Recently, we had the opportunity to play about 5 hours of Dragon’s Dogma 2 at a preview event in Singapore, and the experience left us in awe. Having only had a brief taste of the game at Tokyo Game Show, this extended play session allowed us to truly understand why Capcom took their time with this sequel. In anticipation for the full release later this month, here’s our Dragon’s Dogma 2 final preview.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an impressive showcase what refined RPG gameplay should look like, staying true to its hardcore roots while elevating every aspect to new heights. The presentation alone is a significant improvement, with improved character models and breathtaking environmental design that brings the world to life like never before.
One of the things that set the first game apart was how it approached world traversal. When you think open-world, fast travelling is usually a part of the equation. But for Dragon’s Dogma, it wasn’t the case. While you’re still able to do it, you have to use a very rare consumable to do so. The director wanted players to have a more grounded (literally) experience with the world, traversing it on foot. At times, this did become tedious, but it undeniably made me have a deeper relationship with the setting. I thought more about where I was going, how I would manage my resources, and it made every action and decision I did much more impactful.
For the sequel, the same design philosophy remains. Only this time, it’s one seamless endeavor with no loading screens in sight. A real game changer. This makes the new dynamic events much more exciting to stumble upon. There are little to no scripted moments out in the wild in Dragon’s Dogma 2. The experience I had during my 5-hour session was probably slightly different than what the other media outlets saw for themselves. And it is with this unique setup that makes the pawn system so much more exciting.
Unfortunately, the pawns that were with me during the preview build were not exactly great. While they do their jobs well enough during combat sequences, they start to show their cracks when interacting with the open world. One kept trying to run through a wall while another would just phase through one from time to time. They would constantly say that they know what to do in an area but when I press the button that encourages them to take the lead, nothing happens. Granted, these could’ve just been isolated cases. I also don’t remember having issues like these during the Tokyo Game Show build.
The side content in Dragon’s Dogma 2 has been significantly improved. Say goodbye to tedious filler content filled with gathering items and escort missions. While I’m sure that some of that will still be in the sequel, it was the flawed jank of the first game that made some of it feel impossible to accomplish, especially at the start. While I can’t exactly comment on how early game looks like given that Capcom only allowed us to play on pre-selected load files already, the game does feel much more responsive, making the gameplay so much more enjoyable. I also did notice that mission design is much more layered. There are multiple phases to a quest that I had to find out for myself. The game does not hold your hand, which may turn off some players, but I personally loved it. It makes every successful task so much more rewarding.
And let’s not forget about the vocations, – whether you prefer the brute force of a warrior, the finesse of a thief, or the spectacle of a mage, each vocation offers satisfying combos and skills to master. Plus, with hybrid vocations like the magick archer and mystic spearhand, the possibilities for combat are endless. Between the TGS build and this recent preview event, I have tried all of the mentioned vocations. After each one, I kept telling myself “Yea, I’ll be maining this one in the full game.” That should tell you just how good they all feel to control.
While I can’t talk too much on the long-term progression of vocations, rest assured that Dragon’s Dogma 2 promises a rewarding journey of growth and empowerment. The developers have been highly vocal about making sure that the core of the first game’s systems is still very much prominent here in the sequel and so far, I haven’t seen or experienced anything that would say otherwise.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is set to be releasing in the next few weeks and I cannot contain just how excited I am for it. It is most definitely one of my most anticipated games of the year after I fell in love with the heavily flawed but highly fantastic first game. Writing this Dragon’s Dogma 2 final preview only made the wait more unbearable. I’ve seen more than enough to know that the sequel is going to deliver what so many of us have long been waiting for, to be Arisen once again.