Dragon’s Dogma 2 can be hard to love until you realize one important thing

My journey through Dragon’s Dogma 2 has been a complicated one, full of frustration, confusion, and wonder. But even after feeling all these mixed emotions, I’m still playing.

It took me several tries to fall in love with the original Dragon’s Dogma; as a huge Monster Hunter and fantasy open-world game fan, I desperately wanted to adore it. Although, it wasn’t until I played the game casually on the Nintendo Switch that it really got its claws into me. So after that, I was naturally excited to get my hands on Dragon’s Dogma 2, but once again, the road to loving the game has been paved with mixed emotions.

It should be immediately obvious to most that Dragon’s Dogma 2 is brilliant. Capcom has crafted a dynamic open world like no other, and — as Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, and Elden Ring did before it — the game moves the needle where these experiences are concerned. So we look forward to seeing how other franchises implement some of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s ideas as the genre continues to evolve.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 will alienate some RPG purists

However, lots of people are going to struggle in the opening hours of Dragon’s Dogma 2, and those who didn’t play the first game are in for the biggest shock to the system. If you didn’t know yet, DD2 is essentially a remix of Dragon’s Dogma 1. The story and mechanics are very similar and the game is even set in a parallel universe to the original. In fact, every player and pawn originates in their own timeline, using the Riftstones to cross the multiverse and enter different worlds.

Sprinkling in some sci-fi elements is a novel idea for a fantasy series, but those who played the first game may raise an eyebrow in the early hours of Dragon’s Dogma 2. The sense of déjà vu is palpable, and it’s not until many hours later that the game truly establishes its own identity. Dragon’s Dogma 2 also makes no effort to fix some of the criticisms leveled at its predecessor. Once again, there’s no lock-on system, fast travel is limited, and everything seems to cost an absolute fortune. Anyone hoping Capcom would resolve some of DD’s more obtuse mechanics is out of luck.

I’ll admit that while I eventually grew to love the original game, going through these difficulties again nearly made me uninstall Dragon’s Dogma 2 and jump right back into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, a much safer, more conventional, and also superb open-world RPG. But this felt like giving up. I returned to the original game time and time again before eventually developing my appreciation for it. It’s worth pointing out that Dragon’s Dogma games are not for everyone, and I started wondering if I’m just one of those people.

The “Souls effect”

However, I also had a similar journey with Demon’s Souls back in 2009, a game where I was smashed against a wall many times before I finally adapted and stopped playing it like it was Skyrim or some hack-and-slash game. Once I began respecting Demon’s Souls and playing by its rules, I started having a good time. Today, I’m a Souls obsessive with hundreds of hours built up in Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. Essentially, I’m so glad I stuck with it, so perhaps Dragon’s Dogma is another Demon’s Souls learning experience for me.

I desperately wanted to love Dragon’s Dogma 2, and reading our review inspired me to continue playing, but every time I did I felt like I made no progress and just walked away frustrated. I needed to heal but didn’t have enough gold to rest at an inn, I needed to kill some monsters to earn more experience and money, but I’d die too quickly. This meant I became locked in a vicious cycle of frustration, and when a game stops being fun, the best thing you can do is turn it off. Which is exactly what I did. Multiple times.

But I soon started feeling pangs, that mild sense of addiction you get when you’re really into a game, which was strange because, as far as I knew, I wasn’t into this one. I had the urge to explore the world a bit more, talk to some NPCs, learn the lore, kill some enemies, and just exist in that universe. So I went back to Dragon’s Dogma 2 and stopped trying to progress for a while. Instead, I explored and built my character some more, never pushing or venturing too far but just enough to feel a sense of accomplishment. Be it a level-up here, a new piece of gear there, or a stronger pawn, I just let the little victories build and found myself finally having fun.

Letting go of what you know

I’d run around, gather some materials, and sell them at the end of the day before making camp. Before I knew it, I’d accumulated a lot of wealth, so buying new gear, fast traveling, or staying at an inn was no longer a concern. The stronger enemies that come out at night were less of a threat now, and I’d even completed a bunch of side quests without really trying to. I’d just find myself in that location organically, and this gave me even more gold and cool items to try out. By letting go of my need for progression, I had progressed and I’ve realized that this is the key to surviving and enjoying Dragon’s Dogma 2.

This isn’t a game about following waypoints to get to the next quest; it’s a game about exploration and just taking in the world, letting events guide you, and engaging with the game’s mechanics. I found that rather than getting frustrated about what the game didn’t have I should learn to appreciate what it does offer. This isn’t Skyrim, The Witcher, or even Demon’s Souls; this is something else entirely. It plays by its own rules, and just because it resembles games we’ve played before doesn’t mean it needs to conform to their norms.

I imagine lots of people will have a similar story to this when it comes to Dragon’s Dogma 2 and that the game has thrown, surprised, and frustrated a great number of people. So my advice is to forget the things you’re used to when it comes to playing open-world fantasy RPGs and go into Dragon’s Dogma 2 with an open mind. Stop comparing it to other games, and don’t just jump in and try to progress the story. Instead, learn its nuances, experiment with its mechanics, and do the things you find fun.

It’s still very true that Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t for everyone, but it may yet be for you. It certainly is for me.

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