I have a good idea what I’d be getting into gameplay wise but how’s the story? I found myself pretty underwhelmed by the story in what I’ve played of Octopath Traveler and Ni No Kuni 2 so I was hoping that maybe this would scratch that itch. How does the story in this stack up to those?

I really enjoyed it, it is sort of the typical good vs evil cliche for the main plot but it's got some good character moments and one or two interesting twists. It's also really well told imo and doesn't leave any loose ends. As to how it stacks up against those 2... I really can't say as I haven't played them but I have played a lot of JRPGs over the years and for me this ranks with the best of them.

I like that the beginning played with my expectations a whole lot, but kind of...expected affair after that. However it is very good. I love the voice acting, english, and I love the characters. They are my favorite part of the whole game. I then really -really- liked what it did in the middle, and then the back part of it...is good, but not as excellent as the middle? Lots of spoiler territory but it is definitely a great jrpg no doubt.

The story hinges on characters and their interactions I mostly find and in that respect it's terrific; on it's own taken as a whole story, it really is one of those so...you know.

Fun but largely unremarkable?

Dragon Quest prides itself on being basically the same for all eternity. So it's a really traditional JRPG with a really traditional JRPG story.

I think it's all part of the charm, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it's not a story that's gonna be challenging any expectations.

It focuses a lot on your group of buds traveling around, and each place you visit feels almost like a self-contained story that feeds into your journey forward. It feels interested in presenting stories that are familiar without being rote rather than trying to surprise or get too weird. I think it was Kotaku that likened it to a book of fairy tales, and I don't think it's inaccurate. That said, there is a 'twist' mid-way through that does changes things up a bit.

It's pretty standard JRPG stuff, kinda. Not in a bad way, but you've already seen this kind of tale told before, for the most part. Chosen one, great evil, band of unlikely friends form a group to save the world, etc. It tells it's story well, and the cast of characters are charming and fun. The game is basically split into 3 acts. The first act is quite good, and largely formulaic, but things get really interesting in the second act. That's the point where it kind of branches out into not just generic JRPG stuff. The third act takes some really...interesting choices with both the story and the way the progression is designed. Some people were really into what they did with it, some thought it was the weakest part of the game. I kind of land somewhere in the middle, it had its problems and sort of trivializes some aspects of the character development, but I still really enjoyed it.

Kept things vague here because I do really think its worth playing for yourself. It's a really great JRPG and I certainly wasn't expecting to enjoy it so much, being how standard it looked from the outset. I'd say DQXI and Persona 5 are the pinnacle of what modern JRPG's can be. Turn-based combat can still be fun, you don't always have to reinvent the wheel. Just keep it fast and fun.