Dragon’s Dogma II Review

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a weird game. It’s not quite like any other game I’ve played, and that’s both a good thing, and a not so good thing. It’s full of friction it’s ways I like, and some ways I could do without. I tried the original Dragon’s Dogma a few times to see what all the fuss was about, but could never see the genius behind the jankiness. Dragon’s Dogma 2 still has plenty of jank, but this time around I can also see the genius in its designs. 

The original Dragon’s Dogma released back in 2012, and its enhanced port, Dark Arisen in 2013. In the 12 years since the original game, it feels like Dragon’s Dogma 2 existed somewhere deep underground, almost uninterested in what other games have been doing in recent years. It's a game that marches to the beat of its own drum, and that’s exactly what makes the game one of a kind in some ways I really like. 

I didn’t play Dragon’s Dogma at launch, and came to it later after hearing about its cult classic status. People who liked the game really seemed to like it. But by the time I finally got to it, I really couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. It felt stiff to play, the world seemed bland, and combat felt mediocre. It had interesting bones though. The pawn system in particular felt like a rather unique approach to AI party members. The original did just enough to make me curious of what a second draft of the game would look like.

Playing Dragon’s Dogma 2, I think I can sort of understand what people have been raving about, assuming these things were all present in the original to some degree. This game almost seems to reject so many things that have become standard in modern games. Playing this game requires patience, it won’t hold your hand, and I think it’s a more interesting game for it. That’s not to say it’s all sunshine and rainbows, I have my fair share of gripes. But let’s start with the good first.

After spending some time with a rather excellent character creator, I created a version of myself, a vaguely elfish Arisen. You get the choice of 4 different vocations (classes) to choose from that cover your usual fantasy archetypes, I went with the archer vocation to start. Once you’re happy with your choices, it’s mere moments before you’re thrown into your first battle. This isn’t a game with a bunch of exposition, or long cutscenes, dragon’s dogma 2 wants you to experience things with your own two feet. 

It’s dangerous to go alone though, and so the game introduces the pawn system. Once again you get some more time with the character creator, this time creating your main companion character. I ended up creating (or trying to) my cat Oliver. I made him a thief and a personality where he explores and collects things on his own. Making my main companion based off someone I already had an attachment to definitely seemed like the right move, while some pawns are easy to grow attached to, I’ve journeyed with some I’ve been completely indifferent to. 

Your main pawn can be hired by other players, and join them on their adventures in their own worlds. The thought of someone hiring my cat Oliver and having him join them on their journey is quite a fun one. I wonder what misadventurous he gets up to, if he behaves himself, if he makes himself useful, or if people love him as much as I do. 

So, with my Oliver and some other hired pawns by my side, I was ready to explore the world. The plot shepherds you along to some key locations, but I felt that I had a lot of agency. I had to actively look for side quests, rather than swat away barrages of NPCs and map markers. If I wanted to, I felt I could even ignore what directions I was given. I could go explore in whatever direction I picked. If I decided to do that after being told about a character in peril though, there would be consequences, and I enjoyed knowing that. 

I really like this game’s idea of an open world. It has so much more friction than a silky smooth experience like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s world, and I think that’s a good thing. It makes moving through the world a much more interesting and intentional experience. It avoids the checklist-yness that tends to permeate modern open world design. 

Rebirth has dozens of small icons on its map, indicating where you're supposed to go and what’s waiting for you when you get there. Dragon’s Dogma’s approach is much more like an Elden Ring, only towns and caves are marked, but there’s still plenty to explore and discover. While I was making an early game trek to the capital for the main quest, I stopped and camped by a waterfall. My instinct told me there was more to explore, and so I did. I put the main quest on hold and wandered up to the waterfall, finding a cave filled with monsters, chests, and adventure. 

I never know what’s waiting for me when I go exploring in Dragon’s Dogma 2. That’s what makes the exploration so special. I feel like the game knows that too, because it gives you plenty of chances to explore and go off the beaten path. This game has very little fast travel. You can wait at designated points for an ox cart, but you run the risk of being ambushed by monsters, possibly having your cart broken in the attack. You could use a ferry stone, but they’re expensive, and you can only warp to certain crystals. There are portable crystals you can place and pick up, but those are also limited, so you have to think carefully about where to leave one. 

