Dragon’s Dogma 2 Review - Meeting This Epic Adventure Halfway

After 12 years, Capcom has finally delivered a sequel to their action RPG Dragon’s Dogma. Simply called Dragon’s Dogma 2, this new entry is bigger in scale and retains what made the original memorable for some, yet frustrating for others. When the highs click, you’re left with a sense of thrill packaged into an unscripted adventure that only this game can deliver, but at its lows, one can be left frustrated and confused, as certain design choices ask a lot from a player. 

Just like the first game, you play as the Arisen, an individual that a towering dragon chose by literally stealing your heart and giving you the unfortunate task of hunting it down to regain what was stolen from you. Due to this change of fate, you can now command Pawns, humans that are programmed to assist the Arisen, heed his/her commands at all costs, and support their quest in any way they can. These Pawns are one of the many unique mechanics that set Dragon’s Dogma 2 apart, as the system inadvertently lets players make some sort of impact on another player’s game without directly participating in it. 

A unique system that drives progression

Each player can create one main Pawn which serves as your trusty sidekick on this high-fantasy adventure. To complete your party of four, you can hire two other Pawns created by other players. You can’t change the equipment or skills of these Pawns, only your own. They also can’t level up, so you’ll find yourself constantly swapping for new Pawns that hopefully complement your characters.

Thankfully, this system does a good job giving you that sense of going on an adventure with a party despite your not having direct control of the rest of the group, as the Pawns’ AI is reasonable to the extent that you can expect them to help those who are down, pick you up when you lose stamina, and competently tackle combat threats. If you’re lucky, the Pawn you summon might just guide you to your current quest’s objectives due to his experience from adventuring with another player.

This system makes these uncontrollable party members self-sustaining as they surprise me from time to time, catching me when I fall off a deadly cliff or guiding me to a chest I didn’t notice while traveling. I don’t need to babysit my AI companions, as they are more than capable. Even in combat they deal an effective amount of damage, so at times I can just focus on picking up spoils as they clean up the leftovers. I feel like I’m part of a functional party.

This makes exploring more organic, or some would even say community-driven. A cave you stumbled upon by chance could be missed by the player but pointed out by a Pawn as they retain what they’ve witnessed.

These indirect interactions are an interesting twist to incorporate, as the experiences your main Pawn is exposed to in your game will affect how much of a help he/she will be to another player’s progression when hired. It’s ingenious - a system first introduced over a decade ago remains unique as there’s no other game that has even attempted to deliver something similar. 

Due to Pawns, the game’s vague instructions and lack of direct help to the player make things more bearable as Dragon’s Dogma 2’s open-world exploration reminds me a little bit of Elden Ring, where the only way you’ll find caves or other points of interest is by simply being curious of the world in front of you, looking at every path as you just might come across a chest or an encounter to test your mettle. 

Unfortunately, the available dialogue is a bit slim for the Pawns, as they tend to repeat the same voices over and over to the point that it can drive one crazy. This was one of my chief complaints in the first game, and sadly this issue remains in the sequel, despite the developers stating they’ve improved this element. You’ll be told of the same ladder in the game’s main city every time you visit (despite already checking it out), or they’ll almost always show concern when you don’t buy anything from a shop owner.

A battle for the ages

For combat, Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels like a mix of Monster Hunter and Shadow of Colossus, as players battle high fantasy creatures such as ogres, griffins, stone golems, or even lesser dragons that are just as formidable as the one that stole your heart. With the ability to cling onto these creatures, you can wrestle your way to vital weak points and hit them where it hurts. Climb a cyclops to gouge its one good eye, or set a griffin ablaze to prevent it from having the aerial advantage. Each encounter with these large monsters comes out unique and rather unpredictable at times, as there are certain things you can do that I have not seen in other games. Battles in this game feel like you’re jumping into a pit with a caged animal that’s ready to do whatever it can to take you down or even escape.

These bouts are epic, but the encounters that lead up to fights can at times kill the momentum as there’s not enough enemy variety to cover the game’s scale. Compared to the first game, Dragon’s Dogma 2’s map feels like it’s double the size, but it’s plagued with a small list of enemy types that populate the game world. During the day, you’ll encounter packs of wolves, goblins, bandits, and maybe harpies. At night, it’s a mix of the same joined by skeletons, ghosts, or the undead. As you progress, you’ll experience pretty much the same enemy types with slight variations that don’t change the encounter all that much. There are so many caves and ruins to explore, which are unfortunately filled with the same enemy type you bumped into a few minutes ago.

This can be a problem for some, as you’ll be doing a lot of traveling in Dragon’s Dogma 2. There is fast travel, but the items that allow you to do so are limited, so traveling on foot is the name of the game as you go on adventures with your band of Pawns. Each time you go out of a main town it feels like an actual trip, as I always felt like I needed to be prepared with a full assortment of the right items and gear. Bring enough to have space for the spoils you pick along the way while having enough to survive the trip back. When you or your Pawns get damaged, a small percentage of your total health pool decreases, giving the impression that your travel is taking its toll on your party. This is one of the rare instances where fast traveling ruins the experience rather than alleviating it, as you feel the struggle, especially in the early parts of the game, and I appreciate this design.

