Dragon's Dogma 2 presents a challenging yet rewarding gaming experience. Amidst breathtaking scenery and immersive exploration, the game's combat against colossal monsters is where it shines. An innovative mechanic allows players to integrate friends' customizable Pawns into their team, enriching gameplay with shared memories and strategic depth. However, the game suffers from notable faults such as the absence of fast travel and outdated camera controls. Despite these drawbacks, the dynamic world overflowing with roaming NPCs and unpredictable enemy encounters keeps gameplay engaging. While combat provides unexpected challenges and gratifying victories, the game's performance disappoints, with a lackluster framerate and noticeable choppiness.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is comparable to a pistachio; it has a salty shell that’s tough to crack, but once you get through it, it’s worth the effort. The game has a lot to offer, but it takes some exploration to uncover everything. It presents stunning views of nature and grand castles that will leave you in awe. The combat and exploration are where the game truly shines. Fighting giant monsters in the open world is consistently exciting, and the encounters feel natural and refreshing.
The game’s world feels vividly alive, with NPCs frequently roaming and sometimes engaging in battles. Enemies spawn unpredictably, appearing in various locations at any given time. Whether stumbling upon a pack of wolves, encountering a patrol of goblins, or facing a solitary ogre, the ever-changing assortment of adversaries keeps gameplay dynamic. As you traverse diverse environments, you encounter enemies tailored to each setting. Strategic thinking becomes essential as not all attacks are effective against every foe, necessitating thoughtful approaches to combat situations.
Combat stands out as Dragon’s Dogma 2’s greatest strength. The dynamically inhabited world contributes to the excitement of combat encounters. You may find yourself unexpectedly entangled in a skirmish with a griffin while en route to a quest, transforming your journey into an impromptu boss battle. Remarkably, engagement isn’t obligatory; fleeing is always an option. However, should you opt to confront the griffin, there’s a chance it may carry you miles away from your initial encounter point upon defeat. This element of randomness adds a unique allure to combat, making triumph over formidable foes exceptionally gratifying.
Dragons Dogma 2 is an action RPG. When making your character and pawn, you will decide their vocation which is essentially just their “class”. When you start there are only 4 options but as you progress you will unlock the option for more. If you want to change your vocation, you have to spend Discipline (in-game experience) to unlock one. From there you can switch back and forth between vocations however you please. Obviously, there are merits to each vocation. Melee focus builds such as fighters and thieves will instantly get into the combat, while Sorcerers and Archers tend to stay out of the fray.
The combat system is vast and can be daunting at first. You have your basic attacks and then as you progress you unlock Weapon Skills. You can accumulate many Weapon Skills and it’s up to you how to slot them as you can only hold four at a time. The Weapon Skills are your bread and butter, and become the best way of disposing of threats. These skills are dependent on the vocation you choose. Mages can cast different spells such as lighting strikes or healing domes, while a Thief’s weapon skill allows them to ensnare enemies or cloak themselves.
One intriguing mechanic introduced in DD2 is reminiscent of the online system in Death Stranding. Players can incorporate their friends’ Pawns into their team—a customizable sidekick that acts under your guidance, yet also autonomously performs actions. Throughout the world, you can recruit other players’ Pawns to bolster your squad, each retaining memories from past travels, guiding you on completed tasks, or leading you to undiscovered treasures. This feature adds depth and immersion to the gameplay.
However, there are some notable drawbacks- the pistachio shell. The absence of fast travel feels like a glaring omission, and the health system can be punishing to the player as a consequence. The camera controls feel outdated, making navigation uncomfortable—especially in confined spaces like buildings or caves, where the camera’s narrow focus creates a tunnel vision effect. It is incredibly disappointing that on PS5 this game does not support 60 FPS. With how powerful modern consoles are, there is no reason that games should not provide the best output. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is choppy, and it is most apparent during the big set-piece fights. Pawns can be finicky at times. They tend to say the same few lines over and over, and their actions can often be questionable. Occasionally you will have a Mage Pawn who thinks he is Rambo and climbs up a monster’s back. Pawns have the ability to point things out on the map for you, but the markers are persistent and don’t disappear even after you explore them. These types of quality-of-life issues just shouldn’t happen in a modern game and make DD2 feel archaic at times.