Another big part of the exploration is combat. There are monsters everywhere in Dragon’s Dogma, it feels like the world is teeming with them. I’m a little more mixed on combat than exploration, but I think there’s still lots to like. Each vocation has a unique playstyle, which encourages you to try them all and find your favorite way to play the game. So far I’ve really enjoyed the mystic spearhead class, flinging spells and slicing with my twinspear has been lots of fun. 

The combat feels grounded, with weight to your character, and especially the big enemies. You have light attacks, heavy attacks, a unique class skill, some unique class core skills and 4 weapon skills. It’s not the widest tool set for sure, and I often wish I had more weapon skills in battle. In terms of defense, your options are often even more limited.

There’s only one class with a dodge button, and one class with a block button. Some classes have weapon skills or core skills that may help with defense, but your main option? Run. You better be careful once you start attacking, because there might not be a block or parry button you can cancel into. If you start a combo just as the enemy starts winding up, you might have just enough time to mutter a curse under your breath before you’re sent flying. 

Like most of this game, this combat doesn’t quite feel like any other. I’m often frustrated by not having an on demand dodge or block button. It makes the combat feel less fluid, less like I’m a well trained fighter and more of some guy just doing his best. Sometimes I like that the design is a bit more constrained, that you want to be more intentional with your actions in combat. Other times it’s frustrating, and I want more freedom in my movement and control over my character. 

Let’s start shifting into some of the murker waters of Dragon’s Dogma 2, the jank. It’s no secret this game has a rather questionable performance. It runs with an uncapped frame rate, and people on PC have reported frame rate issues even with top of the line PCs. I’m playing on Ps5 and haven’t had major issues, but it’s certainly nowhere near 60 fps. I’m not a huge frame rate person, but I know enough to tell that the performance isn’t consistent in the least. It slows down a lot when in big towns, and can add to the awkwardness of combat. 

For reasons I really can’t fathom, this game doesn’t allow you to start a new game. Once you’ve made your character, I sure hope you like them, because you can’t make a new one. There’s only a single save slot, and no way to erase that save and start fresh. You change your vocation pretty easily, and there’s options to change your character's appearance, so it hasn’t affected me much, but that’s certainly a weird, possibly frustrating choice. 

This single save slot has also fed into a rather major sticking point, one that caused the game to get review bombed on steam, micro transactions. This game launched with some 20 odd dlc options for things like vouchers to change your character's appearance, extra crystals to place as fast travel points, camping sets, and in-game currency. While you can get many of these items in game, it may take a little while, or your pawn may need to go on some online adventures to rack up some rift crystals, a currency you can buy for real world money. 

Personally, I think people are blowing this out of proportion. You can’t buy fast travel, the dlc gives you options of places to fast travel to, but the item needed you can only get in game. It is a little annoying that you can’t adjust your character on a whim, but I racked enough in-game currency within a few hours of playing that I could easily afford it. I think it’s a little weird, sure, but it feels so inoffensive to me that I could easily ignore the dlc options and play normally. I know DLC can often feel bad for players, and can venture into “scummy” business practices, but this one really doesn’t feel like a big deal to me.

I really haven’t mentioned much about the story, the world, or really the characters. That’s mostly because I haven’t really cared that much about those things. The world is probably the most interesting, just because you can explore it and learn more about it on your own. The story feels somewhat generic fantasy, though maybe it’ll surprise me in the end. The characters I really haven’t cared one way or another about, I usually forget their names seconds after meeting them. I’m not really here for any of those things in the first place, so I don’t mind that they’re all on the weaker side. 

Mr. Hunter’s Score: 8.5

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was a game all about charm, the charm of the characters held up the rather boring open world. Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels like a game about systems, with interesting exploration that helps flesh out a generic fantasy world. I’ve fallen in love with the design of Dragon’s Dogma 2, it all feels intentional, love it or hate it. It all adds up to a unique experience that really sets this game apart, there’s nothing quite like it. 

I’m glad I gave Dragon’s Dogma 2 a shot, and even more glad a sequel was made at all. It’s such a singular experience, and makes me rethink things in game design that have become standard. Why do we give players fast travel, is convenience more important than making each moment interesting? Is it the journey, or the destination? 

Final Grade: 8

I don’t know if I can recommend Dragon’s Dogma 2 though, it’s a unique flavor, and maybe even an acquired taste. It’s not interested in making the journey easy, you have to rise to meet this game where it is, rather than the other way around. It’s a deeply fascinating game, one that had a vision, and stuck to it. That vision certainly won’t be for everyone, it’s not always for me, but it’s endlessly interesting to witness.