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It's raining outside as I write this review. My usual view is obscured by rolling dark clouds, and the moisture in the air adds a slight film to the inside of my lungs. It smells and tastes like a dangerous sky that crept in, almost unknowingly, to envelop the usual bright greens and sunlit hues that usually adorn this part of the world. Focusing on my task at hand, I hardly noticed it myself. Just all of a sudden...darkness, and all of the creepy crawling travelers that ride along with it. A world suddenly come to life...an active world.
Fitting, because this is one of the prevalent themes in Capcom's new RPG, Dragon's Dogma. An active world consistently moving in time, sometimes working against you, but always a character unto itself. It's a theme that acts as a foundation for what is probably one of the best RPG's I've played in years.
Title: Dragon's Dogma (Xbox 360)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: May 22nd, 2012 (North America)
Dragon's Dogma is a game of multiple identities that have all been sewn together into something that, in lessor hands, probably would have resembled more a Frankenstein monster than what it is. One part Skyrim, one part Monster Hunter, one part Demon's Souls and one part Devil May Cry (is that too many parts?) it succeeds in incorporating all of these seemingly different pieces into a fine stew that transcends the singular beauty of the individual parts. Their perfect amalgamation is what makes Dragon's Dogma work so well, to the point that the recipe would have been made bitter if any of them had been left out.
To speak of the main story is only scratching the surface, but you start your adventures as a lowly villager who is caught in the middle of a dragon raid on your village. During the raid you are defeated by the dragon, who relays that you are the chosen one, and your heart is removed and devoured by him. You are then mystically awoken with a scar on your chest to the exalted praise of the villagers who now call you “The Arisen.” It is then your quest to go out into the world of Gransys to eventually find and conquer the dragon, and to be the Hero-type character the populace always yearned for.
The story continues, of course, but to focus upon it is missing the point of Dragon's Dogma. That would be like judging Skyrim on the basis of its main quest. It is only as much as decoration on a much larger, and sturdier arch. The world and the gameplay are the draw here. Both have been executed with precision, and the symbiotic interaction between them makes it exceptional.
After going through a heavily detailed character creation process you are able to start as one of three vocations, Strider, Mage or Fighter but these can expand into another six depending on how you want to play. Changing vocations is also as easy as 'buying' them at an Inn and paying discipline points, one of the currency system used for all skill-based purchases in the game. Of course, multiple vocations would mean nothing if the combat system wasn't diverse enough to make them all feel different. Luckily playing as different vocations changes the game entirely. Striders are fantastic for ranged and quick combat, Mages are weaker but can do devastating long-range attacks and Fighters are your tank characters equipped with high defense and taunts. The six advanced vocations take these base blueprints and expand upon them by creating fusions. A Magic Archer, for instance, is a type of Strider/Mage while an Assassin is more of a Strider/Fighter. A Magical Knight is a Fighter/Mage...and so on. And all of these permutations have their own skillsets and core abilities, meaning that each one is not just simply a base character with some additional flare, but an entirely new character requiring a different play style and approach to combat.
And combat just feels really good. Coming from some of the people who made Devil May Cry 2-4, it has a fantastic real-time responsiveness and action-base that is elevated by the number of skills and combo's that can be strung together. It isn't an easy affair either. With no melee lock-on to hand-hold, you'll have to aim your slashes and ranged-attacks to keep your character from just flailing wildly passed enemies. Some of the magical attacks will lock-on, but the melee combat is all about precision here.
Fighting normal enemies is one thing, but Dragon's Dogma also takes place in a wild and dangerous world. Gransys, is not for the faint of heart, especially at night, and you'll find that many of your actions are dictated by the day-night cycle that is constantly bearing down on your every move. As night begins to move in, Gransys becomes a much darker and more dangerous place, spawning deadlier enemies and shrouding the world in a darkness that necessitates the need for an oil burning lamp to have any hope of navigating it. This lamp, which must be refilled periodically, and your pawn companions are your only solace when night covers the world. This mechanic succeeds in making even simple escort missions, which are normally thought of as a nuisance, into a dangerous adventure as you're forced to stock up supplies for a few days away from the safety of town.
