can even unlock a special spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate if you download it or play the retail release.

Vote below and feel free to share your experience so far with the Dragon Quest XI S demo on Switch.
Comments 119
I'm not too far into it yet, but liking it so far. I do have a bad habit of not finishing my rpgs though, so if I play 10 hours then maybe I don't need to buy it lol. I'll be buying it.
I may finish the demo but I doubt I’ll but the game
I love the demo. So far I haven’t made it past where I got on PS4 before I decided to wait for the Switch version. It amazes me how close the two look alike. My only real dislike is the FPS seems do take a massive dip when you go indoors. That or the character and camera move slower, either way it feels awkward. If the PS4 version did that I guess I didn’t notice.
"Did you just want the Smash Bros. spirit?"
That's... why I'm here.
The demo sold the deal for me, so much content for free and the final game looks HUGE, I was planning to buy The Witcher 3 to revisit that fantastic game but DQXI just stolen my heart, the setting is fantastic and the gameplay is pretty solid, no wonder why this series is so loved worldwide.
This brings back nostalgia from playing the Dragon Warrior games on the NES. I'm not sure if most people realize that Dragon Warrior is Dragon Quest.
I got it, haven't finished it yet though.
This demo is really long. I'm 3 1/2 hours in and still going!
I downloaded the demo but haven't played it yet. I've just been playing other games and haven't had the time yet. I'll probably try the demo this week, when I decide I want to take a break from my current games.
I’m 8hrs into the demo. The last DQ game I played was Dragon Warrior.
@PBandSmelly Your loss
The only thing that bothers me is the main character's design. I mean, green boots with a purple outfit? Really? It's hard to get used to that on the main character. But I've played a couple other DQ games and I like how this one feels so far.
Playing the demo slowly. No need to rush, considering we have a little over a month before the full game launches.
My only concern was over how well it would perform in handheld mode. It's definitely a little softer/blurrier than it is on the TV, but, all things being equal, I still think it looks good, and I haven't really noticed any major slowdowns. Once I was satisfied it would be good as a hybrid experience, I preloaded it on my system.
The orchestrated music is brilliant. Also looking forward to trying out 2D mode in the full game.
As for my history with the series, I played DQ1 on Android and DQVIII on 3DS.
Big Dragon Quest fan here, and I blasted through the entire demo in a little over two days. What a rush! I'm counting down the days till September 27th.
I did. Only to see how it came out - Looks good on handheld.
Big fan. I got it last year on day 1 and couldn't put it down. Good game!
@PBandSmelly Oh jeez, a quick google just clued me in on what you mean. I had absolutely no idea about the views Sugiyama holds which has genuinely floored me because I always loved his tunes in the games and just never researched him personally. To me, I think it’s unfair to the other staff if I don’t support the game because of one individual but I can respect why you wouldn’t want to support the man.
@Doctor_Pancakes
In the settings the camera speed has two settings, one for outdoors and one for indoors. I thought this was pretty unusual but the indoor setting is lower by default. I don't think the frame rate is dropping.
I have, and I think it's gonna possibly save me $60 because I just wasn't really enjoying it. I also found myself getting annoyed with cutscenes and skipping them which is kind of bad for playing an RPG. I just don't always have the patience for these types of games anymore. It kind of makes me question if I want to continue playing these games. I beat Dragon Warrior 1 and 2 on NES, and I'm working on 3 now, but if I don't enjoy the demo of 11...well I was kind of playing through the other ones since I like playing a whole series instead of just the newest game. So if I don't even like 11 then there's not as much point in my playing the others. I dunno, it would sure help if there weren't already a thousand other games I want to play.
Now that Witcher 3 though...
This is how you do a port of a AAA title cough unlike Ubisoft cough, couldn't even hit 30 fps with AC 3 lol
@GASEOUS I adore your avatar.
Dragon Quest 11 looks awful from what I’ve seen, so I’ll be skipping this one.
Why isn’t there a ‘No, I’m not buying it’ after playing the demo? It’s perfectly reasonable that I’ve played the demo and it didn’t encourage me to get the game!
