Highlights

  • Dragon's Dogma 2 is a unique game that stands out due to its contentious features like limited fast travel and janky combat.
  • The friction in Dragon's Dogma 2's gameplay may actually be the key to its success, setting it apart from other open-world games in the market.

Like its predecessor, Dragon's Dogma 2 is commonly referred to as a "cult classic" for a reason. By and large, Dragon's Dogma 2 is unlike any other game, even those made by its own developer, Capcom. While it could be considered a distant cousin of Capcom's Monster Hunter series, Dragon's Dogma 2 is still set apart in many ways. Unfortunately, although its unique qualities certainly help it to stand out in a crowd, many of Dragon's Dogma 2's features are highly contentious, primarily on account of them defying the norm as much as they possibly can.

There are plenty of things to love about Dragon's Dogma 2, but many of those things that fans love are also some of the very things that others criticize. Some of the first game's most endearing issues are still present in Dragon's Dogma 2, granting nostalgia to some longtime fans of the franchise and a bit of frustration to newcomers and veterans who expected those issues to be resolved. One would consider this friction to be a massive downside for Dragon's Dogma 2, but a perspective remains that might consider it to be one of the game's most defining characteristics, and something it couldn't succeed without.

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Why Dragon's Dogma 2's Most Contentious Features May Be the Secret to Its Success

Dragon's Dogma 2's Fast Travel and Janky Comat Are Two Examples of Contention

At the height of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s contention has been its controversial fast travel system. First of all, fast travel in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is very limited because, unlike most open-world games, it is a very costly action to perform. In order to fast travel, players must use a rare resource called a Ferrystone. Even then, the game’s fast travel points are few and far between, so players still spend the majority of their time walking from one point to the next.

The main reason Dragon’s Dogma 2’s limited fast travel system has been met with plenty of controversy is because it was originally believed that players could spend real money on microtransactions that would ultimately stretch the limitations of the system. However, this was debunked, as Dragon's Dogma 2's microtransactions were not the resources required to fast travel but one Portcrystal that players could place in the world to act as an extra fast travel point.

Even so, many players still feel that Dragon’s Dogma 2 ’s open world is not interesting enough to merit such limited fast travel mechanics.

Dragon's Dogma 2's janky combat has also been a subject of contention, even though it has been that way since the first game was released in 2012. Many fans of the first game expected the rough edges of its combat to be smoothed out in the sequel, but that turned out not to be the case. Instead, Capcom doubled down on Dragon's Dogma's janky combat in the sequel, even to the point of affirming that everything in Dragon's Dogma 2 was put there on purpose.

Dragon's Dogma 2's Friction Is All Part of Its Unique Identity

Some might say that the friction caused by Dragon's Dogma 2's unwillingness to conform puts it in a bad position, but it may very well be the secret to its success. For example, having a fast travel system identical to every other open-world game might cause it to fit in more with the crowd, but it could be argued that the last thing any game hoping to achieve success would want to do is fit in. Furthermore, Dragon's Dogma 2's janky combat is arguably a non-negotiable part of its unique identity. Without it, Dragon's Dogma 2's learning curve might be too shallow to make it a one-of-a-kind experience.

It's currently unknown whether Capcom will be developing and releasing a Dragon's Dogma 3. However, if it does, it shouldn't be so quick to dismiss those points of contention that make Dragon's Dogma what it is. Instead, openly embracing that friction might inspire more fans to embrace it as well and find things that are meaningful about it.