Dragon’s Dogma 2 it's one of those games that managed to be talked about for years before its release. Strengthened by a noteworthy first chapter as well as 12 years to enter the hearts of gamers, the Fantasy RPG saga of Dragon's Dogma is finally enriched with a second chapter that has promised for months to be bigger, better and more engaging. In this review we will check whether the actual ambitions of Dragon's Dogma 2 have been expected and what this second promising chapter has in store for us.
Obviously, before starting, we would like to inform you that you will not encounter spoilers on the plot and that for this review we have completed the complete story of Dragon's Dogma 2.
Our review of Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma 2 is set in a fantasy world parallel to that of the first chapter but with a story of its own. In this chapter we will once again take on the role of a Arisena fully customizable warrior predestined to defeat a great dragon which threatens the kingdom from era to era. A constant and millenary struggle that threatens the balance of the world and it is up to us to restore it.
To do this, Arisen will have at its disposaland powers and abilities given by a specific class. Added to this is also the power of the Arisen of control and use the support of the Pawnsmysterious entities capable of traveling between the various planes of reality who will willingly collaborate with us and the different Arisen of other realities.
So a long and demanding journey which will take us to the various kingdoms of this fascinating world full of wonders, precious objects and secrets to be discovered. Obviously there will be no shortage of challenges, difficulties and enemies. Is the Thousand Year Dragon just the beginning…or the end? Ready to find out?!
Awaken Arisen!
In addition to being the protagonist of the story, all the RPG features of Dragon's Dogma 2 reside in the Arisen. In addition to being completely customizable in a really well structured character creator. Together with the physical appearance, we will also be able to choose the initial class of our Arisen Between Warrior, Archer, Mage e Thief. In addition to being interchangeable at any time, as the game progresses, the classes available will increase, providing us with new ways to play, new skills and characteristics.
In fact, each class has particular and unique specifications. At every level up statistics of the character, such as life points, energy, strength, etc., will increase automatically. What will depend on us will instead be the ability, unique to each class, to defeat enemies and explore the game world. Between active, passive and weapon skills, we will have dozens of powers available for each class, each different from the other and adaptable to any style of play. To these are also added the Capacityskills that are developed for each individual class but which can also be used when changing it.
This translates into a much appreciated mix of skills that will push you to change class several times, to learn new skills, to discover new game modesnew gear, and everything else that Dragon's Dogma 2's intriguing gameplay has to offer.
Much more than a Role Playing Game…
The most classic mechanics of role-playing video games are in fact present in all their splendor but accompanied by interesting new features and an intriguing game world. Obviously what sets it apart from other titles in the genre out there is the Pawn mechanics. It's about non-playable characters that can be found around the map or summoned at specific locations. Each of them has a class, a level and a personality (among 4 available) and they will accompany the Arisen everywhere.
Once the game starts we will have a Main pawn available that will follow us from the beginning to the end of the game and will grow together with us. But two other pawns can be hired around the world. Even if we cannot choose the class or equipment of the latter, they can increase in level, they can be replaced at any time, to find more powerful ones with more efficient equipment.
If we want it, by activating the online functionality, the tokens that we find around the world will be tokens created by other players around the world. If you decide to play completely offline, you will still have tokens created by Capcom and equally efficient.
Developer:
CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
Price:
64,99 €
…but not for everyone
The rest of Dragon's Dogma 2, as anticipated, has all the classic elements of an RPG: equipment, areas to explore, primary and secondary quests and so on. However, even if you are passionate about the genre, we feel obliged to specify that Dragon's Dogma 2 is not a fantasy RPG for everyone.
Although the title delivers a long story (it took us about 40 hours to finish it all) and interesting secondary quests, the game plot does not present particularly shocking elements, except perhaps for the endings which we obviously won't tell you about. Added to this is aslow and ultimately repetitive exploration of the game world. Although the world of Dragon's Dogma 2 is perfectly crafted, with many interesting elements and breathtaking beauty, exploring every single nook and cranny could quickly bore you.
In the game in fact There is no type of mount present that allows us to move faster. All exploration must be done on foot and if you decide you want to become the Marco Polo of Dragon's Dogma 2, it could take you double the hours (with its pros and cons). It adds to this a “Quick Travel” system that is not so widespread and far from other titles of the genre. We will only have a few points to transport ourselves to and we will need a specific object to do so.
Obviously everything is doable and without being prisoners of the much discussed microtransactions present in the game. We will simply have to put in effort and perseverance and believe in ourselves. Isn't this the point of going on an Adventure?
From a technical point of view…
…Dragon's Dogma 2 truly leaves you breathless. The technological leap compared to the first chapter is truly excellent. The title in fact exploits the potential of RE Engine graphics engineowned by Capcom itself and a graphics renders at 4K which is truly satisfying. All this while sacrificing the FPS locked rigidly at 60 for the PC version (the one we played for this review) while it sins even further in the console version. While we didn't find any particular difficulties on PC, we reserve an opinion on the console version when we try it.
Along with this compromise, and despite our PC largely covering the recommended requirements, in certain areas of the game we encountered one excessive stuttering, especially in large cities with a large number of inhabitants. In the initial stages of the game, we also encountered several game crashes after video and cinematic sequences that forced us to restart the game several times. As we moved forward, however, the situation improved and we no longer encountered any problems.
It also adds to the graphical beauty of the game a fitting soundtrack, both in the exploration and combat phases. We don't think she'll become one of the most listened to OSTs out there, but she certainly made an impression with certain particularly compelling fights.
Dragon's Dogma 2 review in brief
Ultimately, Dragon's Dogma 2 is not a perfect game. It will make many players turn up their noses and many others will stay away. However, it is about the best sequel to Dragon's Dogma we could ever ask for. The mechanics of the title that we have come to love are now improved and expanded as well as the game world and the main plot.
Being the Arisen (again) was one of those RPG adventures we'll remember for a long time and which reminded us why we love playing the role of the “knight” in a wonderful Fantasy world. Ready to rediscover it?
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