As somebody who has played through almost every entry, save for III and VIII, I’m loving the demo so far! I’m really hoping this game sells well, at least for a Jrpg! It’s really good to have this series back on a Nintendo console!
yes l have and l want the full game badly but it will be 3 years when l get the full game because everytime l ask for a game for birthday or christmas, l never get it.
Been playing the demo for the last 3 days. It’s such an awesome game. Cannot wait to get the full game come release day. That and Luigi’s Mansion 3 are what I’m cashing my next set of Nintendo Vouchers in for.
It's an incredible demo and absolutely sold me on the full game. I understand why most games can't have a demo this long but for those that can, this is how you move units.
@PhilKenSebben Cacodemon always the best <3
@McEhret1 Dragon Quest games are pretty much the only RPGs I finish, these days. I used to enjoy Final Fantasy games, but after XII, they just lost their luster, for me.
@nessisonett Exactly. Harvey Weinstein produced some of my favorite movies of all time. He's a monster, but the talented people who made those films shouldn't be judged for his awful actions. Hell, Wagner is one of greatest composers who ever lived and... yeesh... his personal ideology was darn near satanic. If you a cheer for any sports team, I guarantee you are applauding at least one appalling dude.
The lesson is if you unpeeled the onion on any entertainment thing out there, you probably will find some bad folks. It seems sisyphean to do this.
I'm not bothering with the demo. Definitely grabbing the game at launch so I'll just wait till the full version is out.
These poll answers are totally biased toward buying/liking the game. Those of us who don't play Dragon Quest, or just don't intend to get this one, basically can't give answers that even approach the truth.
Lovin the demo so far but I have been wanting to play this game since it came out on PS4 but have been waiting for the Switch release.
As for my time with the series I played 1, 2 and 3 on the NES (The first one I got for free from Nintendo Power) and both Heroes games on PS4.
@NinChocolate Probably because this article is an ad, so that option must be ignored.
I wish I hadn't. Now I have to wait more than a month until I can continue
Never played a Dragon Quest game before so I didn't plan on buying this. I heard about the demo so I figured I'd download it and give it a shot.
Thanks a lot DEMO, now this game is a day 1 buy. September is already murdering my wallet so what's another $60 going to hurt? 😂😂
I can already see this being another 100 plus hours game. A big time sink I will thoroughly enjoy.
@NinChocolate I've added in a few options to cover this!
I'm relatively new to DQ, but I've played and beaten V and am currently in the middle of IV. I also have VII and VIII backlogged. I'll definitely pick up XI for the Switch at some point.
I don't see any point in playing the demo since I know I'm going to get it anyway. it's stll a whole month away since the game releases, sure I could transfer the data but at that point it has been so long I'd almost certainly just restart from scratch anyway.
Finished this on Steam with true ending. Tried the demo and a feeling a bit of exhaustion now. Might still pick it up later day though.
I like it. I'll probably get it, and I know it's worth it, but there's tons of stuff coming out and I don't come close to playing all the downloads I collect on my Switch micro SD card. Oh, well, I'd get this physically since it's so many GB. I should probably set up a rule — I must complete Octopath, Trials of Mana, Fire Emblem, and Okami before I can buy Dragon Quest 11 S for my lovely Switch. Oh, gotta say I love how Dragon Quest 11 looks like 60fps when I play docked and use dejudder on my TV. Nice!
I beat MUA3 the other day and saw this dropped. Was so excited. Playing Torchlight 2, then Zelda LA and then this full game. In the demo I just left Cobblestone. Loving it so far.
I already got the PC version but would gladly buy this again on the Switch. Not bothering with the PS4 port.
Played about a half-hour. Never played a DQ game before so I have zero nostalgia. Hard to judge how good the game is without getting deeper into the combat. Not a huge fan of the music - why does it sound like a marching band? Isn't it supposed to be medieval? Also not big on the art style - never liked Akira Toriyama's big goofy faces. But I have a feeling it would grow on me if I keep playing. Not sure if I will or not.
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation is my favorite game of all time. It’s also the only DQ game I have beat.
@Liam_Doolan you’re the man! Love your posts on NL!