We’ll give you a hint, good luck with the rest!

To top it all off, the game intentionally makes quests and instructions vague. With how the content was laid out, one could easily miss out on a completely different side of the game without the help of a bit of internet searching or the right Pawn to guide you. Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t hold your hand. It isn’t filled with HUD markers on where to go, as its hints serve as a subtle guide. For most quests, you are given a spot to go on your map, but getting there is up to you, and completing them will require the player to think, as the game will not spoon-feed you the answer, something that might be frustrating for some, but will excite others as it just fuels the fantasy of being on a real adventure. 

You can fail quests and have different ways to complete them. Dragon’s Dogma 2 doesn’t rival the creativity found in RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, but the design is more rewarding than typical content fodder that doesn’t contribute all too much to a player’s enjoyment.

That’s not due to the quest design, but rather the stories attached to them, as they aren’t as enticing or interesting as the journey and the rewards. This also goes for the main story, as it felt forgettable, and the latter parts were rather confusing, as it makes earlier narrative revelations irrelevant. It got to the point where I was already checked out on what was going on during certain parts of my playthrough, as I was only interested in setting out to travel to the next unexplored area. The only things that motivated me to spend over 60 hours with Dragon’s Dogma 2 were the combat, the sense of exploration, and the different classes. 

Players and Pawns can take on various classes called Vocations. There are 10 with some exclusive to just the player, and I’ve enjoyed experimenting and trying out each of their playstyles. 

No two Vocations are alike

From jumping into the Mage then quickly auto-targeting multiple enemies as the Magic Archer, to going all out as the Warrior serving as the front-liner, switching classes and team composition delivered different results and a new approach to certain encounters. It was really hard to stick with one Vocation for too long, as once you switch, you’re slowly introduced to this new way to play. I found myself sticking with it and switching the Pawns to best complement the new playstyle. Despite the lack of enemy variety for small skirmishes, the class variety is a saving grace in this regard as it helps alleviate the sense of it being repetitive.

Progression is rather straightforward even when picking gear, as high defense or attack values are the major considerations. The only real customization in this RPG comes in the form of enhancements done to your equipment, as each blacksmith specializes in increasing specific stats or lowering weight values to make things easier to carry. You can also set the type of passives you can equip, as passives learned from each Vocation aren’t tied to that specific class. For instance, the Archer’s stamina increase passive can be used when playing as a Warrior.

Your mileage may vary

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is so unique that it can be difficult to recommend this action RPG, as its many great qualities stem from Capcom detaching itself from RPG norms. The flip side of that is these uncommon ideas will be received differently by different players. One might love the guidance of the game directing you where to go as time is precious to them, or feel that failure or living with your decisions is something they aren’t keen on experiencing, so they might not be so happy about the fact that you only have two save states in your playthrough (auto save and when you rest at an inn). FPS stability might be an issue for some. I didn’t have much of a problem, but it’s worth noting that performance occasionally dips during busy encounters, even in busy towns as the framerate wasn’t consistent in the build I’ve played. 

In the grand scheme of things, Capcom has delivered a sequel to make Dragon’s Dogma fans happy and wishing for more, but this isn’t a massive upgrade. Rather, it’s a modernization of the overall concept as the highs and lows of the first game mirror the sequel. The game took off for me when I hit the 15-hour mark, so it’s more of a test of patience. If you can weather the storm that is Dragon’s Dogma 2, you might come out as one of the players who consider this one of the best RPG experiences they’ve ever played, or simply the worst.

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Verdict: 3.5 / 5 (Great)

*Dragon’s Dogma 2 was given a lot of flak for the sudden release of microtransactions at launch. These microtransactions feel like paid cheat codes more than anything, as they are simply unnecessary, similar to other microtransaction offerings Capcom has included in previous titles such as Devil May Cry 5. I did not feel any urge to spend, nor did the game design feel weighed down to support these microtransactions. It’s unfortunate that they exist, but the MTX can easily be ignored, as most of what’s offered can be obtained with ease.

PROS

• The Pawn system elevates the adventure and the AI is competent at guiding the player and assisting in combat

• The lack of guidance and limited fast traveling make the adventure more fulfilling

• Combat against the bigger fantasy creatures is amazing to fight against, even in the later stages of the game

• Pawn dialogue is limited, as they repeat the same lines too often while traveling

CONS

• Certain design choices can turn off some players, such as limited fast travel and minimal guidance from the game

• FPS inconsistencies during major cities and busy battles

• Stories are forgettable and characters fail to make any lasting impression or even display a likable personality

What I’ve Played 

• Over 60 hours of playtime on one playthrough

• Tried all Vocations, maxing out three

• Experienced all possible endings and explored the majority of the main map and its many quests

*This review is based on a PS5 review copy provided to the reviewer

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