Capcom has been on a hot streak as of late, with the likes of Resident Evil 4 and Street Fighter 6 sitting firmly at the top of their respective genres. Typically, the company is known for linear games and multiplayer experiences, but 2012’s Dragon’s Dogma was a rare venture into the open world role-playing game (RPG), which – while amassing strong sales and a diehard fan base – wasn’t quite on the level of popularity as some of the studio’s other titles. After 12 years, Capcom has once again returned to the fantasy genre with Dragon’s Dogma 2, which isn’t only one of the finest action-RPGs of all time, but one of the best games we’ve ever played.
Following the format of the original game, Dragon’s Dogma 2 once again places you in the role of the Arisen – a warrior who has their heart stolen by a dragon, kicking off an adventure across the fantasy lands of Vermund and Battahl to politely ask for it back (with a sword). Additionally, your character is the only person capable of controlling the world’s Pawns, beings whose only purpose is to serve the Arisen.
While the actual narrative takes a backseat to the emergent storytelling that occurs from playing the game, the story of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a solid tale that only gets better as the game ramps up towards its conclusion, with some surprising and exciting plot beats we won’t spoil. Where the writing shines brightest, however, is in having a fully realised world that truly feels lived in – every single region and settlement feels wholly unique from one another.
Modern adventure games have a tendency to overwhelm the players with map markers and objectives, leaving little chance that a player can miss out on something. Dragon’s Dogma 2 instead follows the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring, letting players loose into a massive world to make discoveries on their own terms. While there is a main quest, the world begs to be explored. It’s one of those games where you tell yourself you’re going to go straight to the next town, and then you arrive, 10 hours late, after getting distracted by something cool on the way. Experimentation is key: you’ll often think, ‘can I do this dumb idea I have’ – like grab onto a Griffon and fly away with it as it retreats from battle, for example – and the answer is usually yes.
This keeps things interesting when traversing the world. Throughout the 40 or so hours we played, we rarely used the fast travel mechanic, as there’s just so much to do in the world whether that be arriving in a hidden town, or stumbling into a cave and encountering a massive boss you didn’t know existed. It’s possible for players to go through the entire adventure and miss massive, sprawling plotlines, and even new classes for their character.
You’re not alone in this world, either. Dragon’s Dogma 2 brings back the Pawn system, one of the original game’s most unique mechanics in which you create a companion character to join your journey. These allies are then posted online to be hired by other players, and through their adventures, learn more about the world and the enemies that inhabit it, which they can use to help you out when they return. You’re also able to hire Pawns from other players and build a party of four. This system nails the feeling of a classic RPG where you go on a grand adventure with a party of followers. You’ll find yourself caring deeply about these random characters just as much as the ones who are a part of the story.
The Dragon’s Dogma series is directed by Devil May Cry figurehead Hideaki Itsuno, which should tell you right away that the combat is great. A lot of RPGs (your Skyrim and The Witchers of the world) have combat take a backseat, but battles in Dragon’s Dogma 2 feel like an action game ported into an RPG. The game starts you off with the classic quartet of Fighter, Mage, Archer, and Thief classes, before offering more unique builds that range from upgraded versions of the main class like the Warrior, to creative mashups like the Magick Archer.
One of the best aspects of Dragon’s Dogma’s combat is the grab. This seemingly innocuous feature can be used to hold down foes as your teammate strikes a crucial blow, or you can just grab an enemy and launch them off a cliff if you can’t be bothered scrapping. Meanwhile, giant bosses like cyclops, ogres, and – of course – dragons, allow you to grab onto them and climb around which can lead to some truly intense moments as you cling for dear life on a dragon as it tries to shake you off while 50ft into the air.
It also does a phenomenal job of making ranged classes just as exciting as melee combat. While we spent the majority of the runtime as the Soldier and Mystic Spearhand, the hours we spent playing as an Archer and Sorcerer were just as engrossing. The Archer’s mobility is satisfying, and the Mage’s later spells are bombastic and awe-inspiring, even if the framerate struggles to keep up with them at times.
The game runs at an unlocked framerate on PS5, and while it gets a bit chunky during intense battles and in towns, it’s not nearly enough to detract from the adventure. Plus, the game itself looks gorgeous as we would expect from a game taking advantage of Capcom’s RE Engine, be it the varied landscapes, or the incredible-looking bosses. It also has one of the best character creators of any game we’ve played, allowing for some great recreations of people or bizarre little cretins.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 excels at everything it does. Even as one of our most anticipated games of the year, it far exceeded our expectations. One of the best combat systems of any action-RPG, in tandem with an incredible world that constantly piques your interest, means you’ll never spend a single second bored. Put simply, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a masterpiece – and an essential game for anyone itching for adventure.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches on March 22 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. We played on PS5.
Verdict
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a sprawling RPG adventure that innovates on the absolute best open world design trends while encouraging and rewarding player agency. There’s potential for players to pour hundreds of hours into this world and still not see everything there is to see. This, combined with top-of-the-range combat, makes for one of the most exciting games we’ve played this decade.
Pros
- Vast open world full of surprises
- Phenomenal combat
- The Pawn system returns better than ever
Cons
- Framerate dips are fairly common in intense scenes
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