Dragon's Dogma 2 Hands-On Preview: "Nearly Endless Freedom In A World That's Truly Alive"

05.03.2024 - 22:49 / screenrant.com / Deven McClure

Over a decade after the original, will finally release later this month, bringing a new adventure for the Arisen — one chosen to challenge the dragon, who begins the game by plucking out the heart of the protagonist. The new Capcom RPG follows them and their controllable Pawns on a journey across the game's vast fantasy world to become rightful ruler. recently got to spend three hours with the upcoming game, which showed off an impressive amount of things players will have to explore and experiment with.

In many ways, almost feels more like a simulation than an outright RPG — there's main plot threads to pull at, but there's great freedom as well. Unlike the last preview, which focused on the basic vocations Archer, Thief, and Fighter, this session was equally divided between two advanced classes: Mystic Spearhand and Magick Archer. These drastically different fighting styles did a great job of showcasing the wide array of ways players can approach their journey across the huge in-game world.

Almost immediately into the preview, the Arisen was met with several available side quests, like chasing after a man's grandson who'd been carried off by wolves. There are many time-sensitive quests present throughout the world like this one, where the plot proceeds with or without the player; in this case, arriving too late would mean the boy had already perished. This is one of many elements that makes the world of feel alive and dynamic, and so many extra quest options really incentivizes exploration and reinforces the idea of player freedom.

When venturing between quest points, the wilderness surrounding civilization is diverse in its creatures, and dynamically changes with weather and a day night/cycle. From the terrifying amphibious lizards that inhabit waterways to the huge griffins that fly in the mountains, the world is full of enemies that each have their own unique aesthetics and fighting styles. There's also a myriad of secrets to discover, like caves, tombs, and treasure across the map, and it's easy to get caught up in simply wandering around.

The Mystic Spearhand is a class that centers around a combination of melee and magic, using spells to knock enemies off balance and then swooping in for devastating attacks. This vocation is especially satisfying to perform combos with, like a mix of moves that imbalance the enemy, then pull the Arisen towards them to deal blows that hurt unsteady foes more. There's also a bit of telekinesis in the mix, allowing for throwing of nearby objects, and smaller enemies can even be lifted and thrown into each other, which is endlessly entertaining.

This portion of the preview began with the Arisen having to disguise themselves in order to enter Battahl, a city