Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 preview: A Magickal RPG for simulation fans CapcomDexerto was able to go hands-on with Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2, the sequel to an underrated Capcom action RPG. Will this be the game that brings Dragon\u2019s Dogma into the mainstream? Last year\u2019s announcement of Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 came as a delightful surprise to fans of the original. While the game and its 2016 enhancement, Dark Arisen, received positive reviews, Dragon\u2019s Dogma never reached the height of Capcom favorites like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, or even fellow action RPG Monster Hunter. Still, the publisher never fully abandoned the IP, releasing a now-defunct MMORPG in Japan and a 2020 anime. That\u2019s why I found myself curious to see what Capcom had delivered for the sequel. After all, many of the best games ever made are fantasy RPGs. Is it finally time for Dragon\u2019s Dogma to step out of its cult status and become a mainstream hit? I was able to go hands-on with a near-final build of the sequel and see for myself how Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 brings the franchise into a new gaming generation. The Arisen rises again For those who have played the first Dragon\u2019s Dogma, the basics of the sequel will be familiar. Set in another world, you play as the Arisen, a character marked by a dragon who travels with allies known as \u201cPawns.\u201d The Arisen is fully customizable \u2013 with the character creator appearing to be at least as in-depth as that of last year\u2019s Street Fighter 6 \u2013 though the demo had me stepping into the middle of the game. I was able to spend time with two of the game\u2019s classes, known here as vocations: Mystic Spearhand and Magick Archer. These are some of Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2\u2019s hybrid vocations, blending aspects of the starting classes to create something stronger, though more complex. I\u2019ll admit that these kinds of classes are not typically the ones I go for in single-player action games with AI companions. In preparation for this preview, I played some Dark Arisen and built a straightforward sword-and-shield Fighter. That said, I can certainly see the merits of these classes and particularly enjoyed playing as the melee and magick-wielding Mystic Spearhand. Learning the movesets and how to best utilize them is a challenge. The demo certainly wasn\u2019t long enough for me to really feel like I mastered either. With the Mystic Spearhand, you have access to melee and magic abilities that give plenty of versatility for attacking close up or from a distance. Meanwhile, the Magick Archer can hit foes from a distance using different kinds of elemental arrows, on top of helping allies with healing arrows. These arrows don\u2019t do much damage, but they always hit their mark, making them super reliable for targeting enemy weaknesses. I definitely had more fun getting close to my foes \u2013 especially the large climbable ones \u2013 as the Mystic Spearhand. That said, I can definitely see either of these new vocations being monsters in the right hands. Dangers in the night Where Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 seems to shine over its predecessor is in its massive open world. I was only able to explore a bit, but both the towns and the wilds have a lot in store. While the original could, at times, be hard to navigate, the sequel does a good job of blending additional guidance with natural discovery. The mini-map in the bottom corner and the ability to drop various, distinct waypoints are helpful, but the game still encourages you to explore and interact with the world rather than just running from point A to point B to complete a quest. As an example, one quest I found asked me to help a man find his missing grandson, who was taken away by wolves. Rather than the man just telling me which way to go or a little dot appearing on my map, I needed to talk to the other townspeople to get more information first. Not everyone had something useful to say, but it fed into a loop where I was able to pick up some other quests in town. On top of that, this particular quest was only available for a limited time. This gets to another aspect of Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 that I found quite compelling. As a Capcom explained to me, the developers approached the game like a simulation. Many of the game design choices, such as the day-night cycle in which different creatures appear \u2013 and get stronger \u2013 at night. Even though it was just about a grandson being abducted by wolves, this particular quest really drove home something about this sequel. The world feels like it\u2019s living and changing regardless of what I do (though obviously the Arisen\u2019s actions are going to have some great impact eventually). Logically, the wolves aren\u2019t going to wait to devour the boy until I\u2019m nearby, so the time limit gave the quest urgency. For transparency\u2019s sake, I\u2019ll admit I got distracted by a pretty strong Wight and did not manage to find the boy. That child will forever be in Shrodinger\u2019s box, between the state of little boy and wolf food. For his sake, I\u2019ll try harder next time. I did manage to take down the Wight without any other kids going missing. I\u2019ll count that as a win. A Dragon\u2019s Dogma for a new generation Playing this Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 after revisiting the original for a bit made it clear how much of a step forward this new title is. Most obvious are the visual and technical improvements, with the game\u2019s graphics looking stunning and running smoothly on PlayStation 5. While still an enjoyable game with great combat, much of the first Dragon\u2019s Dogma feels dated. That makes sense, because it came out 12 years ago. I can\u2019t really speak to the story or pacing based on my preview, but what I did experience makes me optimistic that Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 will be the evolution fans of the original have been waiting for \u2013 and perhaps what finally finally brings Dragon\u2019s Dogma into the mainstream of fantasy action RPGs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 preview: A Magickal RPG for simulation fans CapcomDexerto was able to go hands-on with Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2, the sequel to an underrated Capcom action RPG. Will this be the game that brings Dragon\u2019s Dogma into the mainstream? Last year\u2019s announcement of Dragon\u2019s Dogma 2 came as a delightful surprise to fans of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80389\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}