Dragon Quest XI S – tons of details on new elements and improvements, Voice Drama DLC, Photo Mode, more

Square Enix held a new Japanese live stream for Dragon Quest XI S today in which it shared a ton of new information about the game. A bunch of details were provided regarding new elements and improvements, the Voice Drama DLC, and more.

Here’s the full roundup, courtesy of Gematsu:

Additional Elements and Improvements

• The gameplay styles of both the PlayStation 4 and 3DS versions in one.
• Spell of Restoration scenario selection.
• Newly added party member dialogue.
• Added [???].
• Fully-voiced events.
• Voice support for all party member dialogue.
• Switch between voice languages (Gorgeous Edition-only).
• Option to turn on / off sounds from the protagonist (exhaling, etc.)
• Improved [???].
• Voice Drama.
• The timing at which you can visit Yocchi Village has changed.
• The placement of Yocchi that possess passwords.
• New “Appearance-Changing Equipment” added.
• Madame Cherie.
• Added [???].
• Implemented horse racing remedial actions.
• Furigana display.
• Ability to skip cutscenes the first time around.
• Camera improvements.
• Photo Mode added.
• Increased variation of ridable monsters.
• Ability to attack ridable monsters on the field to earn experience points.
• Switches to dedicated background music when riding a great sabrecat.
• Party members follow you on the field.
• Dash movement.
• Ability to call horse at all times.
• Obtain experience from blowing away monsters on the horse.
• Shiny spots stand out more.
• Immediately obtain materials upon examining gathering points.
• Bowgun gameplay revised.
• Added church Yocchi before the Lord of Shadows Mordegon.
• Adjusted the placement of guest NPCs when camping.
• Increased the tempo of party dialogue.
• Added [???].
• Added [???].
• Added party member speech bubbles in battle.
• In battle, party members move on their own according to the situation.
• Adjusted battle speed.
• Added ability to switch between free movement and auto camera mid-battle.
• “Skill Reset” available from the beginning of the game.
• “Learn Multiple Skills” available from the beginning of the game.
• Forging can now be done anytime, anywhere.
• Reverse lookup and purchase materials required for forging.
• Made it easier to understand which items can be created with forging.
• Display 2D-only monsters in the 3D bestiary.
• Navigate the UI with the joystick.
• Added shortcut menu.
• Added guide for opening the map.
• Added effective weapon type icons to the skill panel.
• Display defeated monsters list in the map menu.
• Display rarefied monsters on the defeated monsters list.
• Display status ailments when switching out party members.
• Improved the display of walking recovery effects.
• Appearance-changing equipment is properly labeled.
• Purchased materials automatically go into the item bag.
• Revised soldier events in the Heliodor Sewers.
• Partial improvements to 2D graphics.
• Partial improvements to 2D event scenes.
• Adjusted the 2D map at the start of the game.
• Added “Smell” to replace Noah’s Archive.
• Added ability to click through the message window as the level up melody is playing.
• Partial quest adjustments.

Pickup Elements

• Increased party member reactions in battle, emphasized a sense of unity.
• Improved forging.
• Added Photo Mode.
• Implemented horse racing remedial actions.
• Madame Cherie.

Voice Drama Downloadable Content (1,500 yen)

• About four to five hours in length. A collection of short stories that dive deeper into the characters, including their pasts, as well as depicts their everyday lives.
• There is a story of Jade when she was a child, a young Rab, as well as a story about a Medamoiselles play.
• There are various stories, from good stories that make you laugh to matters of life.
• There is also a read-aloud story in which Mitsuki Saiga plays about nine roles by himself.
• Rab serves as the guide for the Voice Drama.
• Text can also be displayed. There are log, fast-forward, and rewind features.

Increased Party Member Reactions in Battle, Emphasized a Sense of Unity

• In order to create a sense of unity with your party members, characters left alone will move on their own, or move to evade when approached, as well as produce speech bubbles related to the battle situation.
• In event battles, there are even some special lines that are voiced.

Improved Forging

• Forge anywhere.
• While this does not apply to everything, it is also possible to purchase the materials you are missing.

Additional Ridable Monsters

• The great sabrecat runs at high-speed. By roaring, you can summon nearby monsters.

Appearance-Changing Equipment

• “Appearance-Changing Equipment” can now only change appearance without affecting attack power and defense power.
• The “Kingdom of Trodain Set” changes the protagonist’s appearance to that of the Dragon Quest VIII protagonist. Dragon Quest VIII music also plays on the field.

Adventure the Worlds of Previous Dragon Quest Titles

• All the worlds of previous Dragon Quest titles use 8-bit graphics. Even the maps that were 3D in the 3DS version were recreated in 8-bit. The music is also 8-bit sound source.

Spell of Restoration Evolution

• Go back to an adventure that you have already passed. Return and replay a previous adventure while carrying over your strength. You can also choose between 2D and 3D modes.

Photo Mode

• Photo Mode includes features such as rearranging characters, changing the way the camera is facing, posing, turning on or off the character display (individual settings also possible), blurring the background, and more.

Madame Cherie

• Madame Cherie is a professor at L’Academie de Notre Maitre les Medailles.