Dragon’s Dogma is one of Capcom’s rare forays into the action RPG genre. In this review, we try to dig out what you can expect from this ambitious effort. Just like its title screen music which, although pleasant at first, transitions into a riff-heavy vocal composition, the game too started out on a slow note for us, but what was to follow had us bewildered, we must say.
Under a layer of compromised graphics, archetypal RPG looks and poor character models, the title really does hold some engrossing and innovative elements. Take the Pawn system for instance. Or the Dark Souls-like difficulty. And who can forget its combat. What we’re saying is, there are more ups than downs for the game, enough to keep you busy for long time; a very long time at that, as the title runs a good 35 hours or more.
Upon confronting a dragon that has unleashed fury on your village, you have your heart eaten by the creature. You must now set out to slay the gargantuan beast and set claim to your ticker. While the first part takes place at the beginning of the game, the fight with the dragon transpires towards its end. The rest of the game involves main quests and side quests which seldom have anything to do with the plot we mentioned. Or so it seems, as the broken narrative has its set pieces going all awry.
There’s even an Epilogue section following its end which involves senseless dungeon-crawling and monster-slaying. Dragon’s Dogma therefore slots in as a bummer as far as its narrative is concerned. However, this in no way makes the game uninteresting, for the quests have the ability to keep you hooked. Game design deserves immense credit here, as the missions that are handed over to you by the people of Gransys, the title’s universe, feature intertwining benefits and are rewarding most of the time.
The Pawn system, that’s been grabbing all the attention ever since the game’s release, features by far one of the best online-integrations we’ve seen in recent RPGs. You can be accompanied on your journey by a party of three Pawns, one of which is your own, while the others are created by gamers from around the world. These folks are sworn to be your compatriots and choosing the right ones can really be the difference between life and death for your character. A whole new dimension is added to the game by the Pawn system, as you are eventually required to manage four characters rather than one.
You need to make sure they’re properly stacked up with curatives, that their weapons and armor are regularly upgraded, and you must also manage their AI by deciding how they should behave in battle. And none of these factors can be ignored, as Dragon’s Dogma is a punishing game. It treads along the Dark Souls line as far as its difficulty is concerned. ‘Journeys end swiftly for the unprepared,’ a loading screen tip rightfully says. And this preparation doesn’t include just equipping yourselves and your Pawns, but depends on other factors as well.
Lots of dangerous creatures and mammoth beasts roam the lands of Gransys, and fighting them unprepared is inviting death. Interestingly, the game gets even more challenging during the night. As dusk falls, monsters and other creatures multiply in number and become exceedingly powerful. Hence, running away from them remains the only option. It is these intricate scenarios that force you every moment to think your way out of situations and eventually prepare for dangerous outcomes before hand, by equipping yourself with the desired items. This way, the intense difficulty of Dragon’s Dogma compels you to make use of each and every factor that has been incorporated into the game.
Another aspect of the title that feels absolutely splendid is its combat. One of three classes – fighter, ranger and mage – can be chosen when you begin, while later on gamers can combine the perks of two categories in order to create hybrid classes. Skills sets can accordingly be chosen and applied to your characters, as well as to your main Pawn. A large share of the beauty of this title’s combat goes to its enemies, which are well-designed, neatly-modeled and hard to kill. Gransys is populated by everything from big gore ogres, zombies, magic-wielding skeletons, goblins and harpies, to giant griffins, massive four-headed snakes, colossal roosters, lions with goat- and snake-heads and such. The difficulty involved in slaying these beasts and your consequent deaths eventually encourage you to devise your own strategies against them.
This game’s graphics fall significantly short of delivering visual pleasure. Although there’s some respite in the incredibly rendered draw distances, the texture-deficient surfaces and poor character models of player and non-playable characters alike fail to capture your imagination. Its environments may be well built, but repetitive foes get to you after a point. Add to that a fast travel option which has its own limitations and boundaries, and treading the environments becomes all the more frustrating.
Final Word: Capcom’s first attempt at breaking into the AAA RPG scene has turned out to be a rather pleasing one. The developer has breathed life into a product which manages to hook you with its combat and Pawn system attributes. But a role-playing game deserves to have a commendable story to deliver the ultimate experience, which this game does not. Forgettable characters don’t help much either. It has little to deliver with its visual aspects as well, while its soundtrack isn’t a noteworthy one. We recommend Dragon’s Dogma to those seeking a breathtakingly long title featuring a fair share of perks as well as difficult but rewarding quests.
Graphics: 7/10
Sounds: 7/10
Environments: 7.5/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Overall (not an average): 7.5/10