People have complained about the lack of fast travel in the game, but a fast-travel would simply destroy this mechanic and miss the entire point of Dragon's Dogma. There wouldn't be that sense of fear and isolation, those moments before setting out where you double check that you have everything you need. These moments of preparation, and the moments when you find you're actually not prepared at all, are integral to the spirit of the game and there would be no faster way to destroy that than to add in a simple fast-travel option to the player.
But the world offers more than a fearful night. Gransys is littered with dungeons to explore, people and places to find, and treasure chests tucked away in every nook. Far from being a desolate world, it succeeds to making the landmass seem even bigger by successfully hiding things away using the normal topography which greatly awards the player who explores the slightly obscured path.
Dragon's Dogma also does not use the enemy scaling system utilized in Bethesda games. Instead it contains easier starting areas that become more and more difficult as you push outward from your hometown. Only by leveling up and finding, or buying, better and better gear will you slowly be able to explore the far outreaches of the world. Personally, it's my favorite system. There is almost nothing better than traveling outward and seeing just how far you can go. Pushing a little more each time, and knowing that you're facing death square in the face ever time you do. Then, when you've traveled out as far as you think you can go, night begins to fall. You've forgotten and now you have to survive.
Survival is key, and it's not just the huge amount of loot Dragon's Dogma offers that will help you on your way. Instead of a multiplayer component, the game utilizes a Pawn system that is probably the most ingenious method of integrating multiplayer into a title since Demon's Souls brought us warning messages littering the ground. Every player gets to make a Pawn companion and this companion is then also made available through the Rift system for other players to download into their party. Any information your pawned learned by traveling with you is transmitted, through player-pawn interactions, to the other player. And anything your Pawn learned while traveling with the other player is transmitted to you. Think of it as Demon's Souls warning messages brought to life. And it works so incredibly well that it almost feels as if you're playing with other people. Of course, it helps that the Pawn's AI is so good. They will heal you when necessary, give you the correct buffs for the current situation and level up with you. Not once, while using a party of myself and three pawns, did I ever miss playing with real people.
I did mention loot, and there is an unquestionably large amount of it, much of which having an amount of status effects that would make any Diablo fan proud, but Dragon's Dogma has an involved crafting system as well. All gear can be upgraded to four tiers, three of which are done with supplies found in the field and the last which is done randomly when defeating dragons. These items have the ability to become “Dragon Forged” by a percentage basis dependent on the level of the dragon. You can also create potions, armor, weapons and just about anything you may need by combining items throughout the world. Unfortunately, the system is not entirely explained well to the player, and often times you'll end up with an entire cart-load of crafting components that you have no idea what to do with. My advice? Never sell back anything unless you know what it is.
The good side is that Dragon's Dogma uses a very fluid and easy-to-understand menu system that does a fantastic job of allowing you to keep track of all your gear. And you'll have a lot to keep track of. Not only will you have various potions, gear, clothing, weapons for yourself and your pawns, everything also has a weight. Meaning that you'll be transferring a good amount of loot to your pawns -or in this case mules- to ensure that you don't become overencumbered and find yourself traveling back to town during nightfall at a walks pace.
Having said all that, criticisms are few and far between. Pawns have a tendency to talk a little too much and to say the same things over and over again. You'll hear “The road splits here, let's be doubly sure which leads to our destination” and “Tis' far stronger than a common Goblin” so much that you'll begin to hear it in your sleep. Pawn speech frequency can be changed by using Knowledge Chairs found at Inns, but I never found them to make a huge difference. Also the main quest, as unimportant it is to the entire story of what make Dragon's Dogma great, does move along at a lurching pace, and often times you won't be sure if you've just been given a side-quest or a main quest by some fairly integral characters. A better flowing narrative might have served the game much better but I honestly didn't feel that this got in the way of the overarching mechanics that Dragon's Dogma offers.
