Among Japanese video game publishers, Capcom owns one of the strongest franchise lineups. As highlighted in its crossover fighters, Capcom has built up a staggering number of iconic games over its decades of existence. From active series like Street Fighter and Monster Hunter to idle IPs like Okami and Breath of Fire, there are plenty of franchises that fans continue to discuss and enjoy today. It’s a big reason why Capcom’s recent classic game collections are so well-received, and why there’s so much demand for another Capcom Versus title.
One older game that gets brought up from time to time is Dragon’s Dogma, as well as its expanded re-release, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. It was developed by the Devil May Cry 4 team at Capcom, with director Hideaki Itsuno returning as co-director. Launching on May 22, 2012 for PS3 and Xbox 360, the open-world action game proved successful enough to spread to all modern platforms. Now, with a Netflix anime under its belt, a tenth anniversary website opening, and no word on what Itsuno’s latest project after DMC5 is, it seems like a Dragon’s Dogma sequel might be on its way. That would be great news, as the original game did a lot of things well while leaving plenty of room for improvement.
Dragon’s Dogma Has a Lot of Unique And Compelling Elements
Dragon's Dogma is, at its heart, an open world medieval fantasy game with a lot of charm. Players take control of the Arisen, a detailed custom character who is on a quest to save their land from a mysterious dark dragon. On their way they make use of Pawns, artificial minions that provide support in combat and will gradually develop over the course of the player's journey. Their frequent remarks can get annoying, but their insight can prove useful when dealing with Dragon's Dogma's complex enemy encounters. They also serve as an interesting online component, as while the game does not support multiplayer, players can share their Pawns online and have them gain experience and knowledge with other players.
Dragon's Dogma's old-school design approach, partially owing to Itsuno first conceptualizing the game in 2000, gives it an authentic pulpy feel. A lot of the freedom found in older adventure games is present in Dragon's Dogma, with many useful items and options available to players. Grappling and climbing mechanics work with all manner of objects and NPCs, which can be as funny as it is useful. With the ability to climb on larger enemies like in Shadow of the Colossus and a deadly pitch-black nighttime, there was plenty to fight in the world of Dragon's Dogma. There were plenty of quests taking parties to every corner of the map, and players really looking to test their mettle could teleport to the expansion's Bitterblack Isle for more loot and lore.
A Dragon's Dogma 2 Could Polish Up the First Game's Rough Spots
As good as the original was, a Dragon's Dogma made nowadays can benefit from modern practices. Dragon's Dogma 2 would have to compete with Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring, which refined a lot of what it did back in 2012. The game’s open world would ideally become more densely populated by different attractions, and traveling to points of interest could be made quicker than the hour-plus trips the original had. That's not even getting into the dated seventh-gen realistic visuals, which tend to use a lot of darkness and muted colors. There should still be uncertainty and danger when the player embarks on a mission, but some additional convenience and more varied sights would help.
There are several other areas that Dragon's Dogma 2 could potentially improve on. The Pawn system could use some general upgrades, as well as more direct multiplayer integration. Dragon's Dogma 2 has a chance to implement true unbroken co-op in a way that Elden Ring fans wish their game had. There’s also the combat, which, while widely praised, should take notes from Devil May Cry 5 and Monster Hunter World on how to be as satisfying as possible. All in all, Dragon's Dogma’s community would really just like to see another great game come out of this promising franchise. The coming trade show season could be telling regarding whether Capcom intends to deliver.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not known to be in development.