I have a fundamental problem with Dragon Quest - Silent Protagonist Syndrome.
When I play a game - especially a JRPG, I want to have a lead character I can follow and invest in, Final Fantasy has mostly succeeded in this (12 Not so much...), in investing in a lead character I want to succeed with them on their journey and follow them through all their trials that occur along the way. When you have A silent protagonist, all that appeal diminishes for me. I understand the concept of having a minimalist character so its open to more types of players feeling immersed but when the lead character is so empty like in this series I simply cannot step into their shoes, all I see is a blank avatar who shouldn't be there adn what makes matters worse is seeing other in-game characters act and tal around this - it breaks the immersion completely for me.
I have this problem on many games, Xenoblade Chronicles was one of the finest JPRG's within the last decade but the sequel on Wii-U was so soulless, i just couldn't get into it. It's also why I have struggled with Zelda games. A recent title which I think got the formula right was Resident Evil 7. Ethan is an established character, who is involved deeply within the plot but he doesn't say very much through out the game, mostly reactions to certain events. But it was enough to not have this 'Avatar' lack of presence which bothers me so in many other games.
It's a shame as I can see Dragon Quest has a lot going for it, I fully approve of the Remakes we'ev seen on the DS & 3DS over the years but I know personally that one feature will ruin the experience for me, so I can't see myself pre-ordering it - But I am sully supportive of Triple-A JRPG's on consoles!