There is so much to say about this game... Let's get a few things clear:
- this is a 10/10 story/gameplay masquerading as a 5/10;
- please please PLEASE do not spoil it for yourself;
- if it feels weird, it's because it is weird and there's a reason for that!!
- performance has been somewhat improved since launch, but still iffy in towns and some other places;
- it has photo mode!!
What is Dragon's Dogma... 2? Well, what is a dogma? Most importantly, what is a dogma good for?? How do you decide what you put your faith in? Do you even consciously decide such matters? To what degree? What does it mean to start criticizing dogma? What are the consequences of imposing your will beyond what is ordained? How do you even do that?
Maybe you can start by fighting. You have tons of classes and weapons and armors (btw, a lot of amazing fashion stuff that's not hidden behind mtx), and you have amazing buddies called PAWNS, one of your own and two others that you can hire to help you along. And if a foe is too big? There is no foe too big: climb onto it (or have your pawn throw you) and make it fall. Or snipe it with arrows and... METEORS. Impose your will!
You can also explore a gigantic world. There are traveling merchants, and caves and dungeons and hidden paths. Maybe if you pay attention you can even go to the bottom of the sea. In cities, you are furthest from the dragon's dogma: you have to play along with the royalty, the plots, the city folk and their meaningless ambitions to dominate & exploit each other. Much is unexplained and you can try figuring it out by experimenting with... stuff. (They put an eternal ferrystone in the game now, so fast travel is more accessible. Not sure about this decision, but I definitely appreciate that they corrected course with the microtransactions for certain items which are all gone now. Except for the camping?.. Just... WHY??)
I've played for 60+ hours and I still barely have the gist of it. I've seen the... "closure", but much remains open and questionable. There's all kinds of characters that seem meaningless and then you figure them out, they have arcs and... roles to play. And you start understanding that. I usually don't play sandbox titles, but this is a very meaningful sandbox title. It respects what you want to find out and what you don't.
It's also very intentional about what it means to interface with the player, it sometimes breaks the 4th wall and questions why you're doing what you're doing, if you've thought this through, and it gives you some tools to do better next time, maybe, if you want and manage to figure it out. Are you open to surprise, to trying stuff? Maybe it will work?!?!
Last thing: There is a unitary spirit that you can feel behind its mechanics and I love that and it makes me want to make my own games.
Last last thing: I despise Denuvo, but I'm thrilled to have made an exception for this. I haven't played Dogma 1, but since DD2 computer games mean more and better to me. Few games own such a de jure claim on my conscience.
LAST LAST LAST thing: Hey, have you noticed the in-game menu is titled Dragon's Dogma? Why not 2? This is Dragon's Dogma 2, right? RIGHT?!
