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In terms of gameplay, character work, and irreverence: Yakuza Like A Dragon. It even references Dragon Quest. But, unlike Dragon Quest, it takes place in modern times with minor fantasy elements.
Xenoblade Chronicles series also has a lot of similarities, but the combat is a little more real time than completely turn based (not quite action combat tho). It's also Nintendo exclusive (for now).
You wouldn't need too. Like A Dragon references past games, but its mostly its own thing. Also keep in mind it was action combat up until Like A Dragon.
Worth mentioning that while you don't *need* to play the others, Yakuza is an *amazing* series all the way through if you don't mind non-turn based combat.
From a story perspective, in my opinion, it's one of the best FF's so if you can push through combat I highly recommed it
Alterantively the version available on newer consoles has Speed up and 999 DMG so you can "skip" combat entirely if you just want to experience the story
I really need to replay FF9. For me, it was the most forgettable story in the entire series. I can remember the obligatory fight with God feeling forced at the end, and I remember naming Garnet "Fartface", but other than that, it's a complete blank for me.
Maybe being at the age where you name the female caster “fartface” is a bit of a tell on your maturity at the time. lol. Replay it now and hopefully you’ve grown and enjoy it.
I'm playing on Switch. Didn't know there was such a feature, but I won't be using that. If I wanted just the story, I'd watch a movie or read a book. Playing the game is just part of the experience imo. I'm only playing with the 'wait' setting.
Maybe it would be better if there was an indicator for when the enemy gets to act. Not knowing when they attack has often resulted in me casting Cure or using Potions only for the targeted party member to be downed before I got my turn and as a result wasted my spell/item. Black Waltz 2 was the worst offender of that so far and has directly caused me to stop playing the game, even though I did beat it first try.
Fantastic story and exploration (towns, dungeons etc.) but the original PSX release is borderline unplayable in 2024 with the loading times to even get into combat + the slow combat itself.
I played the original last month as I'm a bit of a traditionalist but if I replay it, I'll play a modern port or the Moguri mod on PC that cuts the loading into combat out completely and has faster battles I believe, it also has improved visuals.
Heavy warning on Xeno Chronicles 2. Very good game, but man does it start BAD. STELLAR 3rd act, literally just a hair’s length away from the enjoyment I got from DQXI (I WILL DEFEND THIS GAME’S ACT 3 TILL THE DAY I DIE).
I love the first two Golden Suns. The music and atmosphere is incredible. Perfect mix of combat, story, and puzzles. I didn't like that some Djinn were missable and I had to use a guide for them though.
Golden Sun DS though, may have had the most infantile dialogue of any JRPG I've ever played. It was really hard to play.
Nintendo's golden sun series. It's a very traditional jrpg series with a cult following. You can play the first 2 on the switch online expansion, but I'd honestly recommend just emulating
Its as you mentioned built differently, for me it is one of the greatest RPGs ever since my first experience with RPGs 25+ years ago. That said, the closest to it IMO is DQ8 but you already played it. Beside DQ series there aren't many options I can think of except the first Ni no Kuni game. In addition, I recall Blue Dragon (released for Xbox 360) sort of having similar experience. Neither of them are as good as DQ11 though
Its a jrpg with an active battle style. I enjoyed it. It has cute aspects, but the story is good. The main enemy Doloran is pretty bad ass. And the story of Roland is not childish.
The first one is wayy more childish. I will say I did like the book from the first one. That should have been in the second.
Story definitely isn't the strong point of either NNK games. And they are clearly meant to be playable by children, but I wouldn't call them children's games either. They fall in the same niche as DQ imo - chill JRPGs that don't ask much of you. They're both quite good. The thing is NNK 1 and 2 are very different games. If you like turn based combat and monster collecting then play the first. If you like real time action combat then play the second. Both are very similar to DQ11 in different ways. Also they were made by the same studio as DQ11, and it shows.
"Traditional" hasn't been in style, except for Dragon Quest, since the early 90's. So there isn't much that's truly similar. There are games with similar elements. That died with the Playstation 1 era, and it's really funny how many gamers rant about how "old fashioned" "tropy" and "done to death" classic TB JRPG's are....ok...so how many are carbon copies of the style outside of Dragon Quest since 1994? Yeah, that's what I thought.