Like I said, these are such small gripes when looking at the big picture. And not only does the game feature the main playthrough, but you can also go at it again in Game +, or simply continue to explore the world. Dragon's Dogma is easily a 100+ hour game for those who really dive in headfirst. But even if the length wasn't nearly as foreboding, Dragon's Dogma offers something to fans of classic RPG's that's almost been lost in the era of modern gaming. Even Skyrim, the crowning beacon for RPG enthusiasts, has eschewed deeper RPG-stat elements in favor of a much more streamlined approach. Dragon's Dogma, on the other hand, swings the pendulum back in the other direction, offering console players a 3D RPG with the depth of old classics like Baldur's Gate and The Temple of Elemental Evil, while still wrapping it in a polished glaze of fantastic combat mechanics, a fully realized open world, and a chance for adventure that only needs for the player to step outside of town.
Dragon Dogma's reverence for the old, combined with the mechanics of the new make for a game unbridled in its ability to pull the player in and keep them there. And the Pawn system, nothing less than a fully realized vision that started with Demon's Souls, is easily one of the most ingenious additions of a multiplayer mechanic than I've seen in years. For the RPG fan, for the Syrim fan, for the gamer; Dragon's Dogma is certainly one not to be missed.
Comments
11 years, 10 months ago
wow 100% great review
11 years, 10 months ago
What class (or vocation) did you choose to play as, Joseph? I want to make sure I get as much enjoyment out of this game as you obviously did.
11 years, 10 months ago
All of the stories you guys have shared on 4PP/CT have sold me on this game, but reading that it's near perfect– that's an instant buy! Brilliant review, Joseph!
11 years, 10 months ago
Well written review and I agree with all your points. favorite class was an Assassin.
No one should miss this game, it really took me by surprise. I was not expecting it to be that good.
11 years, 10 months ago
This game is awesome I've been playing for over 50 hours now and it still manages to amaze me! Everything about this game is great besides the annoying pawns, even then I still find them helpful at times. The combat is so varied and technical it almost feels like a fighting game, you eventually get ability if your playing a strider you get ability called "Instant reset" which returns the player to a neutral state allowing to create even more attack chains! If that's not some fighting game shit then I don't know what is!
11 years, 10 months ago
This is a fantastic review Joseph! I'm sure it'll convince plenty of people to pick it up which they should because this game is fantastic.
11 years, 10 months ago
This was a great review Joseph, and I think this game is fantastic, but honestly in my opinion 100% is a stretch, I'd probably give it a 95% depending on a few factors. One of the main issues, and to me it's a big one, is the pawn system. Now yes the pawns can be helpful, leading you to a destination or informing you about an enemies weakness, but as you said they talk a lot. If you haven't played this game, you have NO idea how much they talk. I can literally quote verbatim the things they will say withing a few feet of them saying it. Walking from Cassardis to Gran Soren there is the quote about the Duke needing new roads, several path splits, the path being narrow, the sea being close and swallowing you up, the waycastle, the goblin ambush, they say the EXACT same thing every time!!! They will say the same line, no matter which direction you are going like "Through this waycastle is the path to Gran Soren" No it's not, we just came from Gran Soren, through this waycastle is the path to the Encampment and Cassardis. Sometimes what they say is a flat out LIE like when they say "this is the halfway point between the Encampment and Gran Soren" No it's not, because at that point, is likes 200 yards to Gran Soren and over a thousand yards to the Encampment.
Some people might say I am being picky, but honestly I don't think it would have been that hard to program them to say things at the correct point, or limit the amount of information they give out.
Also they are very useful in combat, until you need them. My main pawn is a Mage with the ability to cast a spell, I forget its name, on my weapons to engulf them in flames; this is very handy. We will be in combat and my pawn will yell "Their kind is weak to fire" and I am mashing the D pad Help button screaming "SO F-ING CAST THE SPELL ON ME!!!" Brad brought up it might be left and right on the D pad do different things, but I don't think it's that way.
Going back to them being annoying when we are looting a room and they say "what's this?" and open a chest, that's cool. It is not cool for them to say "What's this?" and then pick up a skull, or a rock, cause that makes them seem like r-tards.
I know these seem like small complaints, but I LOVE this game, and have played it a LOT, which is why these things have gotten to me. I think the game has amazing combat, the leveling is awesome, the vocation system is amazing. I love the loot, the enhancing of weapons, the combining of items, the notice boards, and I even kind of enjoy the story (not sure if I get it yet). So when everything is so good, yet something so simple has the ability to get on my nerves SO much, it makes me sad.
