Dragon’s Dogma 2 Review – The First Proper RPG In Years

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one of the most intriguing RPG’s of the last decade. It’s a combination of design and philosophy from across the spectrum of genres bringing together the player-driven storytelling of games like The Elder Scrolls, and the unforgiving challenge of Dark Souls, albeit not in a combat sense. All of this wrapped up a story that, simply put, has the most satisfying conclusion I’ve seen in this medium.

That being said, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not going to have the widespread appeal of a typical RPG game. Modern day RPG’s often forgo the hardships of the arduous journey, instead constantly enticing players to focus on the destination, rush through to the objective, get the job done and move on to the next.

It took me a couple of days to break away from those expectations. Traveling from coast to coast in seconds, objective markers highlighting every single area of interest, side quests rarely delivering more than the promise of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The all too comfortable and instantly gratifying nature of the gaming product today. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is none of those things, and it’s all the better for it.

When I reviewed Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, an incredible game as that is, I was left with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was yet another in a long line of great RPG games that left me wanting, craving for the RPG experiences of yesteryear. If my favorite game of all time, remade to near perfect execution, was unable to satiate my RPG desires what hope did Dragon’s Dogma 2 have?

Watching the credits roll, I realized, it was not my love for RPG’s that has waned in recent years, it’s just that these new titles don’t embody everything I love about the genre. I don’t want to climb towers to reveal locations. I don’t want to simply follow a string of objectives to complete a side quest. I don’t want to know that I am always only a few seconds away from quickly teleporting to a safe haven where I can regroup and resupply. I want challenge, I want to experience failure, I want things to go wrong.

Everything in the game feels earned, fought for, prized. Yes, you can fast travel between specific locations, but it requires an expensive consumable to do so, or you can ride an Oxcart and either enjoy the sights or skip the journey – only for a rampaging minotaur to impale the driver and leave you walking anyway.

Strips of convenience have been torn away to finetune an experience that tells a story of the how, what, and why, and not so much the where . The Oxcart only runs at certain times and you can only fast travel to certain locations. Many of the side quests require actual thought and problem solving. Sometimes, you’re just going to get stuck.

It’s not a constant flood of positive reinforcement. You will fail, you will struggle, things don’t always go your way and that is why I love this game so much. It makes the world feel alive, with purpose, more so than simply existing to facilitate the needs and desires of the player character.

It’s on these long journey’s where the real storytelling takes place and not simply through cut-scenes and scripted events, but through the interaction with the world and those that walk its dangerous roads.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is best played with friends which is probably the strangest thing I’ve ever said about a single-player RPG.

I’d just finished wiping out a camp of bandits when, at the end, the leader of the bandits betrayed one of his crew who was then promptly arrested by the palace guard. Quest complete. Got my reward, time to move on – or so I thought. I then begun following clues from conversations. No quest, no promise of reward, just the excitement of a hidden story.

This one single event, in a game of hundreds, captivated me for hours. I broke someone out of prison, I travelled huge distances across two regions, I spoke to witnesses and acquaintances, and eventually I stood atop a misty mountain contemplating what in the hell just happened. What had I done?

These stories are present throughout. The main story arc is a slow burn but the ending is arguably the most satisfying I’ve ever experienced and much like my journey with the bandits, the best stories are those you discover for yourself.

a socially connected experience unlike any you will find in the genre.

The Pawn system is one that is as thematically fantastic as it is mechanically sound. Having stalwart allies to aid you on your quest has its clear benefits, utilizing similar classes and abilities to the Arisen in combat, but its their function outside of combat that takes the spotlight.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is best enjoyed with friends, which is probably the strangest thing I’ve ever said about a single-player RPG. The Pawns you encounter on the roads or recruit from the Rift have often spent countless hours travelling the roads with other players, experiencing events, completing quests, tracking down treasures.

They bring that experience into your party and when you know of the Arisen to which these Pawn’s serve, it’s even more gratifying. I completed a side quest, one of many in the game with various endings and choices, and one of my Pawn’s spoke to me.

She told me of an Arisen that did not aid a man in the way I did and the outcome, well, it was bad. Catastrophically bad. That particular Pawn belonged to another of our editor’s, Johnny. I lost count of the back and forth messages we sent discussing various events and activities our Pawn’s had experienced. Sharing our successes, our failures, and our surprise to hear of alternative outcomes. It’s an innovative system that is both a pillar of the games world narrative and a socially connected experience unlike any you will find in the genre.

Even as I write this review, listing all of the things I loved, many will make that same list about the things they hate. Frustration is a real problem in the game and for some the challenge of overcoming that frustration may very well be a burden too heavy to bear.

Every great story has a struggling hero whether that medium be books, movies, or video-games. In games, we often experience that struggle from a detached perspective, watching emotional cut-scenes or dialog as our chosen hero fights to reach their destination.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 tells that same story but you will suffer alongside your hero. You will feel every step on that long road to the next town, you will feel every bit of frustration when something doesn’t go your way. Thankfully though, even frustration is no match for mounting the face of an angry cyclops as you repeatably stab it in the eye.

The combat is such a vital component of the game and one that excels in every aspect. The vast majority of world challenges and events you encounter will be combat focused. Whether you’re getting ambushed by a group of goblins on the way to town or saving a single Pawn beset by wolves, most problems will be solved with an axe, or a sword, or daggers, maybe a magical staff? There’s a lot of choice

The Vocation system, basically character classes, is as versatile as it is creative. For as long as I can remember my go-to in games of this nature is the biggest guy with the biggest two-handed weapon possible. So I took on the mantle of the Warrior Vocation.

Every Vocation feels unique and rewarding enough to be a singular main class in any mainstream RPG game

Slicing through groups of enemies with a slow but broad swing of my massive sword. Cutting down goblins in but a single swing. If it wasn’t for writing this review, I probably would have settled for that the entire game, but boy that would have been a mistake.

Darting around the battlefield as a thief, countering blows and mounting beasts. Striking from afar with explosives arrows or magical bolts as the Magick Archer or Sorcerer. Every Vocation feels unique and rewarding enough to be a singular main class in any mainstream RPG game but to have each available and so free to explore? It’s incredible.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels like the first proper RPG I’ve played in years. Its world is captivating, filled with stories both told and waiting to be found. This is a must-play for RPG fans who’ve grown tired of the hand-holding nature of modern games and just want to get lost somewhere magical and quite frankly, brutal as hell.