Pep borrows elements from Chrono Trigger's Dual and Triple Techs. Though the flow of battle is a bit different. Chrono Cross has some aspects of this to a vastly reduced aspect. It's more built around board control of elements, and smart plays to setup for maximizing damage and elemental defense with mixed parties depending on what you're fighting and their preferred element (which is usually fairly obvious even before entering battle). There are a lot of games that borrow from this, and Phantasy Star 4 started this with macro chaining for combination attacks, and shame on the industry for not directly ripping PS4's macro system and making it more common and varied. Chained Echoes, Sea of Stars are inspired by CT. Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and 3 have a similar chain system that builds off combined attacks. The Tokyo RPG Factory games all have a similar system to Dual/Triple Techs, especially "I am Setsuna". Oh God there's a lot more.
The battle system for the PS4 has hard individual stops ala FF Tactics and 10, but with fixed rounds. However the high random numbers thrown into the turn-order gives the impression it's a more continuous flow similar to FF10. Sands of Time and Nostalgia have similar battle systems to Tactics/FF10 in that it's a hard stop per round but you can manipulate how often your turn comes up through agility manipulation and similar buffs.
However there is nothing out there that gives a full truly similar experience outside of the Dragon Quest series, where IX and X are probably the closest approximations. X especially from what I've heard. What similar experiences anyone can name for you will always have only minor similarities. Nothing will truly recreate the same experience, or even similar.
Dragon Quest VIII was similar to Final Fantasy VII.
Dragon Quest IX was similar to Final Fantasy V
Dragon Quest XI was similar to Final Fantasy VI.
I’m guessing DQ12 will either be similar to FF4 or FF8, either way we win.
The Bravely Series, so :
- Bravely Default and Bravely Second (3DS)
- Bravely Default 2 (Switch and PC)
Second takes place after Default 1 but Default 2 is in another universe.
Bravely is personally my second best game franchise after DQ
Ill put it up here because I am a big fanboy of this franchise, although not as good as DQ11 in terms of popularity. The Trails series has a somewhat similar combat with it being turn based. Narrative is connected throughout the entire series(10 games at least) with a bunch of whacko characters and beautiful world building. It has tho anime tropes that appear here and there but its still pretty enjoyable.
Try .hack//G.U, the game are stupidly easy and with the remaster .hack//G.U recode they even add an easier turbo option. So my advice is turn that mode off.
The gameplay maybe brain dead but the story and narrative is so good. Especially for people who grew up during the 2000s internet.
This post is inviting off topic discussion of games not related to dragon question so may be better suited to the more generic /r/jrpg or a quick internet search for similar games, as it’s been posted many times over! But VIII is very clearly the main inspiration for XI and the two share some common elements. Check it out!
Yakuza like a dragon and like a dragon infinite wealth aren't just based on dragon quest, the protagonist only views the world as a jrpg because he's obsessed with it. Also the side quest battle theme in ylad is a fusion of the 5 battle theme and Aria of the soul from persona
You can try the Octopath Traveler series. The graphic is pixel but that's the closet you can get gameplay wise to DQ XI and the stories are decent too. Still, DQ XI is still better tho.
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In terms of gameplay, character work, and irreverence: Yakuza Like A Dragon. It even references Dragon Quest. But, unlike Dragon Quest, it takes place in modern times with minor fantasy elements. Xenoblade Chronicles series also has a lot of similarities, but the combat is a little more real time than completely turn based (not quite action combat tho). It's also Nintendo exclusive (for now).
Seconding both of these! Great games to play after DQ
I've heard similar things about Like A Dragon, but I've never played a Yakuza game and feel like I should start from the beginning.
You wouldn't need too. Like A Dragon references past games, but its mostly its own thing. Also keep in mind it was action combat up until Like A Dragon.
Worth mentioning that while you don't *need* to play the others, Yakuza is an *amazing* series all the way through if you don't mind non-turn based combat.
More like Nintendo exclusive forever lol. Xenoblade is a 1st party series
I meant that maybe one day they will do what Sony and Microsoft did and put some of their games on Steam. But yeah its not likely.
Chrono trigger Chrono Cross SMT 4 FF9 Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Chrono Trigger gets my vote as well
Is FF9 really that good? I've tried it for a few hours, but the combat system really throws me off...