Don't read what I wrote and decide to not pick up the game though, I still gave it a 95% and it is one of my top 10 if not top 5 games of the year. Without a doubt top 10 of the past decade. If you do not have this game yet, GO GET IT NOW!! =D
11 years, 10 months ago
Yeah. It's rad.
Glad you loved it as much as me, Joseph.
11 years, 10 months ago
Great review, but I wouldnt agree that the game is completely 100%.
11 years, 10 months ago
I agree. I'm not close to finishing it yet, but I can already see that it'll easily make it to my top 3 games of all time, if not my absolute favorite of all time (ahead of Fallout 3 and Red Dead Redemption).
11 years, 10 months ago
I've been playing almost non stop on that game, doing side quest and taking pictures. I already have 64 pictures taken. The vocation i choose is warrior, why? I'm a fan of Berserk and the beauty is that you can dress your character like Guts or Griffith. These items can be bought in the Ancient Quarry. Unfortunately, there's only one for each items. I'm still pissed that i sold my Swordsman's shirt.
The Warrior class possess the most powerful attack in the entire game called Arc of Deliverance. the down side of this attack is the slow charging and it needs to connect with target. But when it does, whoever gets hit by it is fucked.
I have a picture of the effect it creates.
My main pawn in this game is named Ralia with the moniker has Ada.
She's a level 49 Strider.
11 years, 10 months ago
The final boss and post-game to this is insane!!!
11 years, 10 months ago
Wonderful review joseph, almost poetic. <3 Best RPG iv'e played, worth the 70 bucks.
11 years, 10 months ago
Kinda snuck up, this one, hasn't it?
The early trailers came out when Skyrim fever was building up strong and it kinda looked like an irrelevant cousin to that. Instead there's been some real strong reception brewing.
11 years, 10 months ago
Good game. Awesome game, maybe, but this is nowhere near a 100% game in my opinion.
It's an rpg without a plot, without characters, without personality in its world. Yes, it does go back to some old school western rpg ideas, it does combat really well, and that's pretty cool, but that only takes you so far.
This game is missing important, vital things for an rpg.
11 years, 10 months ago
This game left me in chills after beating it the third time. I found myself creating rules that I couldn't brake because I wanted my character to fit better with the world. I made my character a small child who started out as a strider. I wanted my kid to feel like a street urchin so every time I saw gold or a chest I would force myself to stop combat to collect it.
The story of the game only shows its face is you dig for it, which helped me create my own background story in my head and let me play this game like an RPG. After beating the game 3 times I saw a lot of little bits of story that were hidden away, and with finding those I was really excited and it made me feel like that event would have happened without me entirely.
I would agree with 100%
11 years, 10 months ago
Great review for a very deserving game.
As it has been pointed out, I think the pawn command system could of been done a little better. Maybe let us customize what the dpad does?
Give us a menu that lets us expand on "Help!" "Come" and "Go!". There has been times when fighting certain monsters and I've wanted my pawns to cast a certain spell and they haven't. Fighting my first Griffin for example, my pawns could of easily cast a fire spell on it to prevent it from flying away. They decided it was better to cast a lightning spell instead, doing 80% less damage to the Griffin. Quite frustrating, but this could easily be fixed if I was able to tell my pawns to "Use Fire!".
I would of liked a harder difficulty as well, maybe for new game plus?
11 years, 10 months ago
I wouldnt say its perfect =p. Having to escort a little girl PERFECTLY in order to get the any decent ranger bows before you beat the Red Dragon is completely broken. Especially when it doesnt tell you that you're ruining your entire game.... ( i had ONE longbow the entire game for my pawn, no other way to get a better one but to have given some NPC a specific item)
And i hear its recommended to dismiss your pawns and KILL your main pawn for the multiplayer Ur Dragon, because they deal no damage to it and only end up dying in the fight, HEALING the dragon for everyone.
Id say the sequal has easy potential for a 100%. This ones worth it for every RPG fan and every "hardcore" gamer, but it aint perfect.
Also, "Castle walls? or the ruins of such."
