Dragon's Dogma II Reviews

Dragon's Dogma II embodies the essence of what the original should have been. With its expansive open world teeming with dangerous but delightful encounters, enjoyable combat, and versatile vocations, it's an enchanting experience from beginning to end.

Despite my reservations about the late game, Dragon's Dogma 2 remains an exceptional experience on almost all fronts and an adventure that you unequivocally won't want to miss.

After all, it’s great severing bridges and seeing your mythical enemies fall to their deaths, it’s great hearing the dope music after felling towering bosses, it’s great finding thousands of gold and stowing it away in your big fat purse (old Zelda games, anyone?) and it’s great meeting Captain Brant in the tavern at night and doing all the missions he gives you, it’s great. But it also sucks when people randomly come up to you to insult your character and it cuts off important story dialogue, it’s frustrating how shopkeeps say the same thing every time you interact with them, it sucks that there are far too many enemies piled into every square mile, it sucks when you sell important items for money only to find you can’t find or buy back that item anymore, these things just suck, rip the joy out of the experience. But, after getting on the back of a flying griffin, which had kamikazed into the briny water just to kill me, and I found myself on shore, with one of my pawns forever gone, no griffin in sight — I thought to myself, that is pretty damn cool. And that’s all I want from a good game.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels unbalanced to such a degree that the game feels rushed. The lack of scaling impacts every facet of the game so much that I hardly have space to address the other negatives which also make the game feel rushed.

It still feels unreal that Dragon’s Dogma 2 is actually here and I’m reviewing it. It’s been twelve years since the original came out, and it seemed like Capcom had no interest in revisiting the IP, despite it being such a cult classic. I thought that I’d never see the brilliance of its Pawn system again. Yet, here I am still in disbelief, happily playing through the long awaited sequel of one of my favorite Action RPGs. Does it live up to the hype that such a long wait brings? Is cur...

Capcom has been on an impressive run these last couple of years. With the exception of maybe Exoprimal, there have been basically nothing but bangers coming from them. Their biggest franchises, like Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, have been thriving, while franchises like Devil May Cry and Street Fighter have gotten new entries that arguably rival the very best they’ve had to offer in the past. So, it’s only natural that people got excited when Dragon’s Dogma 2 was announced. In the midst of the developer’s renaissance, a sequel to a game that wasn’t the biggest hit Capcom has ever produced, but nevertheless has always had a very strong following. And so, twelve years later, here we are: Dragon’s Dogma 2, a new fantasy action-RPG developed and published by Capcom, releases, and… almost immediately is hit with controversy.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is as much of an odd RPG as its predecessor and makes little to no concessions, leveraging its many strengths and unique traits to make up for the half-baked bits.

This unexpected sequel consistently delivers the most thrilling and hilarious player-driven adventuring anecdotes in what may be Capcom’s greatest-ever roleplaying game.

Capcom's newest release, Dragon's Dogma 2, is now officially available. Fans have waited 12 years for a sequel and, fortunately for Capcom, the game has hit a lot of points for success. But is Dragon's Dogma 2 the right Action-RPG game for you? This review should aid you in answering that question.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 already is coming into its’ own as another cult classic and boosts the things that made it a solid start to its initial franchise run. Despite some technical hiccups, it was incredible to see the series return in this form. While a few technical aspects need to be ironed out, the rest is bliss for the wait. As much as I have done on Dragon’s Dogma 2 thus far, clocking at least 80 hours, I still need to go back and undertake some pressing Meister Vocation mastery, Sphinx challenges, and redo some challenges with the same vim enthusiam that I have stored up since the 2022 announcement.

Dragon's Dogma II improves upon the original in every way, offering an organic feeling story, exciting and varied combat, and a world that is just begging to be explored.

If you can get over some glaring issues, the surprising depth and systems make Dragon’s Dogma 2 an action RPG like nothing else you’ve played.

Creating a sequel to a 12-year-old game is never an easy task. Recapturing the magic of the original while implementing modern technology and design strategies can mangle the core values that made the original special. Dragon’s Dogma 2 never loses sight of its roots, and constantly finds big and small ways to surprise me even 50 hours in. At its core, Dragon’s Dogma 2 captures a sense of adventure. While you’re the center point of the conflict and strife in the world, Dragon's Dogma 2 isn’t afraid to make you feel small. Around every bend, it reminds you that you’re just one part of a larger whole.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is a worthy successor to the phenomenal Dark Arisen. Capcom managed to improve the game on every front while preserving the spirit of a classic fantasy RPG adventure set in a living open world.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is a fine follow up to the cult classic original. With some ingenious gameplay and a captivating open-world, it's a stunning fantasy exploration simulator. If some of the main story missions had better structure, and the game didn’t feel so disjointed at times, this could easily be in the conversation to be crowned one of the best action-RPGs of this generation. It's still bloody good, despite that.

Dragon's Dogma 2 features a rich world filled with plenty of old-school RPG stylings that remain a fun adventure despite some technical difficulties.

All this said the core combat and the pawn system are great. It’s a joy to mess around with different classes on you and your pawns. Especially when rolling with some particularly weird ones. Like my beloved Frog Nasty. The game really wants you to experiment, and it never feels like you’re being punished for trying something new and it’s always easy to swap stuff if it doesn’t feel like it’s working out.

With Dragon’s Dogma 2, Capcom continues to solidify its reputation as one of the industry’s premier developers. The sequel delivers an incredible, continent-spanning odyssey filled with monsters to battle and mysteries to explore - rewarding player discovery and backing up its captivating sense of adventure with refined, enjoyable combat. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one of the best fantasy RPGs of the modern age and will no doubt prove a strong contender for game of the year.

A huge improvement over the original, and a captivating journey from beginning to end.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is an excellent sequel that builds upon the first game's core concepts to create a thrilling open-world adventure.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is here and it's one great action RPG so prepare for a memorable and unforgiving quest that'll capture your heart.

Can you feel that blast of heat? These are the dragon flames in which Dragon's Dogma 2 was forged - a game that is not afraid to do things its own way and where the most interesting adventures await those who go their own way. [The text of the review has been updated.]

Dragon's Dogma 2 delivers an immersive RPG adventure with its vast world and polished combat, complemented by a revamped Pawn system for enhanced camaraderie. With extensive character customization and dynamic gameplay, it stands as a masterclass in exploration and adventure.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 will belong to a fairly specific audience. The game requires a significant amount of time to truly enjoy it. You can't simply play it for a moment because you'll feel like you haven't made any progress. At the same time, it's great that such a title appeared – in times when AAA titles are bland and safe a different approach is needed. We needed a game to demonstrate that things can be done differently.

The first Dragon's Dogma was ahead of its time. With Dragon's Dogma 2, its vision is fully realized. The result is one of the best RPGs of the last decade.

Despite some annoying technical issues, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an absolute feast of an RPG. It’s cliche to say, but it genuinely feels like there is something to discover at every corner. There’s a variety of ways to build your character and party, and the Pawn system feels like it should be the standard for similar games moving forward. Capcom has once again shown a deep understanding of why its games resonate so well with people, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 is one we’ll be talking about for years to come.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a fantastic video game.  It improves on every facet of the first title.  An excellent main quest is paired with Capcom’s best English VO and some incredible emergent combat.  It’s fully approachable if you’ve never given the first one a go, and any Action RPG fan owes it to themselves to learn just what the Dragon’s Dogma truly is.