Finished Dragon’s Dogma II.

It’s been 12 years since the first game, I was still in high school at the time. DD was a game I really enjoyed despite it feeling unfinished and empty, the most polished aspect of the game was the gameplay; It was fun to just run around, climb on monsters, and pierce their skulls with blades of various sizes. Over a decade later, my opinion about it is, “That was a really awesome first draft.”

DD II takes everything the first game had and elevates far beyond anything I could have anticipated. At first I was hesitant on the title, something about seeing old areas made me worry this game was going to be a remake of the original but slightly bigger with prettier grafix. It is certainly prettier, and though I’m not sure on how much larger the new map actually is in comparison to the original, it is absolutely brimming with paths, caves, forests, and mountains to explore. Nearly all of it is optional as well, you can miss most of this game’s content if you beeline the main story. Without exploring you’ll be tight on cash and gear, it’s worth throwing on your hiking boots regularly to get new armor and weapons without spending all your gold.

Most of the vocations are returning but with new tricks and skills to use, the brand new ones are fun and offer new ways to affect the battlefield. There’s a play style for everyone, unlock them all and experiment to find something that’s perfect for you. My personal favorite is the Magick Archer, nothing like a swarm of magick arrows pin cushioning an Ogre from 20 meters away.

Your traveling companions are entities called Pawns. You hire these player-created characters to fill out your party so they may assist you on your quests by means of fighting, healing, gathering, and information. Their AI feels vastly more competent this time around, they actually lead you to quests they have done, utilize their skills more effectively, and even chat with each other to make your walking less quiet. They repeat lines after a while as expected, but even by the end of the game I would be new voice lines every so often. They really make your party feel more alive, they are comforting as you trek through the darkness on your way to a mission. 

The music is fantastic. Lowkey as you’re exploring, tense and heroic as you fight, and epic as you come out victorious. 

The story feels a lot more cohesive this time around, meaning I can actually tell you what it’s about. You have been usurped of your throne and you’re out to reclaim it, but you must figure out how an imposter can so easily pose as an Arisen and why, all while the responsibility of your title condemns you to eventually fight a Dragon to save the world. You’re quite the busy fella, I know. The characters you meet through the story aren’t the most complex or interesting folks, but they get the job done.

Dragon’s Dogma II, like the original, reveals its deeper narrative by the end of the story. 

There are three ending in this game: Good, Bad, and True. After the True ending, you are forced into NG+, consider this a warning to not start NG+ yourself, and to be prepared for the inevitable story reset at the end.

I fucking love this game, I spent nearly 100 hours on my first playthrough and missed plenty of stuff still. I now see the appeal of Fromsoft games, I want to jump right back in and discover more of the stuff I missed. There are so many small stories I missed by not exploring far enough before the time to do them came and went, it really compels me to start again. I would say, “Maybe I should probably give DS3 another chance potentially.” Too bad Z-targeting is boring as shit. 

Dragon’s Dogma II gets a Bring Me The Horizon song/10

[You know which one]