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Dragon’s Dogma 2 brings back all the joy of Capcom’s 2012 cult hit with few real changesStrength in numbers, Arisen?
Strength in numbers, Arisen?
Image credit:Capcom
Image credit:Capcom
Pawns talk without cease as you explore: a steady patter of idle observations about well-wrought staircases and the local fish trade, advice about the bestiary and, in the case of Pawns recruited from other players, quest tips based on time in their own worlds - all of it couched in the game’s quirky faux-medieval dialect. Pawn dialogue is highly context-sensitive, and very often, nonsensical. They’ll climb into fountains and complain that they’re wet, and launch into pithy descriptions of monsters even as they’re set on fire. It ought to be maddening, but somehow, it never is - probably because the Pawns never actually attempt to be witty like ally characters in, say, Xenoblade Chronicles. They’re resolutely straight foils in a realm of lions with snakes for tails, chaotic boulder traps, unpleasantly lusty ogres, and players who push the wrong buttons and make random decisions on the fly. Well, pawns are back inDragon’s Dogma 2, which I recently played an hour of, and they’re chattier than ever.
The big thing I notice is that they now talk to each other more. “Rare materials!” one yells as I amble through a forest. “Well-spotted,” another replies. I go hunting for the resource outcrop in question and promptly wander into a flock of Harpies, who sing my character to sleep and try to fly off with our group’s wizard. Later, two Pawns have a slight tiff about my decision to drop the monster-culling quest at hand and investigate some promising ruins. “It is not for us to gainsay the Arisen’s judgement!” one reproaches the other. A little further down the road, the crew start bickering about our combat performance, with one Pawn remarking that there’s always “room for improvement”. All this, plus some familiar one-off lines and feats of accidentally brilliant comic timing, like Pawns moaning about travelling after dark (the game’s nights are once again impenetrable, obliging you to equip a lantern) or getting bitten in the face while warning you to watch out for the wolves. They hunt in packs, remember?
Dragon’s Dogma 2 - 9 Minute Gameplay Deep Dive | Tokyo Game Show 2023Watch on YouTube
Dragon’s Dogma 2 - 9 Minute Gameplay Deep Dive | Tokyo Game Show 2023
Image credit:Capcom
I’ve tried out three classes, or “vocations”, so far, each with a signature move on top of three equippable special abilities. The Archer’s class abilities include spreadshots for evasive predators, burst fire for stationary toughies, and the ability to autoaim from the hip or snipe in over-the-shoulder view. The Fighter can perform daisy-cutter haymakers, bullrush ranged opponents, and bash turtling enemies with their shield. The Thief can throw smoke bombs to daze the hordes and perform homing strikes and vertical spin attacks, likeSonic the Hedgehogcosplaying as Legolas. All are a joy in the hands, thanks to springy, theatrical yet believable animations. But again, I’m pretty sure all these tricks and flourishes exist in the original game or its Dark Arisen expansion, in some form. I’m hoping Dragon’s Dogma 2’s more advanced, hybrid vocations will mess with the template quite a bit, drawing on the sillier components of recent Monster Hunters. In particular, I’d like to hear more about the just-revealed Mystic Spearhead, a fancy melee vocation who can block enemy movement with magic.
I’m conscious that complaints about the game being overfamiliar might not mean much to readers who, God,possibly weren’t even alivewhen the original was released, so let me reiterate: however old hat, fights in Dragon’s Dogma are absolutely glorious and often, mad as a bag of adders. At one point I did a nocturnal quest to rescue somebody’s herb-gathering brother, the luckless Norbet, which led to me and my Pawns fighting a ghost that fed on light, making our lanterns a wonderful liability. It was pandemonium. My wizard Pawn immediately levitated and started belching thunderbolts everywhere, my thief Pawn got a bit carried away with blink attacks and aggroed a passing wolfpack, and here’s me, standing in the middle of it all, firing holy arrows at health bars in the dark.
Image credit:Capcom