No and I'm not going to. I always wanted the full game and I'm with DQIX currently, so I'll just wait.
Played another half-hour. It's growing on me but I doubt I'll continue much further. The voice acting is surprisingly good - I just assumed it would be bad like many JRPG's. The writing is very cliched - very typical JRPG stuff. Not sure about the translation - "This quest was transgressed with finesse"??? Hmm. But it's all very charming and endearing somehow.
After 11 hours of exploring and leveling I finally finished the demo.....and then I went and played another hour of just leveling. I didn’t realize how much I missed the classic JRPG format. I can’t wait for this to arrive. I was already pretty excited, but the demo put me over the top. If I knew where the game was being housed right now, I would consider breaking in and getting an early copy.
Downoaded the demo, have preordered the game, would have bought it regardless of the demo and it's my first DQ experience.
What really annoyed me in the demo was that there is no fall damage or animation.
This is my first mainline game, been planning to get it since it was announced. Loving the demo. Might even play once in 3D once in 2D. We’ll see.
About 3 hrs in and I’m liking it. It doesn’t feel too hard yet. I’ve read that there are a few difficulty spikes (barring setting the spikes yourself when you first start the game). First timer to the series but this seems pretty great so far. Just have to decide if I’d rather get this with a voucher or see if I can get a discount online
Yeah, it's good stuff, but a little baffled that they give you 10 hours of gameplay, but not access to the 2D mode.
Might have persuaded me to get it.
Loving the demo. Gorgeous game never played any dragon quest game before. Love the crazy enemies
@Doctor_Pancakes it’s the camera
I had no intention to play this game but after the demo I can tell there is A TON of work put in. I’m traveling currently and played t he demo on the plane ride... WOW. I honestly didn’t know the game was going to be this good. When I get a chance I’m going to preorder! It’s just the kind of game I am in need of right now and frankly, have been wanting.
The grass really looks terrible to me, I have it on ps4 Pro too but I just can't stop seeing it.
I thought it looked good when I saw the Announcement trailer but was on the fenc as I’m not usually a big jRPG guy.
The demo has convinced me and I’ll be buying the full game.
Just hope I have the patience to finish it.
It's a great game but the resolution took a huge hit and framerate not as smooth as PS4 pro version. If you have a pro, that's the best version.
I really liked the demo... but it crashes two times with error and it returns to home screen
@LoneGaymer the Switch isn’t a PS4 pro. A PS4 Pro game will always look better. But, you can’t take your PS4 Pro on the go and play wherever you want.
And THAT is what counts. The Switch version runs smoothly and looks great.
That is why I have already decided to buy the game on the Switch.
I have been waiting for this game since it was first announced and I have downloaded the demo, but have yet to play it.
I just started Fire Emblem after a change of heart; I did not like the sound of the extra RPG elements added to what should be a pure strategy game.
I have been playing for about two hours now and I have not got into it. Still on day one, listening to characters and getting nowhere, and thinking what have I done and what have the developers done to one of my favourite franchise. 😭
I wish FE had a 10 hour demo like DQ, which I will be playing maybe sooner than I expected.
@gamer95 if portability isn’t important for you, you shouldn’t buy a Switch. Also it doesn’t look blurry at all on the Switch. As long as the game looks great and plays great (which it does) portability is a deciding factor. On Switch I can play the game wherever and whenever I want. I can’t do that on the PS4 so Switch version is the best version.
Since I am going to buy the game anyway I see no point in trying the demo. But still credits to square for providing a meaty demo for people who are unsure.
I downloaded the demo, but I am still grinding like hell at Xenoblade 2, so... I'll play it as soon as I can.
I played the heck outta the demo and somehow put 22 hours in it.
I love Dragon Quest and loved the demo thus far and I was already set on getting the game as soon as possible so the demo basically just confirmed my purchase even more.
Not bothering with the demo. I played the entire game on PS4 so I already know its fantastic. Got the Switch version pre-ordered so I'll just wait for the full game
just tried the demo last night for a bit and the demo seems fine so far, I haven't played a dragon quest game for a while now.
I’ve got the demo downloaded, but I won’t be able to play it until next week. Here’s hoping I enjoy it!
