I'm really enjoying this game, but...

Hey guys!

I'm currently running this game as my "main game" at the moment, and for the most part, it's...pretty good? I'll preface by saying that JRPGS are my main form of gaming entertainment. This year, I've played Ni No Kuni 2, and Octopath, and both left me kind of cold. See my list for more info.

I can't decide on DQ11 so far. I really like the artstyle, the enemy designs are a treat, and the cast of characters is pretty good, especially Erik. But I dunno, something isn't quite clicking for me. Maybe it's the played out music that I've heard before, or the incredibly boring main character, or the kind of slow starting story? I'll admit that I'm only 10 hours in (Just escaped on Sylvando's ship and saved from the Octopus thing), so I'm very eager to carry on, but I can't seem to just sit down and grind it out like I used to when I was a kid. Maybe it's just "Tired gamer syndrome" or something?

Does this game start getting more exciting as you unlock more? I really like the look of the woman with the spear.

Oh also, I don't know if this is just a common DQ thing, but doing 25 damage a hit at 10 hours in is kinda lackluster. Please tell me I'm wrong!

This is just the way that DQ has always scaled, and they've never given in to pressure to inflate the numbers.

I for one am very happy about this. I'm all about efficiency in numbers. In my mind, it makes the increases feel more meaningful.

You may have JRPG burnout! I know I get it periodically despite a deep love of the genre. More than any other genre, I think JRPGs are hard to binge. So many tropes in common, and many really have very shallow mechanics that only seem complex (so many utterly useless status effects.) Play something else and come back later if it's not doing it for you.

Like the others above me said, DQ numbers have always been small. I wouldn't have DQ any other way!

Haven't played this DQ myself, but I'm with you with the played out music bit. I wish that franchise would try something significantly different with it's main series, even if it's just cosmetic. I've gotten real tired of the similar sounding soundtracks, the near identical enemy designs, the Toriyama character designs. Not saying they should go full Final Fantasy and change everything around with each installment, but I'd really appreciate something new from a mainline Dragon Quest, even if it's just once.

I might be wrong, but it seems like every town/city has the same theme. And sometimes the music is really inappropriate for the mood. I just had to save someone from something, and it's cheery as fuck. I think the uninspired music and totally boring looking MC are bringing the game down a little for me

I feel the same way (about 15 hours in). And honestly, while I like the soundtrack quite a bit, at times when the same marching, horn heavy song is blaring over and over, it starts to give me a headache.