Heart Thief

The story of Dragon's Dogma 2 is not revolutionary, despite having great moments during the journey, but basically it is summarized between the connection of a dragon and a warrior predestined, also known as Arisen, in which the creature takes possession of his heart and causes mass destruction wherever it flies. To save the world, it is necessary to recover your heart and defeat him.

In an abrupt way, our character (created from scratch) wakes up in an underground prison from which he must escape, arriving in the region of Melve, which was not coincidentally attacked by the infamous dragon. There, an archer named Urika begins to try to help us recover the memory of how everything happened so quickly and why the memory loss.

As if the primordial story of recovering your heart, fighting a dragon to the death, and saving the world were not enough, Dragon's Dogma 2 also has a political side, which is shown through the kingdoms of Vermund and Battahl, the first being inhabited by humans and usurped by a reigning queen, who "elected" a false Nascen to the throne, and the second is mostly populated by Leoterians, who abhor humans and believe that a divine force will save them from the dragon's flames.



Without many spoilers, the regions have a union treaty in case the dragon returns, but during the journey between the peoples, when we perform missions, it is noticeable that this agreement may not happen so peacefully. And this power struggle is undoubtedly one of the strong points of the story, justifying the immense interest in reading them very calmly to understand everything that is being presented.

It is worth noting that I am not trying to say that it is spectacularly unexpected, with plot twists and such, as in various moments of Game of Thrones, for example. But undoubtedly we are talking about a very welcome evolution compared to the predecessor game.

Free, light, and loose

Just like in Elden Ring, Dragon's Dogma 2 bets on a gigantic map without any kind of marking so that you don't know that there is a possible point of interest. This is something that can happen through a simple conversation with an NPC, which you may not pay proper attention to and a great adventure might go unnoticed.

Undoubtedly, this novelty in RPG can be seen from two perspectives: by people who will make a point of playing it and paying attention to every suspicious movement and the appearance of unexpected characters, and by those who prefer to be guided mechanically, without bothering with the pleasure of discovery on their own. I think I made my point clear, but the question is that the second option was how the developers saw it would be the correct way to explore the game areas.

Here we also talk about one of the controversies of the game, which forces the player to travel the map with very few ways to make fast travels, but these can be purchased, which irritated the community a lot. This is honestly a frustrating point, but at the same time, it does not deviate from the initial intention when the game was developed. Encountering giant enemies, trolls, and other creatures is incredible, as there is nothing like being surprised. But having more options to please everyone is never too much.

The crunchiness of combat

Dragon's Dogma 2 features exemplary combat, unlike the first game in the franchise. Being able to choose between the 4 initial classes: Thief, Fighter, Archer, and Mage, each one has an advantage and disadvantage, so you have to choose the one that suits your playstyle the most, but it is worth noting that they can be changed when you find a guild. This is undoubtedly a positive thing to be able to test different opportunities to face a certain type of threat.

From smaller enemies like goblins to gigantic beasts like trolls, there are more "correct" ways to defeat them. The combat has definitely become more tactical, not just going after the enemy as if our character were a war machine. At various times, we must even consider if it is the exact time to face a certain challenge.

As mentioned earlier, combat is more studied, not just choosing your fights, it is necessary to always keep an eye on health and stamina bars. Carrying healing items is essential, as they can only be restored that way or when arriving in villages. It is not worth entering a fight just for the thrill, as the frustration can be great.

It is worth noting that despite the great improvement in combat, the camera can be an important factor in the outcome of the fight, as at various times I felt disadvantaged by the abrupt change of direction, causing a great discomfort in directing the character.

Building your party

Just like in the first game, the Pawns are also back, ready to help us at all costs in every battle and throughout the journey. At the beginning of the game, we are able to summon one with our preferences thanks to the huge customization tab available, which allows us to tailor it to the main character's weaknesses, serving as a palliative.



Throughout the adventure, we can recruit 2 more Pawns, these being the first companions created by other players. As a very advantageous feature, these can accumulate experience, they are able to discover treasure routes and alternative paths, for example.

We cannot control them, but they receive basic orders, about positioning, full attack, move forward, accompany us, among others, but in terms of combat, everything will depend on the vocations. Even though it is not possible to take care of all actions, I consider that the Pawns are smarter and really make a difference in a very satisfactory way.

Some downsides

I have already mentioned the problem of the camera in Dragon's Dogma combat, which could be solved with a locking system, which only some classes have, but regardless, it is quite annoying to know that the fight was lost due to a game problem and not yours.

Of course, Dragon's Dogma 2 is a dream come true, but it is hard not to hide its problematic release, especially in terms of graphics, when even not running at the desired 60fps, the game could not maintain 30fps linearly, causing performance drops in cities and in epic battles against giants.



Among the negative points, we cannot fail to mention the bizarre microtransactions. It's okay that the game has the possibility of skin variations and other cosmetics, but forcing the player to pay for fast travels is something infuriating, especially since we are talking about an RPG.

Our dream will not end

Breaking away from traditional RPG, but respecting its characteristics, Dragon's Dogma 2 is indeed everything that fans expected and more. Here we have a story that can go far beyond what you are expecting, letting your destiny be practically in your hands. Of course, the basic story and main objectives are here, but the game suggests that the path to building the journey can be different. It's as if everything is very natural.

There is nothing very scripted and there are few explanations about what should be done. You have a clear mission, but how it will be carried out is something free to be decided. And this model has been increasingly used, as in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Elden Ring, and Baldur's Gate III, for example.

Once again I emphasize how the choice not to have points of interest on the map makes the game something that can and certainly will surprise everyone, as long as it is received with open arms.

Dragon's Dogma 2 was played on a PS5 and kindly provided by the publisher.