@NinChocolate I'm interested in buying the game but not on switch, the Nintendo tax is too great for me, I can get it on ps4 for much cheaper regardless of the benefits the switch version has.
@sanderev
portability is the only reason i have the switch, i don't get to use the tv often and frequently travelling so the switch sometimes is the only way I can play something, apart from my gaming laptop that is.
@MH4 I managed to play it for a hour, i don't know if I should get this game tbh because of the amount of excessive grinding and time it would require to play which is what rpgs are all about, i don't get a lot of gaming time these days.
I already have it for ps4. Picked up it on sale for $30 for the physical copy. I haven't finished it yet since fire emblem came out. I did download the demo just to see the differences between ps4 and switch. Of course if there is ever great sale, I could change my mind and double dip.
@gamer95 that DF analysis is going to say the PS4 version is better because they are PS4 fanboys. And it really doesn’t look blurry on my Switch. Maybe you should clean the screen of your Switch.
Also how much did that gaming laptop cost you?
Yes I played demo and it looks like the best DQ game yet. The Switch version looks and plays damn nice.
Comparing PC to console, PC will always win. Because you can make a € 3000 pc or even laptop that runs all games on 4K144 with HDR.
I was interested in buying it but the intro got me bored... it was REALLY generic and slow until I arrived at the castle. Then the game started to be more interesting. I haven't finished the demo so maybe at the end I will get hyped enough to buy it.
I have dragon quest builders to thank for getting me interested in the dragon quest series. I just beat builders 2 and it was amazing, 11 is a different game but it has the same charm and humor I’ve grown to love.
I hope demos demonstrate a real return for the effort because I’m often persuaded by them. How else do you know you want in? It seems like a sound strategy to me. Demos were my entry point for many franchises including Etrian Odyssey, Bravely Default, Dragon Quest Builders, and many more. I know those are big titles but with so much to choose from it’s easy to let a game stay in the “maybe” catagory indefinitely. With the games above, after a few hours of play, there was no question I would be purchasing the full experience when previously I would have slept on those titles.
I downloaded the demo and pre-ordered at the same time. I have been wanting to play this from when it launched on PC a while back but, I knew I would like it better on the Switch so I waited. Played 1 1/2 hours of the demo and made myself put it down (so hard to not play it!), we are a month away from launch so I will wait for full release
@annarusan Comparing PC to console, PC will always win. Because you can make a € 3000 pc or even laptop that runs all games on 4K144 with HDR.
Would have preferred if the game was an action RPG since I can’t even remember the last time I played a turned-based game. There just not my thing, but this one is keeping me pretty interested so I might be getting it.
@BarefootBowser yeah, they def need to sort that out. You mentioned it and I saw a few other posters say it as well. I know it happened to me twice and the second time was really annoying because I’d hadn’t saved in a good bit so I lose a list of the time/process input into grinding levels. But all in all, it looks like a fantastic game and I can’t wait to play the full release.
@PBandSmelly
If you and Mr Skeleton can’t recognise genius in music composition when you both hear it, not our fault. The DQ base music suite is a genius work of art.
@LoneGaymer You mean PC correct?
I'm trying to squeeze everything I can out of this demo. At eleven hours in I know I'm getting near the end. I only wish the demo was closer to the full release. I'll try and be patient though. The long, long wait is almost over.
i was not planning on getting the game but after playing the demo and looking more into Dragon Quest 11 i am now sold on the game and plan to buy it I need to buy a game for November i have no interest in Pokemon so Dragon Quest 11 S will be the game i pick up in November
I have yet to play through an RPG a second time. However, after playing the Switch demo I was reminded of just how wonderful this experience is. Thus I've gone and preordered the Switch version and plan a full play-through even though I've already beaten this on PS4.
Oh my gosh... that Orchestral soundtrack! (Why did they not have this on the PS4 version!?)
I've finished my first play-through of the demo and it was all the old-school JRPG goodness I was looking for. I even switched the camera back to classic and turned on some of the hardcore switches to get the classic feel. My only complaint is the AI seems way too competent for a DQ game.
