Dragon's Dogma 2 leads want the RPG's open world to be so interesting that "it would actually be a shame to ride a horse"

11.03.2024 - 12:03 / gamesradar.com / Todd Howard / Hideaki Itsuno / Yoshiaki Hirabayashi / Catherine Lewis / Be A

Dragon's Dogma 2's enormous open world might be several times larger than its predecessor's, but according to its director and producer, we shouldn't feel the need to skip through it as fast as possible. 

In Capcom's upcoming action-RPG, fast travel is restricted. While this might be a bit worrisome for anyone concerned about spending hours trekking through a boring expanse of space, the devs tease that Dragon's Dogma 2's world has been made to be "so enjoyable" that, in theory, we won't want to rush through things.

In an interview with Automaton, game director Hideaki Itsuno acknowledges that many want to see transportation methods such as horses added to open-world games, but he believes this is because the world itself can often feel dull without it. In Dragon's Dogma 2, the goal was to make it so that "it would actually be a shame to ride a horse," the director shares. 

"Our goal was to prepare a path so enjoyable that players would not feel the need for a horse," Itsuno explains. "We have built in a lot of 'fun' into the map so that players will not get bored along the way, and our development policy was to make it so that it would actually be a shame to ride a horse."

Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi elaborates on this when justifying why the fast-travel system, which utilizes rare items known as Ferrystones, was purposely made to be restricted, rather than allowing us to zip across the map freely whenever we please.

"I think that in games that employ fast travel without restrictions, the emphasis is on the content in between traveling, but in Dragon's Dogma 2, the emphasis is also on the experience of travel itself," Hirabayashi says. "For example, nighttime is very dangerous due to limited visibility, and the fear of the night gives distances a meaning. If you are going to spend the night traveling to a distant destination, you need to make sure to bring enough oil for your lanterns before you leave your base. You need to think about whether you should bring camping gear and make necessary preparations. Our goal was to create a rhythm of tension and relaxation."

Itsuno adds that traveling on foot "makes it possible to experience new developments or discover alternate routes" and notes that "just the act of traveling can create drama." He added, "You can feel a sense of adventure, and I think that each user will be able to experience something different even on the same road."

Dragon's Dogma 2 is set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on March 22. However, you can already get stuck into the RPG's detailed character creator to see if you can make a protagonist as impressive as these fan-made recreations of Todd Howard, Gigachad, and Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

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