Is Dragon’s Dogma 2 worth the decade-plus wait? | Analysis / Review

Released by Capcom in 2012 for PlayStation 3 Xbox 360, Dragon’s Dogma won over fans for presenting a robust RPG with an exciting narrative that pitted the player against a legendary dragon, while unraveling an intriguing conspiracy.

A year later, the game gained an improved version titled Dark Arisen, in addition to having new versions for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Although the game is not as popular as other RPGs, Dragon’s Dogma has gained cult status and a legion of loyal fans.

Almost a decade later, Capcom presents the long-awaited sequel Dragon’s Dogma 2. Promising an even more robust journey, new features and an immersive experience, will the RPG arrive as one of the favorites for “Game of the Year” or will it disappoint? Check it out in our review!

If you haven’t played the original, Dragon’s Dogma 2 can be enjoyed by any player, without compromising the overall experience. Of course, there are some scattered references and interesting details, but nothing so important that it forces you to pick up the first title before embarking on the new adventure.

In Dragon’s Dogma 2, the player will create his character and discover that he is a Nascen, a being who had his heart removed by a dragon, but returned to life and now, his destiny is intertwined with the monster.

In the mythology of the universe created by Capcom, the dragon is always destined to create a Nascen, but the revived warrior is destined to defeat the monster forever. However, there is a curious detail in Dragon’s Dogma 2: another being claims to be the Nascen and conquers the throne of Vernworth.

From there, the player will need to investigate a mysterious conspiracy that may have the queen regent as its main leader. While the first game focused more on dragon combat, Dragon’s Dogma 2 aims to bring a more adult approach, with touches of “Game of Thrones”.

Furthermore, Dragon’s Dogma 2 features two kingdoms: Vermund, the refuge of humans, and Battahl, home of a race known as leoterians, humanoid felines that are not friendly to outsiders.

However, the two kingdoms have one huge problem in common: the dragon that ripped out the protagonist’s heart. From there, an alliance is born that will yield interesting moments and some surprises.

The narrative of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is interesting and fun, despite having some predictable moments. The main plot can be finished in around 30 hours, while secondary content can triple its duration.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes a more exploration-focused approach, bringing a lively and highly reactive and dynamic world. During the journey, two players may pass along the path, but encounter different situations, from an NPC asking for help to a hungry cyclops.

For greater immersion, Capcom’s RPG doesn’t have giant arrows telling you where to go. Of course, there are subtle directions to complete your objective, but the player has complete freedom to build his path and generally, taking a detour will reward him with good items or an exciting confrontation.

The reality is that Dragon’s Dogma 2 was not designed for rushed players who want a short and simple experience. After completing the tutorial, I explored the world for hours following the thread of dynamic events and forgot about the main mission, not because it was boring, but because exploration is rewarding and addictive.

The title also has an interesting time passage mechanism. For example, when you collect food and leave it in your inventory, you will notice that it will rot if it is not consumed soon. You know that NPC who told you to meet him in town in the morning? Show up late and you’ll see he’s moved on with his life and good luck getting to talk to him again.

When venturing at night, the player will need to be extra cautious, as new threats emerge. As the title does not have conventional fast travel, it is necessary to traverse the map and camp regularly to recover your status. During one of the breaks, my group was ambushed and I had to think quickly to survive.

In combat, the game follows the classic RPGs and allows the player to choose four vocations: Combatant, Mage, Thief and Archer. Each one has its particularities and defects, but there is no wrong choice, just select the one you have the greatest affinity with. In addition, there are six more classes that can be unlocked throughout the adventure.

Another point that encourages experimentation is the possibility of changing your vocation in guilds. Did you choose Thief and regret it because it had little durability in direct combat? Switch to combatant and attack enemies without fear of happiness!

Capcom gets it right by keeping the original’s combat, but making some improvements. Overall, each fight involves fast action, tactics, and decision-making, no matter how crazy they may be.

Can’t hit a flying enemy? Take a rock and throw it at him. A giant monster wants to crush you? Climb up his back and hit his head to stun him. The game is not punishing with errors precisely to give the player freedom to create solutions to the problems that arise.

