Dragon’s Dogma II Preview: Between Pawns and Hippogriffs

RPGs were present in 2023 with big names, scenarios and platforms. From those of very long-lived franchises to independent titles, remasters of games of yesteryear to proposals that arrived after years of development, to those that are profiled to be in the ternna of the game of the year. And although there are options that will keep you playing for hours for years to come, Capcom has raised its hand to let us know that the sequel to an RPG released in 2011 is almost ready. A few days ago, we had the opportunity to play Dragon’s Dogma II, one of the company’s upcoming titles scheduled for next year, for an hour to learn a little about the return of this series.

A world of adventure

Our 1 hour demo put us in the role of 3 characters at different points in the game and their growth. We started with an archer, then a fighter, and finally a thief. With each of them we completed certain simple missions, getting a quick look at their movements and characteristics, as well as the gameplay mechanics that characterize Dragon’s Dogma.

The first few minutes we spent with the archer were dedicated to testing the controls and gradually entering the northern regions of the map. The first thing we noticed was how the game uses all the controls, in this case the DualSense, to access the basic controls of the character, as well as using combinations to access their special moves, as well as giving directions to our pawns.

Each class has its archetypal differences that you would expect from an RPG. While the Brawler is the most neutral class, focusing on melee combat but also defending with his large shield, the Archer has better control of the situation from a distance, and the Thief attacks with speed with his blades. Special moves follow this same class parameter, increasing the impact of their moves. While the Archer uses a manual aiming system to make better use of her bow and arrows, the Fighter uses his shield to hurl himself forward or even pirouette in the air before crashing to the ground. Similarly, the thief allowed for extremely fast attacks with his two blades.

On the other hand, there are the pawns. These are other adventurers with their own class that will accompany you throughout the story and that the player will be responsible for controlling in a way that is supported by the game itself.  Although they are very simple commands, at least as far as we saw in the demo, giving them actions such as waiting, attacking or even healing you or another of the pawns is part of the game’s strategy. On the other hand, it’s more interesting how they behave in front of you. Much like other RPGs that have come out in recent years, your companions will have constant conversations and lines of dialogue along the way, commenting on what you’ve done or even praising your character. There will be times when you’ll be able to talk directly to them to remind you of details such as quests or some gossip they heard in one of the towns. While not revolutionary, it is a detail that is appreciated and makes them more than just NPCs.

Monsters everywhere

One of the great aspects that caught our attention in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the impressive enemies. At the beginning of our adventure with the fighter, we appeared in the countryside on the outskirts of a walled city, and when we turned the camera around to see what was around us, a giant hippogriff appeared. And that’s only part of the bestiary we saw, as we also encountered creatures large and small, from some goblins, large wolves, cyclops, and even a very brief confrontation with a dragon, to harpies and other forest creatures.

The confrontations with these larger creatures are longer and consist of several energy bars to eliminate them. The combination of skills, along with the hints to the peasants, are necessary to be able to be victorious and not die trying.

A visually appealing world

In the visual section, we had aspects that still needed to be worked on (the textures of certain buildings and mountains had little quality at a distance) and this is understandable since we were testing a work still in development, although it is also likely that this is how it will look due to how huge this installment promises to be. However, this does not mean that everything is ugly, as it has a great level of detail in other aspects, thanks to the RE engine. The characters, both those we used and those that accompanied us, as well as those that were part of the story, looked very well done, with a huge level of detail. On the other hand, when we entered a forest, we saw a very nice detail in the paths, bushes and trees we came across, but if we have to highlight something, it is the use. Dragon’s Dogma II does not come to set a new graphic standard, but to show us a game of the current generation, with great visual effects, particles, lighting effects, all to create an atmosphere that promises to take us to this world of high fantasy.

An hour wasn’t enough time to go as deep into each class as we would have liked, but it was enough to understand the basic mechanics and a bit of what to expect. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot to look forward to, because although Capcom announced that Dragon’s Dogma II will arrive in 2024, we still don’t have a definitive release window. We can only hope that when it arrives, it will surprise us like a dragon from the sky.