Did Square Enix Make a Mistake by Not Putting Dragon Quest XI on the 3DS?

AXE OF THE BLOOD GOD | Kat and Nadia discuss Dragon Quest XI, The Alliance Alive, and more.

Article by Kat Bailey, Editor in Chief

2 April 2018

Axe of the Blood God is our weekly RPG podcast hosted by Kat Bailey and Nadia Oxford. You can find the previous episodes here.

Dragon Quest XI has finally been announced for America! But wait, it's not coming to the Nintendo 3DS. Is Square Enix making a mistake? [download link here]

The news of DQXI's impending arrival in the U.S. stirred frustration among 3DS owners looking forward to a portable 3DS. Nintendo's venerable handheld is 7 years old now, but it's still receiving new entries, and the lack of a 3DS entry seems like an oversight. Or is it? Nadia and I discuss.

But that's not all! The Alliance Alive is also out on the Nintendo 3DS, and it has some big names from JRPG history behind it. Nadia and I discuss its merits, its history, and what "nostalgic JRPGs" are being underserved in the rush to mine 8 and 16-bit nostalgia.

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Show Description

The Alliance Alive is out on 3DS, but it won't be joined by Dragon Quest XI. Kat and Nadia talk about the spiritual successor to Legend of Legacy [5:00] before moving on to the news that Dragon Quest XI will be coming to Steam and PS4, but not the 3DS [25:15]. Is Square Enix making a mistake? And amid the continued stream of "nostalgic JRPGs," what form of JRPG is being underserved?

Music from Axe of the Blood God is courtesy of Lena Chappelle, who has also contributed the themes to Active Time Babble and Roleplayers' Realm. I also use music from the RPG Music Pack over at rpgmaker.net. Check it out!

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Kat Bailey

Editor in Chief

Kat Bailey is a former freelance writer and contributor to publications including 1UP, IGN, GameSpot, GamesRadar, and EGM. Her fondest memories as a journalist are at GamePro, where she hosted RolePlayer's Realm and had legal access to the term "Protip." She is USgamer's resident mecha enthusiast, Pokemon Master, and Minnesota Vikings nut (skol).