I will be purchasing this as it has been on my wish list for over a year and one of the reasons I finally purchased a Switch. In the meantime, I will be playing a second round to try out the other weapons/features I didn't mess with first time around.
RPGs have never been my thing with the exception of Pokemon and Digimon. And Pokemon AT LEAST after all these finally went and continue going in the right direction of finally allowing you to create your VERY OWN character. I hope Digimon does that too one day but I highly doubt it. Dragon Quest XI looks nice and all but I won't even be able to reach quarter way thinking I was playing as someone else who isn't me. I went ahead and bought Xenoblade Chronicles: Torna the The Golden Country, and despite it's vibrancy and cool features and story, I just couldn't get totally into it and as a result I'm only as far as when you reach to the first Harbor after you find out the female Main Character's village has been destroyed. Nonetheless, to those who plan to buy the game, enjoy yourselves ^.^. As for me....Looking Forward to Astral Chain and Daemon X Machina WOO!!!
So far, it is like a Super Nintendo RPG, only with 3D graphics, so I've played that game before, I'm not interested.
@chtan69 honestly while I completed Act II and the base story, avoiding this kind of exhaustion is basically why I've avoided completing the post game Act so far despite having had half a year to do so.
Downloaded, but haven't gotten around to playing the Demo. Too busy with Tea Party's in Fire Emblem.
@PBandSmelly
All geniuses are messed up in some way. Be it eccentricities or flat out strangeness it just being an asshole. I think it just comes with the territory.
People saying how they act outside work hours matters as a game consumer is ludicrous. Are they good at their job? If yes, that’s all that should matter to us. Let their private lives be private.
I was going to play the demo but didn't have enough space on my Switch to download. Since I was planning on buying the game anyways I might not bother. Just got Fire Emblem so I am not lacking a game to play or anything.
Due to how long it took I went ahead and already played through the main ending on PS4, and still need to go back for the true ending with the after game work. However I don't regret picking it up for 30 bucks on PS4, it's going to be awhile before switch version gets there. Though I do think the whole 2D option they are doing for the entire game is pretty interesting, but I won't be double dipping anytime soon.
downloaded it...but is it bad that I can't stop playing DQ Builders long enough to try it?
@lampadablu
I had 2 crashes my first play thru. Second time no problems.
Haven't gotten around to playing the demo yet, I'm still working on Fire Emblem Three Houses. I've never played a Dragon Quest game yet so I'm hoping this is a good introduction to the franchise for me. I've always wanted to play it, I love JRPGs but I have so many on the go all the time that I never got around to them on 3DS or Playstation. Hopefully given my addiction to Switch, I'll play this no problem. I do wish other developers would make demos that transferred over save data for other games, I love it when we gamers get that chance.
I'm just grinding. Not too focused on the story as I don't want to end the demo just yet. And it will be nice to have a strong party when I get the game.
I never heard of this game but i heard of other games like this.
Been playing this for a few hours now and liking it, not sure if it's going to be a purchase yet though.
I've had 3 complete crashes so far so it's not great so far 😕
Yea i tried the demo, but I'm holding off on purchasing the full game until we get a definite answer on whether or not the extra content goes on other platforms. It's too blurry and pixelated. So many things pop in and out of the screen. You have to be really close to any object you want to see or else it'll fade away. So you can't stand far away and marvel at some of the scenery. I don't think I want to play this game with so many drawbacks so I'm going to be playing so many other games, that I'm hoping by the time I'm done, we get answer about the other platforms.
As for the game itself, it was an absolute blast. One annoying thing is how slow the camera is even though I have it set to 10. Also when you're running but need to turn, the mc goes extremely slow. But I like turn based combat so that was fun. I really liked the design of heliodor (I just wish I can experience it in all its full HD glory sometime in the future) and overall just seems like a solid JRPG.
A friend that works at GameStop gave me his manager code for DQXI on PS4, so I have it for free on that system. It was a long time ago, but the gesture of kindness was incredible. If I did get it on Switch, I’d have to wait on a sale, and it would be to play it in 16-bit. I’m trying the demo to see how it runs in comparison, and to of course get the Smash spirit.
