GamesRPGDragon’s Dogma 2It took 12 years, but Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the truly open-world RPG that its director always wanted to makeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGDragon’s Dogma 2It took 12 years, but Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the truly open-world RPG that its director always wanted to makeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Capcom)
The term ‘cult classic’ feels less significant than it used to. That’s most likely due to the sheer amount of new content and the prevalence of streaming services at our fingertips today – but Dragon’s Dogma nevertheless feels like the quintessential cult classic. With its sequel finally just around the corner more than a decade after the original release, returning director Hideaki Itsuno wears that cult status as a badge of honor.
“I personally believe that a really well-made game will never go out of style with players,” Itsuno tells me. Asked via an interpreter what it is about his 2012 release that has continued to pull in new players nearly 12 years later, he points to a core gameplay experience that has simply stood the test of time, referencing the “timelessness” and “fundamental high quality game design” of the likes of Super Mario World. “You just have to have faith,” he explains, “and be able to make the best possible experience you can at the time.” When it comes to Dragon’s Dogma, he claims that “it shows, I think, that my convictions were justified in the first place with what my vision was for the game.”
You can hide, but you can’t run
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Preview(Image credit: Capcom)The retro RPG vibes of Dragon’s Dogma 2 remind me of Dark Souls and Forspoken, and I absolutely promise that’s a compliment
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Preview
(Image credit: Capcom)The retro RPG vibes of Dragon’s Dogma 2 remind me of Dark Souls and Forspoken, and I absolutely promise that’s a compliment
(Image credit: Capcom)
The retro RPG vibes of Dragon’s Dogma 2 remind me of Dark Souls and Forspoken, and I absolutely promise that’s a compliment
Since 2012, Itsuno has spent much of his time not with Dragon’s Dogma, but with Devil May Cry, a series on which he’s left his mark three times since 2012. A “refreshing” break from the world of Dragon’s Dogma, the action series is indicative of how novel its RPG counterpart’s freedom really is; “it’s not something like Devil May Cry, where it’s a series of levels and each level is going to have enemies suitable to how far you’ve come in the game. Because you can freely explore, you could come across enemies that are at your level, or you could come across enemies that are way below or way above your current ability. I want to make sure everyone knows that it’s designed to let you have the option of ‘I’m going to stand back a little and try and attack from afar’, or even ‘I’m going to try and run away from the enemies and hide and get away from the fight that way’.”
(Image credit: Capcom)
Towards the end of our conversation, Itsuno doubles down on that sense of freedom, in a way that reminds me of the much-lauded efforts of Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios. “What I would say would be ‘trust the game’,” he tells me. “We’ve designed it in a way that we know that […] you’re going to feel like you want to roleplay an adventurer who’s really exploring this world, and not thinking on that meta level of ‘can I do this? Will the game let me?'” Itsuno’s answer to that question seems to be an emphatic ‘yes’ - “the game has been designed to understand practically anything you can do, and to have a response that’s going to be fun and engaging. Try anything you want to try and then trust that the game will have something in reaction to that.”
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Dragon’s Dogma 2 still doesn’t have fast travel as its director says you only need it “because your game is boring.”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”