I know 3 things about the original Dragon's Dogma
1. It's a cult classic
2. You can climb the big monsters
3. Austin Walker cant stop talking about it
All to say I came into Dragons Dogma 2 with little idea what to expect. And what I got was a game that's:
- Frustrating
- Maddening
- Painfully slow
- One of the most uniquely fascinating experiences Ive ever had.
Even when trying to explain to a friend why this game was annoying, I couldnt help but make it sound like the coolest experience ever. The stories it creates though its systems, the sense of adventure it crafts through its level design and minimal guidance, and the discordant silliness of a game at once self-serious medieval fantasy fare and anime nonsense are experiences no other game can create. The way pawns can learn about the world as they travel with other players, and help you find the things they discovered, is a fascinating system that heightens the sense of adventure. Well, perhaps its predecessor, though I wouldn't know.
But it is often quite frustrating. You run into combat encounters every five feet along the road, some of which are ambushes by huge monsters far stronger than you can currently fight. Autosaves can sometimes happen at inopportune times, leaving you moments before one of those aforementioned ambushes. But the only way to permanently save is to spend time at an Inn, which can sometimes be a half hour journey depending on how far out in the world you've explored (you can rest at campfires found throughout the world, but those don't serve as permanent saves). Pawns repeat the same lines hundreds of times (yes I know my party is all women, shut up about it)
I can go on and on about all of the games strange, fascinating, and awful design decisions, but ultimately what you need to know is there just isnt another experience like it. If you want a game to recapture the magic of exploration from your first time playing Skyrim, that doesnt hold your hand, and doesnt barf icons all over your map, you owe it to yourself to at least try this game.
1. It's a cult classic
2. You can climb the big monsters
3. Austin Walker cant stop talking about it
All to say I came into Dragons Dogma 2 with little idea what to expect. And what I got was a game that's:
- Frustrating
- Maddening
- Painfully slow
- One of the most uniquely fascinating experiences Ive ever had.
Even when trying to explain to a friend why this game was annoying, I couldnt help but make it sound like the coolest experience ever. The stories it creates though its systems, the sense of adventure it crafts through its level design and minimal guidance, and the discordant silliness of a game at once self-serious medieval fantasy fare and anime nonsense are experiences no other game can create. The way pawns can learn about the world as they travel with other players, and help you find the things they discovered, is a fascinating system that heightens the sense of adventure. Well, perhaps its predecessor, though I wouldn't know.
But it is often quite frustrating. You run into combat encounters every five feet along the road, some of which are ambushes by huge monsters far stronger than you can currently fight. Autosaves can sometimes happen at inopportune times, leaving you moments before one of those aforementioned ambushes. But the only way to permanently save is to spend time at an Inn, which can sometimes be a half hour journey depending on how far out in the world you've explored (you can rest at campfires found throughout the world, but those don't serve as permanent saves). Pawns repeat the same lines hundreds of times (yes I know my party is all women, shut up about it)
I can go on and on about all of the games strange, fascinating, and awful design decisions, but ultimately what you need to know is there just isnt another experience like it. If you want a game to recapture the magic of exploration from your first time playing Skyrim, that doesnt hold your hand, and doesnt barf icons all over your map, you owe it to yourself to at least try this game.