IMHO.

DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition vs Metaphor: ReFantazio

DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition and Metaphor: ReFantazio both land in Adventure, RPG on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Adventure, RPG on Steam. DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition (2020) is 4 years older than Metaphor: ReFantazio (2024). Both sit near 92% positive on Steam (DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition: 3,815 reviews, Metaphor: ReFantazio: 13,194). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition

Choose DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition if you want the Custom Volume Controls and Save Anytime side of the pairing. 3,815 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Metaphor: ReFantazio

Choose Metaphor: ReFantazio if you want an Action game with Camera Comfort and Stereo Sound. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 13,194 Steam reviews back the pick.

Both DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition and Metaphor: ReFantazio sit in Adventure and RPG on Steam and both list Surround Sound, Playable without Timed Input, and Keyboard Only Option, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (92.1% vs 92.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.

Side-by-side comparison

DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition vs Metaphor: ReFantazio — Steam metadata comparison
DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition — Steam game coverDRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive EditionMetaphor: ReFantazio — Steam game coverMetaphor: ReFantazio
Released20202024
GenresAdventure, RPGAction, Adventure, RPG
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck PlayableDeck Playable
Price39.99 USD34.99 USD
Steam reviews92.1% positive (3,815 reviews)92.6% positive (13,194 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersSquare EnixATLUS

Side by side

DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition vs Metaphor: ReFantazio — FAQ

Which is better, DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition or Metaphor: ReFantazio?
On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition sits at 92.1% positive (3,815 reviews), Metaphor: ReFantazio at 92.6% (13,194). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
Should I play DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition or Metaphor: ReFantazio first?
If you want chronology, DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition (2020) came out before Metaphor: ReFantazio (2024). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition and Metaphor: ReFantazio similar?
They overlap on Adventure, RPG on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.