Hello fellow gamers! With all of the juggernaut titles set to release the air of excitement is palpable, and one fanbase that has caught my attention is that of Dragon's Dogma. I've been hearing talk about this game for years now, finally my curiosity is piqued. I've never seen gameplay, I don't ever know what it looks/plays like. I know it's a older title, and I can easily stomach a game feeling dated. But will it feel obtuse or clunky in 2022?
What should I know about it?
What games can you compare it to?
What makes people love it so much? Story? Characters? Gameplay?
I guess it's probably best to do the obvious and watch gameplay on Youtube or a Let's Play of the first hour or so to get an impression of the game. The combat really shines in this game, I can tell you that much.
I haven’t played it since it was a PS+ freebie on the PS3 so others might give a better view on how it holds up.
The story is fairly nonsense and the script is pretty awful with some hilariously bad, JRPG type voice acting. There’s also no real fast travel so you’ll be traipsing back and forward between two main areas a LOT.
However, exploration is great fun and the game feels downright terrifying when you go out at night with stronger enemies and little light to guide you. The combat is the highlight against bigger enemies as it’s something akin to Shadow of the Colossus as you can mount and attack enemies; it’s pretty cool to grab onto a chimera and attack one of its heads while it tries to shake you off.
The pawn system is also quite unique as you can create a small NPC who will follow you around and support you in battle and can offer advice on tactics for defeating enemies too. You can also choose other players’ pawns to support you too.
Not much I can add here that hasn’t been said, and said well. I find it hard to describe exactly what makes the combat so satisfying but there is a certain chunkiness, or crunchiness, to it that just feels really good when playing. I agree completely that it is what lifts this game above others of its ilk.
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.” C.S. Lewis
It took me a few tries to get hooked, but once I did, I really, really enjoyed it. It has some good D&D vibes. Fast-travelling kinda sucks, because you need to set magic stones on different parts of the map and you can only fast-travel to those places (you can pick those stones and use it somewhere else) but it was a little annoying but that just depends on the type of gamer you are.
The story is nothing great, so if you're interested in that, yeah no. The big selling point I think it's the combat. Different enemies have different weaknesses and you need to make use of that. Some big enemies/bosses you can climb ala Shadow of the Colossus. It's a hard game in some parts too, so you need to be prepared for that.
That's what I can tell you from memory, hope it helps!
I tried to play it a few years ago and hated it. I started playing it again a few weeks ago and I’ve put about 20 hours into it and I have been enjoying it a bit more but I dunno, I don’t think I’ll go back.
A bit more music would go along way for me, it’s pretty boring running around the world map with just your pawns yapping away.
Apart from the Pawns not stfu (don't remember if you can turn the chatter off) and fast travel taking too long to unlock, I really enjoyed Dragons Dogma. Combat was a lot of fun, especially being able to clamber all over the larger enemies.
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Awesome thanks for all the responses everyone! So my next questions lies with; if the combat is the main offering, how often do you fight vs cutscene/traversal time? Basically I wanna know how much of a drag it is when you're not fighting. While I'm at it, is the opening sequence a painful tutorial?
Like others have said, that recommendation comes with the caveat that I played this back on PS3 and so it’s been a while. I’ve considered a replay of it, but I’m not typically one to replay games. The fact I even considered it is a good testament of how I liked it.
I’m not sure what to compare it to, but I went to it as a follow up to Skyrim because I wanted another fantasy based open world game and it fit the bill. It shares the theme and mood of a Skyrim or Dragon Age Inquisition, or even a Witcher 3, but is less about conversation options and social sim stuff, and more about wandering around an open world killing magical beasts and ghouls.
There’s a rudimentary character creator, if I recall, so if you’re a fan of that then it might be a hook for you. It’s has not nearly as intricate of a character creator suite as Dragon Age Inquisition though, but few games have. But you’re a “blank slate” protagonist, rather than a Geralt, so the narrative is much weaker. I thought the story was fine though. Average for games of that era.
Furthermore, if you like character creator stuff, then you’ll enjoy the pawn system. And even beyond choosing how your pawn (which is an individualized AI companion you create for yourself) looks and outfitting them, the pawn is uploadable to the community and you can recruit other people’s pawns to take with you on your adventures and help you. The pawns “learn” from their adventures and so if they have seen a certain enemy before, they will shout out advice. “‘Tis weak to fire!” Or “Master, strike with holy light!” Etc, etc. And if someone else uses your pawn while you’re away it will come back with new experiences and also give you advice if he/she saw new enemies or parts of the map when playing alongside someone else.
Practically speaking, it sounds a little better than it ends up because the game is limited by technology at the time, but it’s still quite innovative and something I’m surprised hasn’t been tried in other games quite the same way.
And yes, a large portion of the pawns dialogue is meaningless chit-chat or them stating the obvious. But they are so endearing I loved it. And it makes for good memes. 😂 The pawns are definitely what sets Dragon’s Dogma apart in my mind and I’m ecstatic to see what DD2 will do with the current tech to improve on the idea. I enjoy this sort of asynchronous online multiplayer stuff like pawns, the constructions in the shared world in Death Stranding, soap messages in the FromSoft games, etc. It’s a way to collaborate with the larger gaming world without having to directly engage with other players in real time.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@TraCuz- Sorry I forgot to tag you on my response above, but let me try to answer your other questions to the best of my memory —
The opening sequence is character creation, some cutscenes, but I don’t remember a ton of boring tutorial. However when you get to the point of creating your pawn there is more tutorial, I think. Not more than average that I recall.
I think cutscenes in general are infrequent. Just at some plot points. The traversal is the main aspect and so you’ll spend time wandering around, but there are often plenty of enemies or fun places to explore. I think the enemy variety was low though and after a while you’ve seen plenty of wolves and harpies and such.
But if you don’t like open worlds, it might be a drag waking around. But the actual map is smaller than the maps in today’s games. Still, there is a ton of content and seems I had plenty of time with the game. Maybe 80 hrs? That’s a guess.
@Th3solution Wow, thanks for the input! I knew I could depend on you Sol xD. I like the sound of that pawn system, I think I'm gonna go ahead and give it a try. I enjoy open world games, but I'm significantly more picky than I used to be with them.
Expectations are a big thing, I know I'm going into a dated game with an okay story and sometimes tedious world traversal; coupled with an incredible combat system and cool pawn system.
@TraCuz- I’ve been weighing up starting this for years… and what with all the recent love in regards to the sequel announcement, I’m as close to starting it as I’ve been for a while.
I’ll be real interested to hear your thoughts if you go start it.
@CapGod No one knows. All that was announced the other day was that the game is in development; no release date or anything.
Without spoiling anything, I guess the ending of the first game could kind of leave the door open for a continued story but I’d be surprised if that’s the route they go down, especially with a gap of over a decade between instalments!
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Topic: Should I play Dragon's Dogma?
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