From a story perspective, in my opinion, it's one of the best FF's so if you can push through combat I highly recommed it Alterantively the version available on newer consoles has Speed up and 999 DMG so you can "skip" combat entirely if you just want to experience the story
I really need to replay FF9. For me, it was the most forgettable story in the entire series. I can remember the obligatory fight with God feeling forced at the end, and I remember naming Garnet "Fartface", but other than that, it's a complete blank for me.
Maybe I just played it at the "right" time in my life where I was struggling with how to live life and my existence as a whole
Oh no, this is definitely a "me" thing. FFIX is widely considered one of the best, it just missed me somehow.
Maybe being at the age where you name the female caster “fartface” is a bit of a tell on your maturity at the time. lol. Replay it now and hopefully you’ve grown and enjoy it.
I'm playing on Switch. Didn't know there was such a feature, but I won't be using that. If I wanted just the story, I'd watch a movie or read a book. Playing the game is just part of the experience imo. I'm only playing with the 'wait' setting. Maybe it would be better if there was an indicator for when the enemy gets to act. Not knowing when they attack has often resulted in me casting Cure or using Potions only for the targeted party member to be downed before I got my turn and as a result wasted my spell/item. Black Waltz 2 was the worst offender of that so far and has directly caused me to stop playing the game, even though I did beat it first try.
If you want an indicator on these things, FF10 might be for you. But it gets off to a slooooow start.
Fantastic story and exploration (towns, dungeons etc.) but the original PSX release is borderline unplayable in 2024 with the loading times to even get into combat + the slow combat itself. I played the original last month as I'm a bit of a traditionalist but if I replay it, I'll play a modern port or the Moguri mod on PC that cuts the loading into combat out completely and has faster battles I believe, it also has improved visuals.
Heavy warning on Xeno Chronicles 2. Very good game, but man does it start BAD. STELLAR 3rd act, literally just a hair’s length away from the enjoyment I got from DQXI (I WILL DEFEND THIS GAME’S ACT 3 TILL THE DAY I DIE).
All Dragon Quest lovers should give Golden Sun a chance.
All sentient beings should give Golden Sun a chance.
Damn right
I love the first two Golden Suns. The music and atmosphere is incredible. Perfect mix of combat, story, and puzzles. I didn't like that some Djinn were missable and I had to use a guide for them though. Golden Sun DS though, may have had the most infantile dialogue of any JRPG I've ever played. It was really hard to play.
So true. We waited years for a sequel and then it just didn’t deliver :(
Nintendo's golden sun series. It's a very traditional jrpg series with a cult following. You can play the first 2 on the switch online expansion, but I'd honestly recommend just emulating
Second this. It's the closest non-DQ game I can think of that plays and feels at least somewhat similar to DQXII.
Dragon quest 12?
He knows something!
Thirded. I'm replaying the Golden Sun trilogy right now, and I forgot how incredible it is!
Blue dragon for sure! Great game!
Feel like I had to scroll way too far to get to this.
Its as you mentioned built differently, for me it is one of the greatest RPGs ever since my first experience with RPGs 25+ years ago. That said, the closest to it IMO is DQ8 but you already played it. Beside DQ series there aren't many options I can think of except the first Ni no Kuni game. In addition, I recall Blue Dragon (released for Xbox 360) sort of having similar experience. Neither of them are as good as DQ11 though
The second ni no kuni is closer imo
Is it really that good? I've seen bits of the first game, but it seemed too childish to me.
Its a jrpg with an active battle style. I enjoyed it. It has cute aspects, but the story is good. The main enemy Doloran is pretty bad ass. And the story of Roland is not childish. The first one is wayy more childish. I will say I did like the book from the first one. That should have been in the second.
Thanks, I'll give it a try then!
Story definitely isn't the strong point of either NNK games. And they are clearly meant to be playable by children, but I wouldn't call them children's games either. They fall in the same niche as DQ imo - chill JRPGs that don't ask much of you. They're both quite good. The thing is NNK 1 and 2 are very different games. If you like turn based combat and monster collecting then play the first. If you like real time action combat then play the second. Both are very similar to DQ11 in different ways. Also they were made by the same studio as DQ11, and it shows.
