List of homages in Dragon Quest XI

From Dragon Quest Wiki

As Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the 30th anniversary title of the series, it boasts a wide variety of references, allusions, and homages to the ten games that came before it. These range from key items of past adventures making a reappearance after several real-life years, one-off monsters returning suddenly, and broad inspiration from past characters and circumstances.

All versions[edit]

Th following are present in the PS4, Switch, 3DS, and PC versions of the game.

Characters[edit]

  • Veronica and Serena are magical twins who travel the world looking for the legendary hero, and one of them is proficient in offensive magic while the other is proficient in supportive magic, like Maya and Meena.
  • Jade's status as a princess and her mastery of martial arts draws inspiration from Tsarevna Alena. The difference is that the former is soft-spoken, lady-like, and sharp of tongue while the former is boisterous, child-like tomboy.
  • Rab is a former king who travels the world in disguise to locate a loved one, similar to Pankraz. Additionally, the legendary hero of their respective worlds is their grandson. Rab is also the oldest party member in the group and acts as a mentor to Jade, mirroring Borya's relationship with Alena.
  • Erdwin and his party are inspired by the classic Dragon Quest III Hero, Warrior, Sage and Mage vocations.

Items[edit]

Monsters[edit]

Themes[edit]

  • Hero and Erik's escape from prison is reminiscent of Hero and Harry's escape from the slave camp, with the hero and his friend jumping from a waterfall and being rescued by nuns.
  • The relationship between the mermaid Michelle and fisherman Kai is a more tragic take on the romance between Unda and Rod of Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation.
  • Time travel plays a significant role in the game's story, serving as a brief instance of exposition during the beginning of the Luminary's adventure upon his return to Cobblestone, and as a major plot point during the end of the second act. The first instance references the Hero of Dragon Quest V returning to Whealbrook during the third generation, and the latter pays homage to the act of time traveling righting the wrongs of the past being the foundation to Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.

Definitive Edition and 3DS exclusive[edit]

The Echo Chamber from Tickington allows players to travel to the worlds of past games for additional adventures, allowing them to meet several characters from those titles and visit famous locales for original scenarios.

In the 3DS version, the tockles sent via streetpass can wear special outfits, including gear from heroes and party members from other games, like Alena's hats.