At first glance, Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age appears to be a very traditional JRPG brought into the modern era. Tonally, the game feels akin to the older Final Fantasy titles, as it masterfully strikes the player with a sense of immersive curiosity. Since it's port to the Nintendo Switch, the game can be played in both 3D and 2D mode -- and the latter is worth exploring.
Dragon Quest 11 follows the Luminary and his unlikely band of supporters attempting to fight against a world that opposes them. The game has garnered large amounts of acclaim for how it portrays older JRPG tropes in a new, fresh and subversive light.
While the game's initial release on the PlayStation 4 didn't receive the recognition it truly deserved, the updated Switch port (and upcoming Xbox port), Dragon Quest 11 S, largely improved the experience. In addition to a new, fully orchestrated soundtrack, this enhanced port also allows players to complete the entire game in 2D mode. This mode harkens back to an era in which games like Dragon Quest 11 were king -- and it's just as good as Dragon Quest 11's 3D mode.
To access Dragon Quest 11's 2D mode, the player must talk to a priest in a church. These priests are scattered around nearly every major location in the game, so finding them shouldn't be an issue.
The only downside to swapping from 3D to 2D is, whatever progress players have made in the current chapter will be wiped clean. This may be a turn-off for those who are in the middle of a chapter and just want to give 2D a shot, but after playing the game on both modes from beginning to end, it makes sense why such a rule is enforced. How the game alters its presentation makes the portions of the story feel different. Seeing events and occurrences happen from a completely different perspective is intensely engaging.
One might wonder exactly why somebody would play the game with "technically" less impressive visuals. Although experiencing Dragon Quest 11 in 3D is an incredible experience, 2D mode feels very appropriate. While Dragon Quest 11 was originally intended to be played in 3D, its narrative pays homage to older JRPGs from the '90s. However, later portions of the story also serve to subvert player expectations and twist many of the tropes it sets up.
Therefore, playing the game in 2D is a strangely revolutionary experience. The game plays as if it is from a simpler time, but its twists make it feel like a natural evolution of its predecessors.
Overall, the Dragon Quest franchise has always been about creating solid and memorable fantasy stories. Dragon Quest 11 S attempts to subvert the player's expectations with its narrative, becoming a modern evolution of its formula. However, playing the game in 2D is a shockingly fulfilling experience. If anything, this old-school presentation serves to add to the game's subversive ideas.