Replaying the first game right before this paid off tremendously in the later half of this game. I don't know what got over me in the last play through that got me so invested in uncovering every inch of the lore of this world and the eternal cycle. My curiosity grew after binge-watching the Netflix anime while waiting for release day.
To keep this review blunt for anyone reading this on the fence. Dragon's Dogma 2 is not a direct sequel but more of a soft reboot. I like to use retry to better describe the experience of playing Dragon's Dogma 2. If you have never played the first one, you are okay to hop into this game. Your appreciation for the story and the world is heavily amplified if you immerse yourself in the first game.
Back to the idea of “retrying” to make something you were already passionate in. The first game is a cult classic for a reason. It's brutal, but also highly rewarding. It's open-ended, but also very linear. The open world is nothing more than a prop and setting for you to indulge in flashy combat and dungeon crawling. Though this world isn't Elden Ringish or Ubisoftian with a myriad of points of interest littered about with game changing loot. That little mining nook is just a mining nook. That goblin cave is just a goblin cave. Sometimes that weird cavern will lead to a giant beast like a Chimera or Ogre, but often not you trek through to get maybe a basic sword and some ores.
But that doesn't take away from DD2's world in any way. It's lived in, there's a reason for everything, and not in a gamey way to entice you for loot. Equipment is rather finite. Most weapons and armor can be used to your liking without much need for min maxing. Your character's level and your skill as a player are tested more than if you've upgraded or found that OP mace.
Starting out, traveling between settlements can be tiresome. Oxcarts are untrustworthy. You will be attacked, and traveling on foot waste too many resources recovering from the random encounters. Though you can fast travel, it's not until you are towards the final thirds will you have the money and port crystals needed to build your own fast travel network and effectively use it. But I never got tired of sprinting through the countryside and camping with my pawns eating the meat of that giant Minotaur we fought earlier. With the newest addition of Loss Damage permanently lowering your health until you rest, I felt more attached to the world. Especially with how dangerous nighttime gets, not just with the harder and more ghastly foes that invade, but because of how hard it is to see. I oftentimes stared at the sky to find a trace of a campfire smoke to escape to.
I fell into a hole with this game. I made myself and my pawn as my Cat. Together, with her on the arm of the couch next to me, we tackled anything that came in our way. I lived in this world. I helped that orphan girl, I helped that old dwarf to the hot springs to fix his back pains, I stopped multiple assassination attempts, I snuck into the masquerade party and found the secret entrance to the brothel. I bought a house and frequently traveled back with my sore feet to rest. I talked with the townsfolk and listened to their woes. I slew the dragon and broke the unending ring of will.
I say I a lot in this review because I need you to understand this is a very personal experience.
Dragon's Dogma 2 is a very short game if you progress the main quest like you'd expect to. This is the kind of game you get out of it what you put into it. If you stick to one vocation and don't experiment with exploration and combat, you'll think it's dull or one dimensional. You will think enemy variety is lacking if you look at the enemies as mobs to kill and not as living creatures with their own ecosystems. You will think questing is dull or tedious if you're expecting new mechanics or game changing gear to be given for completion. There isn't an endgame, there is a definitive ending.
This all can be said about the first game almost word for word. This game doesn't inert the first game either. They are both very distinct experiences. Dragon's Dogma 2 is all about these emergent experiences and cultivating a playground for the player to mess around in. Your play through of this game will be just as personal as mine was. It is very easy for me to put this up there with one of the best games I've ever played; just like the first game.
To keep this review blunt for anyone reading this on the fence. Dragon's Dogma 2 is not a direct sequel but more of a soft reboot. I like to use retry to better describe the experience of playing Dragon's Dogma 2. If you have never played the first one, you are okay to hop into this game. Your appreciation for the story and the world is heavily amplified if you immerse yourself in the first game.
Back to the idea of “retrying” to make something you were already passionate in. The first game is a cult classic for a reason. It's brutal, but also highly rewarding. It's open-ended, but also very linear. The open world is nothing more than a prop and setting for you to indulge in flashy combat and dungeon crawling. Though this world isn't Elden Ringish or Ubisoftian with a myriad of points of interest littered about with game changing loot. That little mining nook is just a mining nook. That goblin cave is just a goblin cave. Sometimes that weird cavern will lead to a giant beast like a Chimera or Ogre, but often not you trek through to get maybe a basic sword and some ores.
But that doesn't take away from DD2's world in any way. It's lived in, there's a reason for everything, and not in a gamey way to entice you for loot. Equipment is rather finite. Most weapons and armor can be used to your liking without much need for min maxing. Your character's level and your skill as a player are tested more than if you've upgraded or found that OP mace.
Starting out, traveling between settlements can be tiresome. Oxcarts are untrustworthy. You will be attacked, and traveling on foot waste too many resources recovering from the random encounters. Though you can fast travel, it's not until you are towards the final thirds will you have the money and port crystals needed to build your own fast travel network and effectively use it. But I never got tired of sprinting through the countryside and camping with my pawns eating the meat of that giant Minotaur we fought earlier. With the newest addition of Loss Damage permanently lowering your health until you rest, I felt more attached to the world. Especially with how dangerous nighttime gets, not just with the harder and more ghastly foes that invade, but because of how hard it is to see. I oftentimes stared at the sky to find a trace of a campfire smoke to escape to.
I fell into a hole with this game. I made myself and my pawn as my Cat. Together, with her on the arm of the couch next to me, we tackled anything that came in our way. I lived in this world. I helped that orphan girl, I helped that old dwarf to the hot springs to fix his back pains, I stopped multiple assassination attempts, I snuck into the masquerade party and found the secret entrance to the brothel. I bought a house and frequently traveled back with my sore feet to rest. I talked with the townsfolk and listened to their woes. I slew the dragon and broke the unending ring of will.
I say I a lot in this review because I need you to understand this is a very personal experience.
Dragon's Dogma 2 is a very short game if you progress the main quest like you'd expect to. This is the kind of game you get out of it what you put into it. If you stick to one vocation and don't experiment with exploration and combat, you'll think it's dull or one dimensional. You will think enemy variety is lacking if you look at the enemies as mobs to kill and not as living creatures with their own ecosystems. You will think questing is dull or tedious if you're expecting new mechanics or game changing gear to be given for completion. There isn't an endgame, there is a definitive ending.
This all can be said about the first game almost word for word. This game doesn't inert the first game either. They are both very distinct experiences. Dragon's Dogma 2 is all about these emergent experiences and cultivating a playground for the player to mess around in. Your play through of this game will be just as personal as mine was. It is very easy for me to put this up there with one of the best games I've ever played; just like the first game.