Video games have grown predictable over the past decade. While the indie space grows more diverse and ambitious than ever, the triple-A scene has settled into a routine that consists of expected sequels, open world behemoths, and live-service efforts that seldom, if ever, take any substantial risk. These games aren’t bad. In fact, they’re frequently incredible, but sometimes you want a bold new adventure to come along and change everything there is to know about the medium. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is that game.
I’m roughly 30 hours into the open world sequel, and I’ve gone from dense woodlands into scorching deserts onto freshly made islands formed in the shadow of an erupting volcano. Everywhere I go, new quests to take on and monsters to vanquish await alongside what can only be described as an unparalleled sense of discovery. Like the best open worlds I have explored over the years, you develop a feeling of ownership over Dragon’s Dogma 2, a fond familiarity with the region as you fill out your map and are no longer afraid of the horrors that await in the wilderness. Every session is a brand-new journey.
Every Battle In Dragon’s Dogma 2 Could Be Your Last
Whenever I think I’ve figured out the inner workings of this game, it does something to shock me all over again. During a deadly battle with a minotaur, I struggled to hold onto its back as it rocked me from side to side, desperate to shake me off as I plunged my spear deep into its flesh. It eventually managed, sending me flying off a cliff and presumably to my doom. But it wasn’t meant to be, and as the music swelled to a beautiful crescendo, my pawn caught me in his arms, ready to thrust me back into battle. I smiled widely at the screen and knew there was still a chance to emerge victorious.
Moments like this would be confined to scripted set pieces in other games, but here, they are always of your own making. Perfectly orchestrated concerts of procedural chaos where you’ll act as the unwilling conductor. A similar encounter with a griffon in the first stages of Battahl filled me with a lasting feeling of awe. It attacked us relentlessly until we held our own, and it flew away to lick its wounds. I thought it wouldn’t return, until I snuck into a bandit camp and tried to steal their treasure, only to have the winged beast swoop in to take its revenge at the perfect moment. I wasn’t ready, but no way was I going down without a good fight.
So I climbed atop its back and started slicing away, hoping to stagger the beast, so my allies on the ground could viciously tear it to pieces. I was so close, but then the creature flew into the air, and I ran out of stamina, causing me to fly through the air like a sack of potatoes. But thanks to sheer luck, I pressed the shoulder button and took hold of its tail, keeping myself alive as I became a cowboy on the most aggressive bucking bronco ever seen. He thrashed about for what felt like eternity until I was low enough on the ground to find my feet. I found myself saying ‘oh my god’ multiple times in the living room as this unfolded. No game has done this to me before, and that has to mean something.
Day Or Night, Something Will Always Sweep You Off Your Feet
I’ve written previously about embracing the night in Dragon’s Dogma 2. While you can’t see a thing, the dynamics of exploration and combat are entirely changed with the introduction of moonlight, forcing you to be more cautious, opportunistic, and ruthless in order to survive.
I was foolish enough to take on an escort mission for a character right as the sun was setting, believing I wouldn’t have any trouble taking us across the map with nary a camping kit or healing item to my name. But I did it anyway, turning the next hour of my life into a relentless trial where emerging unscathed felt impossible. Somehow, I made it through after countless battles with overpowered enemies and trying to navigate an environment I’d never seen before in the dead of night. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is also hugely rewarding with its distractions, like all open worlds of this ilk should be. I might have set a marker on the map to indicate an important quest, but that doesn’t mean my journey would take me elsewhere in the interim. Instead of respecting the main quest in Battahl, I ascended a mountain and found myself in a labyrinth within the hills populated by all manner of orcs, lizards, and other monsters. It took an hour of my time, rewarding me with so much treasure and an entirely new third region once I made my way out of the other side. I’m yet to leave this place, and who knows when I even will.
Capcom abandons the majority of modern design conventions and, as a consequence, has us reconsider how we approach almost everything this game has to offer. Quests in a game like Skyrim or The Witcher 3 would tell you where to go and how to solve a certain puzzle, but in Dragon’s Dogma 2 I have little but some vague context and my own intuition.
It takes a lot of bravery on behalf of game developers to create a game this sprawling yet still place trust in players to find their own way. You might be greeted with frustration or confusion on the way, but it’s all worth it in the end.
Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma is the long-anticipated sequel to Capcom's action RPG. Once again taking on the role of the Arisen, the game promises full customisation in how you create your character and play through your story.