However, not everything is rosy in the game. Something that bothered me about the title was that it didn’t have its own system for locking aim on the opponent and keeping the camera stable. In certain confrontations, especially against enemy groups, things can get confusing and clumsy.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 has the return of an important mechanic: Pawns. In short, they are the companions who will join the player’s group during the adventure. One of them is your main one, being created by you.

However, the game has an interesting mechanic: it allows the player to hire “Pawns” created by other players. These do not level up with your Main and need to be occasionally swapped out for stronger ones to keep the party balanced against stronger threats.

Pawns also have vocations like the player and having a varied group is the secret to surviving battles. I started the game with a Combatant and created a Mage to provide support.

While browsing the map, I found an Archer and a Thief and hired them for my group. So, I noticed that the fights became more dynamic and balanced, making it easier to pick up some better items and skip some levels.

However, things got challenging again when a Cyclops jumped off the mountain in front of me. At that moment, I realized that I needed new Pawns. Fortunately, it’s easy to find them roaming the world, especially if you’re doing your share of exploring every nook and cranny and taking a few detours from the main quest.

Pawns represent an important part of the strategy, as they have their own personality. For example, you might encounter a fiery Combatant who doesn’t hesitate to throw himself in front of enemies, or a cautious Mage who prefers distance and support to ensure the party doesn’t die.

Additionally, you can give orders to the Pawns during combat, but I noticed some inconsistencies, such as me calling the character to run away and him refusing to run. Another detail is that they can come from a world in which the player found a valuable treasure in a certain area and pass this information on to you.

Pawns talk frequently and interact with the player, making the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 even more alive and dynamic. They are one of the main pillars of the game and their mechanics need to be understood by the player not only to win combats, but also to interact with the environment around them.

Recently, Dragon’s Dogma 2 was involved in another controversy: microtransactions. Despite being a single player title, Capcom decided to include paid advantages with limited resources within the game, such as fast travel itself and changing the character’s appearance.

Because these are items that, despite being scarce, can be obtained through gradual exploration, the community felt deceived. In particular, the company’s decision is unnecessary and brings an unnecessary stain to a great RPG, with greed taking precedence over fun.

Graphically, Capcom’s RPG delivers beautiful visuals and detailed textures. The cinematics are a spectacle and the art direction produces epic scenes that you would expect from a high-budget fantasy series.

A few weeks before its release, Dragon’s Dogma 2 ran into controversy when Capcom announced that the title would be limited to around 30 FPS on consoles. After all, a title aimed at the new generation not reaching 60 FPS is something unusual.

The problem is that even at 30 FPS, the player will notice that the game suffers considerable drops in the frame rate per second, especially in the most dramatic moments, such as combat with giant monsters, or even when taking a walk around the city to buy supplies. .

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is translated into our language, but there is no dubbing in Portuguese. Overall, the soundtrack is very competent and has incredible tracks, which make the adventure even more immersive.

On PlayStation 5, players rely on the DualSense resources to have a more immersive adventure, feeling the sword strikes or spells invoked. Finally, the Tempest Engine makes the audio even more realistic.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 makes the wait of another decade worth it by bringing an evolution in relation to the previous title, being one of the most robust RPGs of recent times. With a dynamic world, intriguing story, epic monsters and a complex companion system, it will provide hours of fun.

However, the title suffers from annoying technical problems and being in the middle of the PlayStation 5 generation receiving a game limited to around 30 FPS is unacceptable. To top it off, Capcom makes a greedy decision to cram microtransactions into scarce game items, thinking only of more ways to profit, as if the game wasn’t already a success in itself.

The reality is that Dragon’s Dogma 2 has enough quality to be on the shelf of the best RPGs of the current generation, but it still depends on some technical adjustments and a more honest policy from Capcom when it comes to treating its legion of fans who have waited for more of a decade in sequence.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

TudoCelular thanks Capcom for providing a copy of Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PlayStation 5 for this analysis!