12 years since the first game launched, Dragon's Dogma 2 looks set to stun. Situated in a parallel universe to its predecessor, and featuring a massive open world map that's four times bigger, this new game for 2024 will see us stepping into the shoes of a brand new Arisen as they grapple with their environment to recover their bearings, recruit companions, and defeat mythical monsters of all shapes and sizes.
By starting players off with a blank slate – a customizable hero with no recollection of their past – director Hideaki Itsuno says those unfamiliar with the RPG series will have an easier time. "The game starts off with a main character who has lost their memory, allowing us to have characters around you explain things to get you up to speed. So even if this is your first time playing Dragon's Dogma, you can safely dive in!"
That's just as well for me, since I never had the pleasure of playing Capcom's 2012 original (you can blame my A Levels for that). But having seen all the promotional trailers and gameplay clips, and being a steadfast fan of all things medieval fantasy, consider my interest thoroughly piqued by Dragon's Dogma 2.
Winds howling
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I remember watching the Dragon's Dogma 2 reveal trailer during the PlayStation Showcase last May and wondering if I'd been living under a rock. A fantastical open world with swashbuckling swordplay, magic-infused melee combat, and no shortage of terrible beasties to put to the blade; it has everything I loved about playing The Witcher 3, and yet I'd never heard of it. Still, I was instantly drawn to this gorgeous world that Capcom was dangling before me, and mentally added it to my list of upcoming PS5 games to pick up this year.
For the seasoned Dragon's Dogma fans, it sounds like you'll be in for a treat with the sequel. "This game has been developed based on the concept of the original Dragon's Dogma," Itsuno says of Capcom's key influences for DD2. "We stuck with this direction throughout the project." This dedication to the first game is evident to me when comparing combat gameplay clips. Dragon's Dogma 2 looks similar and yet undeniably weightier than the original, refining its signature third-person melee action and vocation-specific combat mechanics for a smoother experience that doesn't deviate wildly from its roots.
Visual similarities aside, Itsuno says there are plenty of changes and reworked, expanded systems that make Dragon's Dogma 2 a marked improvement on the first. Skyrim fans might be intrigued by the Beastren, a newly-added playable Khajiit-like cat person race you can choose from the character creation. Capcom has also worked hard to improve the behavior of Pawns, the NPC party members your Arisen can recruit on their journey to help even the odds of battle.
It's understandable that the AI back in 2012 might not have been too polished, so the goal this time around is to "make you feel like you're playing with friends", according to Itsuno. Paired with general "improved NPC AI and resultant emergent possibilities", returning fans can hopefully look forward to a branching narrative with even more player-contingent choices than before.
Player choice really does seem to be at the heart of Dragon's Dogma 2.
Judging by the RPG genre's popularity last year, I'm excited to see just how big Dragon's Dogma 2 will get in 2024. I love getting lost in a huge new game, and I've yet to hear something about DD2 that I don't like. The deep character builds and specific playstyles of each vocation are right up my street, sounding not dissimilar to Baldur's Gate 3's classes with jobs like Thief (that's a rogue, right?) and Archer (basically a ranger) – of course, that doesn't account for new hybrid vocations, which are sure to keep things interesting.
Dragon's Dogma 2's improved character creator also sounds like my kind of party. Itsuno touts "missing teeth" as just one new quirk you can afflict upon your poor Arisen if you so wish, though personally, I'd prefer to keep all mine intact. Player choice really does seem to be at the heart of Dragon's Dogma 2, creating a world where no two playthroughs can ever be the same, and we'll be putting it to the test on March 22.