I thought I would just have a poke around and see what it's all about, 3 hours later and I'm liking it - I haven't touched an RPG in years but I think I'm sold. I don't understand all this crying about grass when it makes zero difference to the main game and story. I don't play games to stare at foliage.
@Doctor_Pancakes the character walks slower. Happened in PS4. You can press zr and they'll speed up again, but makes it more difficult to move around in the smaller spaces.
I know JRPGs are a slow burn and are self indulgent with the story and DQ is the most basic JRPG there is... But I am an hour into the game and it's just so boring! Also what's the point of having the character move around in combat I it's the standard menu select turn based combat anyway?
Just finished the demo (8.5 hours) really loved it. Def picking this one up just wish it wasn’t such a long wait!
When I took the poll there was no option for deciding not to buy after playing the demo.
I was excited to try the game and it was a good choice for them to release a demo. It is obvious there are many people who really like and want to play it.
I liked the graphics but often can’t get into cutscene, turn based combat. I’ll play board/card games for that experience.
I also found the voice acting to be off putting. The accent of the girl seemed very odd and the use of “crikey” and “you saved my bacon” just seemed odd.
It’s a pass for me, but I’m glad to see so much excitement for the game. With releasing a demo, everyone will know what they are getting so it prevents some of the love it or hate it differences from reviewers who purchase.
Great demo. That - and some comment confirming that I would be able to turn down the annoying music - made me decide to get it. 😄
@BarefootBowser @Supadav03 and @k8sMum the game's producer Hokuto Okamoto actually addressed the crashing issues.
During the latest episode of Game Kaiwai Idobata Kaigi, Okamoto said that the errors people are encountering are something they haven’t been able to reproduce on the dev kits at all.
This seems to be some sort of problem only occurring on consumer models.
Generally speaking, a vast majority of errors are often related to corrupted game data or something to do with reading/writing to the SD card, so a reinstall typically fixes those problems.
However, this error seems to be of a more puzzling nature.
He said that at the moment, they're working hard on trying to remedy the crashing issue and pinpoint what exactly's causing it in the demo and hope people can be patient and understanding since they find it strange, too. Then ended that by confirming that they have intentions to try and patch that crashing error in the demo.
To @SmaggTheSmug I definitely recommend changing the battle style to the other where it's a fixed camera with dramatic shots.
The whole "walk around in battle thing" in a turn-based RPG is a novel idea and all, but is just kinda "there" at the end of the day and doesn't do it for most people.
I don't know why they set it as the default option when you freshly start the game when the classic camera angle is just generally better overall for battle flow.
@TheSixthSaint Good to know they are aware of it. Happened to me like 3 times but always in the same area, Heliodor. Hopefully when I get the retail release it won’t be an issue. Def not enough to stop me from buying. It’s day 1 for me 100%
@mjhopkins81 What was wrong with XII? I actually prefer the setting/gameplay of the Ivalice games
@EagleDelta2 Sorry - I meant to say that I enjoyed them up to and include XII. XIII was when I stopped enjoying them.
@sanderev I know, but comparing the two, the port is choppy and quite blurry. Even on PS4, not pro, it runs better. if you haven't played the PS4 version you're not going to notice a difference, but it's a lot less smooth. Still a fabulous game but it's a major downgrade graphically. Not a little, a LOT
@acachewowow not a PC player at all. Eeww im not a Savage
I have played the demo, but tbh I am not impressed with the graphics in the demo. They are hazy and murky looking. If the full retail game will look like the demo does I will skip it and stick with the PS4 version.
@GASEOUS no kidding. I'm playing the demo now. I'm in like 11 plus hours. I do not know when it ends, I must be close. (Looking for the little girls father) in the crypt. But I never played a dragon quest game, this just pulled me right in. Looks fantastic! Can't wait for the release.
@shyanneskye check your tv. I haven't seen anything this nice in a long time.
@Ryu_Niiyama @SterlingEyes I'm moving forward but leveling up as well for the same reason. I think I'm close to the end of the demo though. Been playing for 11 hours. Trying to find the girls dad in the crypt.
I only played a hour or so to get a taste. It was pretty nice. I can see buying it myself someday, maybe next year.
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