Join Dave and special guest Andre (Fine Time, Neo Geo Go!, The Silent Discographer) as they discuss Square Enix's latest entry in the main Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. For a certain style of RPG (that Dragon Quest arguably pioneered), it doesn't get better than this. Dragon Quest XI doesn't reinvent any part of its genre, but executes at top level throughout, though we still have some questions about directions that the story goes. This is a masterpiece, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy!

Guest info: Andre (he/him)

• Check out Fine Time https://fineti.me/
• Check out Neo Geo Go! https://neogeogo.show/
• Check out The Silent Discographer https://the-silent-discographer.simplecast.com/
• Follow on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/pizzadinosaur.fineti.me

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:31 Introductions
• 6:06 Our Histories with Dragon Quest
• 10:19 Top-Level Thoughts
• 18:16 Story Setup and Thoughts
• 32:59 Feels Like Coming Home- Art & Music
• 51:03 Tickington
• 54:46 Combat and The Fun-Sized Forge
• 1:10:14 Thoughts on the Silent Protagonist
• 1:18:36 Lightning Round Thoughts
• 1:23:32 Who Should Play?
• 1:28:35 Andre's Podcasts
• 1:34:12 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
• 1:37:07 Spoilers- Some Early-Ish Story Talk
• 1:50:18 Spoilers- Act 2 Story
• 2:00:33 Spoilers- Act 3 Story

Music used in the episode is credited to Koichi Sugiyama. Tracks used: Overture, The Hero Goes Forth with Determination, Olé! Sylvando!, Unflinchable Courage, Bustling Town, Rab the Wizard, Light Though the Leaves of Love, Echoes of an Elusive Age

• Check out Dave on Nostalgium Arcanum talking about our favorite video game soundtracks: https://nostalgiumarcanum.fireside.fm/
• Check out Dave on The Rookie Run talking about Ocarina of Time https://www.youtube.com/@TheRookieRunVideoGamePodcast

Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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I didn't hear about Dragon Quest for a very long time, probably an embarrassingly long time, and once I played one, I didn't....get it. It all seemed too plain, too simple, too lacking in complexity, and while a part of me was relieved to suddenly have less "homework" to do as I'm forever catching up on RPGs that I missed, part of me felt an ever-present need to "get it". Yada yada yada, I finally had another reason to try Dragon Quest, starting with Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride on DS, and folks....I get it now. Tune in to find out how I got there.

Guest info: Chris Coplien of Retro Hangover

• Listen to Retro Hangover https://linktr.ee/retrohangover
• Check out the first of Dragon Quest V's episodes in the King of Games 1992 tournament https://retrohangover.captivate.fm/episode/king-of-games-92-round-1-match-4-sonic-the-hedgehog-2-vs-dragon-quest-v
• Follow on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/retrohangover.bsky.social

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 Title Card
• 0:42 Intros
• 6:10 Personal Histories with Dragon Quest V
• 12:15 Opening Thoughts
• 14:54 Story Setup/Generational Structure
• 26:19 Overcoming Constraints/Presentation
• 34:26 Story Themes/Cozy Charm
• 45:16 Soundtrack/Influence
• 56:10 Gameplay- Combat/Monster Collecting
• 1:12:05 Final Thoughts/Recommendations
• 1:14:45 Retro Hangover Podcast
• 1:19:23 SPOILER WALL/Patron Thank-You's
• 1:21:15 Spoiler Section- Act 1 and 2
• 2:06:04 Spoiler Section- Act 3 and Closing Thoughts

Music used in the episode is credited to Koichi Sugiyama. Tracks used: Overture, Overworld, Town, Battle, Melody in an Ancient Town, The Ocean, Zenithia, Saint

Social Media:
BlueSky
Instagram
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple, Spotify and [other podcast platforms](atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!

Support Tales from the Backlog