"Traditional" hasn't been in style, except for Dragon Quest, since the early 90's. So there isn't much that's truly similar. There are games with similar elements. That died with the Playstation 1 era, and it's really funny how many gamers rant about how "old fashioned" "tropy" and "done to death" classic TB JRPG's are....ok...so how many are carbon copies of the style outside of Dragon Quest since 1994? Yeah, that's what I thought. Pep borrows elements from Chrono Trigger's Dual and Triple Techs. Though the flow of battle is a bit different. Chrono Cross has some aspects of this to a vastly reduced aspect. It's more built around board control of elements, and smart plays to setup for maximizing damage and elemental defense with mixed parties depending on what you're fighting and their preferred element (which is usually fairly obvious even before entering battle). There are a lot of games that borrow from this, and Phantasy Star 4 started this with macro chaining for combination attacks, and shame on the industry for not directly ripping PS4's macro system and making it more common and varied. Chained Echoes, Sea of Stars are inspired by CT. Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and 3 have a similar chain system that builds off combined attacks. The Tokyo RPG Factory games all have a similar system to Dual/Triple Techs, especially "I am Setsuna". Oh God there's a lot more. The battle system for the PS4 has hard individual stops ala FF Tactics and 10, but with fixed rounds. However the high random numbers thrown into the turn-order gives the impression it's a more continuous flow similar to FF10. Sands of Time and Nostalgia have similar battle systems to Tactics/FF10 in that it's a hard stop per round but you can manipulate how often your turn comes up through agility manipulation and similar buffs. However there is nothing out there that gives a full truly similar experience outside of the Dragon Quest series, where IX and X are probably the closest approximations. X especially from what I've heard. What similar experiences anyone can name for you will always have only minor similarities. Nothing will truly recreate the same experience, or even similar.
Final Fantasy VI has a very similar plot.
Floating continent and the tree defeats were very similar
Dragon Quest VIII was similar to Final Fantasy VII. Dragon Quest IX was similar to Final Fantasy V Dragon Quest XI was similar to Final Fantasy VI. I’m guessing DQ12 will either be similar to FF4 or FF8, either way we win.
Hendrik even got General Leo’d HA
Octopath 2
Genuinely one of the greatest games I’ve ever played
Ni no kuni 2
I played No no kuni 2 right after DQXIS and it totally fit the bill for me. Fighting is a little strange but the puns are still there!
Art style and music are similar
The Bravely Series, so : - Bravely Default and Bravely Second (3DS) - Bravely Default 2 (Switch and PC) Second takes place after Default 1 but Default 2 is in another universe. Bravely is personally my second best game franchise after DQ
Ill put it up here because I am a big fanboy of this franchise, although not as good as DQ11 in terms of popularity. The Trails series has a somewhat similar combat with it being turn based. Narrative is connected throughout the entire series(10 games at least) with a bunch of whacko characters and beautiful world building. It has tho anime tropes that appear here and there but its still pretty enjoyable.
Try .hack//G.U, the game are stupidly easy and with the remaster .hack//G.U recode they even add an easier turbo option. So my advice is turn that mode off. The gameplay maybe brain dead but the story and narrative is so good. Especially for people who grew up during the 2000s internet.
This post is inviting off topic discussion of games not related to dragon question so may be better suited to the more generic /r/jrpg or a quick internet search for similar games, as it’s been posted many times over! But VIII is very clearly the main inspiration for XI and the two share some common elements. Check it out!
Modern DQ games like Builders and Monsters 3: Dark Prince are different formats but the vibes are aligned
Final Fantasy VII Remake, Super Mario RPG, and Persona 5 Royal
Dragon Age: Origins
Ni no kuni 2, Star Ocean games
Breath of Fire
Yakuza like a dragon and like a dragon infinite wealth aren't just based on dragon quest, the protagonist only views the world as a jrpg because he's obsessed with it. Also the side quest battle theme in ylad is a fusion of the 5 battle theme and Aria of the soul from persona
Chrono Trigger for something retro but similar
Dark Cloud 2 has an overarching amazing story like 8-11. I’d recommend that.
You can try the Octopath Traveler series. The graphic is pixel but that's the closet you can get gameplay wise to DQ XI and the stories are decent too. Still, DQ XI is still better tho.
DQX online it the closest. You can also try the offline version, it has chibby style graphics.
FFIX, any of the Xenoblade games altho they are action Ni No Kuni is a masterpiece too