An epic open world, fascinating AI vassals, impressive battles and a very personal fantasy adventure: With these points, Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC wants to captivate its players. MeinMMO author Max Handwerk was able to spend an hour trying out how well it already works.
Last week I was able to take part in a preview event for the new RPG Dragon’s Dogma 2. I’ve never played Dragon’s Dogma before and barely knew what to expect. But after the first hour in the RPG, I’m pretty sure I’ll change that soon.
Dragon’s Dogma offers a number of features that I’m already in love with:
You can choose one of four classes, which can be further developed over the course of the campaign.
There is also support from up to three AI-controlled companions who will assist you on your journeys. As a group of four, which you can put together freely – depending on which strengths and weaknesses you prefer – you set off to explore the world, embedded in an exciting story.
“Live your own adventure” – this sentence came early and could definitely be taken literally. Because Dragon’s Dogma 2 immediately entices you to leave the beaten path and go on an adventure.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 in the trailer
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The best thing is the impressive fights, but they are extremely difficult
In the test we were allowed to try out three different classes: an archer, a fighter and a quick thief.
In addition, I was always accompanied by three AI-controlled minions to support me. Everyone has different abilities that can be thrown at enemies to great effect. And that’s necessary, because it doesn’t take long until you get into the first frictions in Dragon’s Dogma 2. The world outside of secured villages and cities is dangerous and the game lets you feel that.
The enemies are tough: the larger opponents in particular offer you tough fights with life bars that extend from west to east and often pop up three times in a row.
What’s particularly exciting is that it feels like you can come across such chunks everywhere. I had just left the first village when I and my three vassals got into a fight against a Cyclops who was hanging out by a river.
The fight really made you sweat. Ultimately, the Cyclops couldn’t withstand the combined power of my vassals and me, although it may have helped that the monster literally stumbled during the fight and fell over a cliff into the depths.
That surprised me, but I really liked it: the environment in Dragon’s Dogma 2 plays an important role in fights, because now I could jump from a height onto his head. During battles, it will also be possible, for example, to flood areas or cause bridges to collapse.
This is another interesting mechanic of the game: it allows you to climb enemies. You can simply get on the back of physically superior enemies and climb around them to target weak points.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can go around mindlessly on the monsters. On the one hand, you have to pay attention to your own stamina and, on the other hand, that your opponents eventually realize what you’re doing. A griffin, whose back I was about to hit, shook me off and sent me to the realm of the dead.
My personal boss was a hairy, troll-like creature in a cave that simply refused to die. To be honest, at first I thought I had found a bug here, but no: the beast simply had a brutal amount of life on the clock. Only after numerous ice splinter attacks and lightning strikes from my minions as well as constant taunts from my thief did it fall to the ground.
So be prepared for challenging, sometimes long fights.
A dragon as big as the entire screen
A huge dragon that simply filled the entire screen didn’t fall to the ground at all. “I’m not prepared for this,” a character shouted from the side, and he turned out to be right: some of my attempts to attack were followed by a cutscene in which my character was thoroughly roasted.
But it wasn’t to stay that way: After the dragon had eliminated the fighter with fire breath, it grabbed the figure’s chest with one claw, impaled the heart and swallowed it in one bite. Brutally.
The dragon then flew away and my figure woke up a little later as an “Awakened One”. This was probably a look into the past and at the same time a first foretaste of the story of Dragon’s Dogma 2: you have to slay these dragons in order to fulfill your destiny.
Numerous exciting features and adventurous spirit
In addition to the fights, the testing session also included exploring the game world.
We were advised early on to follow the main quest. But the game constantly lures you in other directions. I was constantly going astray because looking into the distance really made me want to run in the completely wrong direction – which I don’t mean in any negative way.
You’re more likely to constantly think: What’s hiding back there?
An abandoned tower here, a nasty troll there, a mysterious cave around the corner and a conspicuous bridge in the distance – I was constantly making mental notes about which places I would visit next. The game simply awakens curiosity and the urge to explore because you quickly start talking to NPCs who offer you even more quests.
If you need help deciding, you can simply send your main vassal to show the way – and that’s exactly what I did at one point. The computer-controlled minions are one of the most interesting features in Dragon’s Dogma 2: They not only help you effectively in battle, but also bring their own personality. They complain when you run too fast, celebrate when an enemy beast is defeated, or give helpful tips on where you can find something useful.
In addition, “Quest Knowledge” is an aspect that your vassals can bring with them. If you have the right people with you – and there are a lot to choose from that you can recruit – you will receive helpful tips on how and where you can solve a quest. They don’t seem like dull companions that you drag around the open world as item storage and cannon fodder when in doubt, but rather like full-fledged teammates who contribute positively to the gaming experience.
The interaction with the vassals is a point that I would have liked to have explored in more detail. The opportunity to set up camp and have one or two conversations was also an option and would have interested me.
But time was limited. I admit: I would have loved to continue playing, because apart from the curious world and the first bits of story, I touched on a lot of other features that I would have liked to explore in more detail.
In addition, I was only able to explore a tiny area of the open world, but it immediately left me wanting more. The environments seem alive and there seems to be something to discover on every second corner – whether it’s a quest or an exciting location.
But after an hour it was over. For my part, I will definitely keep an eye on the game – because I’m very excited to see what else it has to offer.
However, the release date of the game is still open. It will be released for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.