Some of the best games are the ones that give you the tools and just let you loose on its virtual world to carve out your own adventures and tales. Games like Fallout, Skyrim or even Metal Gear Solid V for example. So, when a new offering that follows in their footsteps comes along, you can bet it’ll make us sit up and pay attention. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the sequel to a cult classic. A game which blended action role-playing with some really interesting ideas of how online play can be handled.

And for Dragon’s Dogma 2, Capcom have doubled down on what fans love. Crafting a vast open world filled with countless points of interest and, more importantly, opportunities to unfold your own tale over its more traditional cinematic scripted moments.

Arisen One

You play as ‘The Arisen’, a hero marked by a dragon whom you must defeat. But that’s only part of the adventure as you’ll be exploring the world, taking on quests, and fighting countless monsters leading to that epic show down. Plus getting caught up in a geopolitical conflict between two kingdoms as well.

It’s very much a topped and tailed title on the story front, as it gives you a start and an end but the bit in the middle is yours to explore, as you wade through its medieval inspired backdrops and vistas.

Dogma Mapping

Dragon’s Dogma 2 features a world very much begging you to discover its nuts and bolts. The game invites players to figure out how they all move together. It doles out little bread crumbs to lead you around its grand world.

It’s also a world that has rules. And, the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 will go on, with or without you. Day and night cycles, the weather system, even the games NPCs have set schedules they follow through out the day. You really feel like part of the world instead of it waiting on your every move.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 often hands out epic quests worth your time. However, these come with a time limit a little too often. It’s also worth noting that the game does not hold your hand in any way.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 features no waypoints and a very limited capacity inventory. The game also lacks a lock-on system in combat and fast travel is extremely limited. Many gamers will love the sense of figuring it out themselves, but many others will not like the feeling of being cast adrift.

Dragon Souls

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is brutal and uncooperative, but it has meaning to its cruelty. And, if you play by its rules, and pay attention, it opens its doors to you. Quests are often intuitive once you understand the terms in which the game operates.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 wants you to succeed, but it wants you to earn it that win. And, ultimately, Dragon’s Dogma 2 makes the most mundane of tasks or quests feel incredibly rewarding once you navigate it.

Timing and dodging are key in the combat of Dragon’s Dogma 2. You slay an extremely impressive variety of beasts, monsters and ghouls across the land. Packs of orcs, towering trolls and epic griffins all present intense and spectacular experiences.

And, no two enemies act, move or attacking the same way. There is an impressive variety on show that forces you to adapt or be swept away. This also keeps the feeling of danger and threat high, even as you get good.

Vocational Pool

Combat even gets a bit more interesting when you bring in the Pawns. Pawns are characters you can create to who fight alongside you or other players. You can even customise your Pawn to your liking as you play through Dragon’s Dogma 2. And on top of that, you can recruit two other Pawns created by other players.

This means you and your Pawn crew can face off against whatever comes knocking. You can create a truly threatening group based on their core skills, or as the game calls them ‘vocations’. Classes also define what abilities and equipment they can use in combat. Each class has their own different strengths and weaknesses.

There are four vocations at the start, with more unlocked as you play. There are ten in total ranging, including Fighter, Archer, Thief, Magick Archer and Mystic Spearhand.

This means it may take a bit of time for you to find the best one that suits your play style. Expect some trial and error getting there, but it’s a fun search. It’s also worth noting Pawns have a smaller pool of vocations to choose from.

Dragon Form

Dragon’s Dogma 2 looks stunning most of the time. A few characters’ facial details and animations do let the side down from time to time. But, for the most part its world is jaw dropping.

The soundtrack is also epic and full of grandeur. It’s the perfect background over which to lead players from one epic blood-soaked battle to the next.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a game which you can’t help but get immersed in its world. The set rules and boundaries are a bit of a shock early doors, but let it wash over you and you’ll be in a glorious world of high-fantasy you’ll lose hours to, if not weeks and months.