11 years, 10 months ago
Great review! I'm glad to hear the loot appeals to Diablo players. I need to get my ps3 fixed so I can get this!
11 years, 10 months ago
Everyone's so fucking talkative, the bosses seem to be stuck on repeat, some of the classes are ineffective against various enemies, the map is horrendous and quests are confusing as fuck...
But once you get past all that, the game is freakin' awesome. That is all.
11 years, 10 months ago
Wow a 100%. Ill have to pick this up when it drops in price a bit. I really like how you said there isnt fast travel and you have to plan to travel from one place to another. All rpgs have become a little too easy and im glad this isnt. Combat was the main turn off for me in Skyrim and im glad this is demon souls and devil may cry. Excited to play this thanks Joseph.
11 years, 10 months ago
Great review joseph! I absolutely love this game. I also agree with Nolan in that my pawn (Mage) is helpful.. until you need them. There are also some problems with the camera when climbing bigger creatures like drakes and especially the ur-dragon. Even with these complaints its still an amazing game. Insta Buy!
11 years, 10 months ago
Love the game. The only issues I have with the game is; you can't control the camera when climbing on a large enemy. More importantly the Golem and Ur-Dragon. If I have to git its weak points, I would like to see where my guy is and not have my view blinded by the camera panning itself down under the enemy when I'm above it, or to be blocked by saw the dragons wings.
The other is more times than not. The pawns will just stand around and do nothing then get themselves knocked down, so I need to stop what I'm doing in order to revive them, only for them to need to be revived 10-15 seconds later. All and all I still love the game, despite those problems.
Great review Joseph!
11 years, 10 months ago
I think it's great J gave this 100% It helps make up for all the lazy reviewers that played part of the game and just pointed out all it's flaws, nice to see a review filled with passion for a game that has taken some risks and on the whole has delivered something that feels fresh and exciting.
11 years, 10 months ago
I completely agree with you joseph, this game is simply amazing.
Nevertheless, I have some small issues with it.
Firstly, I wish there was some kind of mount system (flying or not) that would make the late game traveling, when you already explored the whole map, a little less tiring.
Also, the pawnsystem and the overall writing of the story/characters could have been better.
That's pretty much it for negatives though, I am absolutely in love with this game despite those minor shortcomings. Cheers!
11 years, 10 months ago
I commend Joseph for his review score. Dragon's Dogma is exactly the kind of game - as a long time fan of 4PP - that I'd expect to see grab the highest score on our site. It's the kind of game that breeds huge amounts of discussion; a staple in some of the best moments of commentary between site staff.
11 years, 10 months ago
Go out and buy Dragon's Dogma.
11 years, 10 months ago
I think there's a lot of charm and detail that people are rarely talking about when it comes to this game. I admit it's very overshadowed by the combat system, exploration, party system etc., but it's worth a mention.
Even if they weren't deep or extensive at all, I really enjoyed things like the story choices you get, some of the pretty interesting quest lines (ie Selene, Mercedes, the duchess), the crafting system and how, while really poorly explained and vague, there was a relationship system. Also how you get to play god at one in the game, pretty literally (people who reached NG+ know what i mean).
I think it's these little things that really make this game amazing in my eyes, rather than just really good.
11 years, 10 months ago
Superb review Joseph.
Just to be a bit picky here, second to the last line it says "for the Syrim fan".
Is this the first time a 100% has been placed on a review for this site by the way? I can't recall if ever.
Thanks again.
11 years, 10 months ago
Hey Joseph you misspelled skyrim at the end ..
This game is indeed fantastic, go buy it, play through it again and again with different vocations, you'll love it for sure
100% = I agree
11 years, 10 months ago
If this game had a metroidvania-styled progression and faster modes of travel (not FAST TRAVEL, but stuff like mounts, flight, etc.) It would be the greatest thing ever.
But it's still the best game of 2012 so far.
11 years, 10 months ago
I was about halfway through the game when I read your review and I disagreed thinking it deserved more of an 80% due to lack of character and story personality. Now that I've been playing postgame I'd have to say that those flaws don't really bother me and I find myself agreeing more and more with the 100% score. Most games I drop immediately after I finish, if I even finish. I will be playing Dragon's Dogma for a while though.