I remember that it has been a decade since the original Dragon’s Dogma was released, and now, finally, the time has come to play Dragon’s Dogma 2. In my opinion, it was worth the wait.
In 2012, Dragon’s Dogma introduced a unique concept for open-world action RPG games, allowing players to explore the world freely and do whatever they wanted. The sequel follows this idea and takes it to the next level, by creating a fully immersive world that responds to your choices, offering unique storytelling, and endless possibilities.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 design feels familiar, especially to those who have played Elden Ring and The Legend of Zelda games. However, Dragon’s Dogma 2 stands out with its Pawn-based party system, and “create your own adventure” gameplay. You can choose to follow the main quest or embark on your adventure.
During my hands-on preview, I deviated from the main path, and as a result, triggered a quest where a pack of wolves had taken a boy. Unfortunately, I took too long to reach the destination, and the boy died. On a similar note, I had to prevent a royal assassination, but if I took too long to catch the culprit, an important leader would die permanently, and the world would change accordingly. These are examples of timed quests that are abundant in Dragon’s Dogma 2, giving a sense of a dynamic world influenced by your actions.
The Pawn-based party system is a useful wayfarer when you’re lost and asking for help. It provided me with rewards such as a nearby hidden treasure cache or an important landmark. I was able to play as two hybrid classes this time around, the Magick Archer and the Mystic Spearhand. These classes are only accessible as the Arisen (main character).
The Magick Archer was fun to experiment with as a specialist ranged class, allowing me to choose different elements to counter an enemy’s weakness in battle. Whereas the Mystic Spearhand provides the ability to crowd control through magic and get up close as a melee class.
Exploration presents its challenge and feels like a survival game at times, considering the day and night cycle and your inventory. Every encounter presents a real threat of both exhausting your stamina and resources. So, deciding how long you trek through the world, given the limited ways to fast travel, is an essential consideration.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers many choices and often, a limited time window to react. Do I fight that griffin with four health bars, or stay away and live to fight another day?
Everything leading up to Dragon’s Dogma 2 demonstrates the grander scale of scope and a focus on expanding through improvements from the first game. Dragon’s Dogma 2 releases on March 22, 2024, on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
For more information, check out our first preview, interview with Hideaki Itsuno, and the latest Capcom Highlights detailing the Character Creator now available for download on various platforms.
