An additional story scenario featured in Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition follows the character's exploits after the party suffers a major setback when they reached Yggdrasil.
A later plot development reveals that Sylvando's true identity is Norberto (Goliath in Japan), the estranged son of Don Rodrigo, the chivalrous leader of the coastal city of Puerto Valor.
As the developers intended for Sylvando to be portrayed as a fully realized character, Matheson worked with the localization team to ensure his effeminate mannerisms are handled appropriately without an undue emphasis on common LGBT stereotypes.
[4] Matheson noted that he was given a large amount of creative freedom by the team to explore different aspects of Sylvando's personality, such as his tendency to imitate others or making "unusual" sounds when recording procedural audio for combat segments.
[4] As he is different in tone compared to the other party members, the team worked to ensure that Sylvando's overall portrayal is defined by his heart as opposed to his mannerisms, his exuberance comes from a place of confidence in his abilities and characteristics, and being unafraid to be who he wants to be.
[4] As Dragon Quest XI S contained new material such as expanded character scenarios for each of the party members, Matheson was asked to return to the studio to record additional voice lines for Sylvando.
He later assists the Luminary's party with taking down the Slayer of the Sands, a monster threatening the peace of the region around Gallopolis, and purposely binds it in such a way that the prince has to reveal himself later in the city where Sylvando lands the killing blow.
Sylvando reveals that he was raised to follow his father's footsteps as a knight, but eventually decided that he wanted to be an entertainer instead after being impressed by a circus troupe who arrived in Puerto Valor one day.
Both father and son experience reconciliation following their reunion, though Rodriogo is disappointed that Sylvando has yet to achieve his own goals of bringing a smile to everyone in the world, and beseeched him to carry on with his quest.
The story arc explores the origins behind Sylvando's Soldiers of Smile troupe and how he recruits various men during his travels in an effort to bring some semblance of hope back into the world.
Alistair Wong from Siliconera opined that Sylvando's popularity with fans is derived from his flamboyant personality which hides a knight's honor, as well as his positivity and desire to make everyone smile.
[8] Vladimir Olivares from CBR called Sylvando one of the very best companion characters in JRPG's, as his "charming personality, boundless enthusiasm, and undying support" for the Luminary's cause made him very endearing.
[11] Tim Rogers from Kotaku analyzed Sylvando's appearance and role within Dragon Quest XI in detail, from his introduction where he critiques and deconstructs the “toxic masculinity” of the cowardly Prince Faris, to his fully realized character arc and likeable personality.
[12] Rogers also highlighted Sylvando's gameplay utility as a versatile and physically strong combatant who has access to a large variety of weapons, and can readily adapt to any playstyle or party member pairings.
[12] Scott Baird from TheGamer agreed that Sylvando is a powerful party member with access to some of the game's best buff and debuff abilities, which is belied by his character design that is similar to a bard from Dungeons & Dragons.
[15] Signor felt that the implication of Sylvando's sexuality as comic relief in certain scenes is still typical of Japanese media's portrayal of gay men, who are regularly illustrated as possessing stereotypically effeminate personas, and that it is further compounded by the controversy surrounding the nationalist and socially conservative views of the game's composer Koichi Sugiyama.