Dragon’s Dogma 2 is overwhelming.I could say that about most open world RPGs released in the modern era, but Capcom’s long-awaited sequel takes this mantra one step further. Not only does its realm seem incomprehensibly massive, it is never afraid to throw you into fights that are way out of your depth, forcing you to adapt on the fly whether you’re ready or not. It excels in its unpredictability, making the act of feeling overwhelmed a joy in itself.

To be set loose in the fantastical lands of Vermund and Battahl is to accept failure. You’ll need to experiment with distinct styles of combat and explore beyond the boundaries of possibility - this game shines brighter when you give in to your impulses and embrace the unknown.

During an extended preview session, I toyed with the two new classes as I was thrust into two distinct regions and pretty much did what I liked. I could complete quests, recruit pawns, kill monsters, or simply vibe in settlements that I stumbled across. Because I was all about being spontaneous, I set a marker on the world map and started walking. With pawns by my side, surely nothing could go wrong. Right?

Everything Goes Wrong In Dragon’s Dogma 2

It turns out that picking a random direction in a hostile world filled with monsters you know nothing about and throwing caution to the wind is a terrible idea. At first, it wasn’t so bad - I stumbled across a troll and a gaggle of harpies I quickly dispatched, and even helped out nearby settlers as a pack of wolves threatened to tear up their camp. A few light scratches aside, I was no worse for wear and now had loot and experience points to show for it.

The preview build kitted me out with a party of soldiers and mages who could deal significant damage while buffing the party so we could sustain nearly all damage thrown our way. My pawns and I were badass, but unfortunately, the build didn’t account for my stupid ass. Soon after helping the settlers, I followed the path north and ended up in a clearing in which a once great castle once stood. Now, torn down battlements and corpses littered the ground. Then, as I panned the camera upward, a mythological deathmatch had begun to play out.

A cyclops and a wyvern suddenly took up the entire screen, slowly beating the living snot out of one another as my party of curious warriors looked on in awe. Then, because Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a beautifully ridiculous game, all of them rushed headlong into the fray without considering their own mortality. Given each of these monsters had over five full health bars, I knew that fighting them was pointless, so I tried to save my dwindling allies.

I was still getting to grips with the controls despite my overpowered stats, so I spent the next 20 minutes juggling corpses and trying to avoid being either burned to a tasty crisp or crushed beneath the weight of a cyclops’ crusty feet. It was a bad time, and I still recall a brief respite of confidence where I believed the wyvern had fled, only to see its shadow pop out directly above me as I cowered in fear. This all happened during my first hour playing the game, and already I had a laundry list of anecdotes I couldn’t wait to share.

Everything Continues To Go Wrong In Dragon’s Dogma 2

Once I’d made my escape, night began to fall. I rushed into the dense mountains in the vain hope that I'd stumbled across a campfire, which can be used to pass time and heal your allies with the right supplies.

Unfortunately, my supplies were in the possession of a party member who was promptly murdered by the duo of aforementioned monsters. I had no health, only a few items, and a dwindled party who really needed a lie down. So we pushed on, unaware that the caverns we entered were filled with bandits and monsters ready to jump us.

Without a torch or lantern to light the way forward, Dragon’s Dogma 2 surrounds you in pitch darkness. It is frightening, largely because your sense of direction and perspective is utterly ruined at night, while the threats that await outside are entirely different too. But it’s still so fun, even without quests and narrative context to guide me, it still felt like I was on a grand fantasy adventure.

As the sun rose, I realised I had to do this all over again, so I rushed back to town to recover before taking on a handful of quests, which I loosely committed myself to before placing map markers in the completely opposite direction as before.

The world itself is huge and split into a variety of different regions each with distinct biomes and weather conditions, giving players a level of mechanical and narrative freedom that greatly expands on the original game. In the hours that followed, I struggled to conquer a number of other beasties as I experimented with new classes, weapons and abilities until it became abundantly clear how important it was to play my role and assist my pawns, or recruit new ones.

My advice for newcomers to Dragon's Dogma 2 is to never be ashamed of running away. Sometimes a fight is too tough, so swallow your pride, turn around, and leg it. You'll thank me later.

While there is deep mechanical sophistication in playing as new classes like the Mystic Spearhand and Magick Archer, each of which comes with an abundance of assignable abilities and skills, there is just as much fun to be had in rolling with the punches and staying alive by the skin of your teeth.

The moment-to-moment gameplay is hilarious. While you climb most of the monsters you come across like it’s Shadow of the Colossus, they can fling you off into the air at any moment, which in turn activates a wonderfully chaotic physics system where your body turns into a ragdoll that is susceptible to not only fall damage, but all manner of environmental hazards. Anything can be thrown too, so long as it isn’t too big.

But It All Turned Out Okay In The End

I developed a habit of picking up enemies and hurling them off the nearest cliff, which not only kills them instantly, but stokes fear in their comrades that I’m a crazy fool who will do anything. I also, to the dismay of the PR representative behind me, kept throwing wild animals off cliffs too. In my defence, I also saved many innocent bunnies from evil salamanders and goblins.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has made me laugh more than any game in recent memory. It perfectly understands the sort of person I am, and the untold slapstick horrors I can and will inflict on this virtual world. The fact it also boasts excellent combat mechanics alongside its vast open world allows this RPG sequel to once again feel like one of a kind. There are very few games like this, and after spending only a few hours with its brilliance, I can’t wait for dozens more. I want wyverns and cyclops to eat me up and spit me out so I can learn to conquer them on my own terms, even if the path is paved with the bodies of my dead allies and murdered deer.

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Dragon's Dogma 2

Action RPG Systems 4.5/5 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 87/100 Critics Rec: 91% Released March 22, 2024 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Engine RE Engine
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Dragon's Dogma is the long-anticipated sequel to Capcom's action RPG. Once again taking on the role of the Arisen, the game promises full customisation in how you create your character and play through your story.

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