Highlights

  • Dragon's Dogma 2 challenges the traditional hero archetype, making players face consequences for their actions in a dynamic open-world RPG experience.
  • Death is permanent for characters, quests are missable if players wait too long, and Dragonsplague can wipe out entire towns.
  • With a larger world, complex RPG features, and a focus on player error, Dragon's Dogma 2 offers a fresh take on the fantasy RPG genre.

Releasing just a week ago, Dragon's Dogma 2 has managed to make quite the name for itself already. A swathe of rave reviews from critics, some microtransaction controversies, and whispers about something called "Dragonsplague" have all made for a feverish first week for Dragon's Dogma 2, but as the dust settles, what's left is just a really great open-world fantasy RPG that certainly has flaws, but also takes plenty of risks that help it stand out from the crowd.

When the first Dragon's Dogma released all the way back in 2012, it immediately garnered a small, but loyal fan-base that saw the potential of what Capcom was trying to do for the open-world space. Over a decade later, Capcom is back trying to capture that same magic, and this time, it's reached a much wider audience. But that doesn't mean that Dragon's Dogma 2 panders to the masses. In fact, the opposite is true. Though Dragon's Dogma 2 features plenty of UI and tutorial improvements over its predecessor, it's still an experimental Capcom RPG at heart that plays fast and loose with the rules of the fantasy genre, and that's potentially one of the game's biggest strengths.

Dragons Dogma 2 Pawn Specializations
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Dragon's Dogma 2 Pawn Specializations Explained

Dragon's Dogma 2 is packed with complex RPG features, and not all of them are immediately explained to the player, just like Pawn Specializations.

Dragon's Dogma 2's Consequences Set It Apart From the Crowd

Most Fantasy RPGs Treat The Player Like a Hero

Over the last two decades or so, the fantasy RPG genre has continued to develop its own set of conventions and tropes, and one of those is the unbeatable, infallible hero archetype. Not just restricted to video games, this concept of a hero that can never do wrong has been around for centuries, but it's gotten increasingly popular in the world of video games, especially in the open-world RPG space.

In games like Skyrim, Zelda, and Dragon Age, players are put into the role of an all-mighty hero that the world seemingly revolves around. These heroes are able to turn the tide of war just by being present at a battle, they're capable of wielding powers that no other ever has, and it's often the case the fate of the entire world, and sometimes universe, is determined by their actions. Many RPGs make the player feel like the ultimate hero, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, that experience has gotten a little trite over the last decade or so.

Dragon's Dogma 2 Treats The Player Like a Hero With Flaws

Subverting this infallible hero premise is where Dragon's Dogma 2 shines best. While players still take control of a hero destined to save the world, this role is thrust upon them in Dragon's Dogma 2, and it's one of the few RPGs that really makes the player feel like they've been thrown in at the deep-end, and that there's this sudden overwhelming pressure to live up to some lofty legacy, just like their own character would be feeling. With such a heavy legacy on their shoulders, it only makes sense that Dragon's Dogma 2's Arisen would make some mistakes along the way, and when players do, Dragon's Dogma 2 makes sure they know about it.

One of the greatest strengths of Dragon's Dogma 2 is its consequences. From the get-go, players are repeatedly told via various tutorials and in-game dialogue that there will always be consequences for their actions, or inaction. When additional Pawns die, they die permanently. When key items are accidentally sold, they're lost forever, and the player needs to find a workaround to complete any affected quests. And if the player allows one of their Pawns to succumb to Dragonsplague, it can wipe out an entire city and everyone inside it. And if players rest for too long, time-sensitive side quests will vanish. The Arisen is still a hero with a great deal of power, but in the immortal words of Uncle Ben, it comes with great responsibility.