TGS 2023 - Dragon's Dogma 2 Hands-on

You can find all of my Tokyo Game Show 2023 coverage here

I played the TGS Dragon's Dogma 2 demo, but I don't think I did what I was supposed to.

Having picked one of three scenarios - I selected a monster-hunting ramble, led by a lion-headed warrior - I set off in the direction I was facing, in search of adventure and things to stick my sword into. In my fifteen minutes, I never reached any of the icons on the map, nor stumbled upon any towns. As it turns out, all of those things were located behind me. Had I turned around at the start of the demo, I'd have hit a town and seen a more varied slice of the game, and I might've reached those mission icons.

Though perhaps my fifteen minutes were fairly representative of an experience that is dictated by player choice and exploration? Embark upon the adventures that you want, within the limits of this world, even if that means walking in the wrong direction.

By going for a wander and a bit of monster slaying, I learned a lot about how Dragon's Dogma 2 will unfold outside of story missions. It is very much the sequel to Dragon's Dogma, a refinement and in no way a reinvention. And as a fan of the first game, I'm fine with that. However, I do hope that the larger experience will find ways to differentiate itself, outside of prettier visuals and faster loading times.

The world is very inviting. Peak-medieval fantasy, full of dense forests, dank caves, gushing streams, pot-holed tracks and stone-walled towns. On the road, carts rumble past full of knackered adventurers and lowly peasants alike. While the sun never set during my demo, the day-night cycle will influence comings and goings of people and monsters, and in the pitch black of night the moon won't be enough to light your way, so make sure you bring a few torches. How you tackle the environment and the challenges it presents will be up to the player. A ten-minute TGS gameplay video featured a dead ogre being used as a bridge to cross a gaping chasm, and another unfortunate sod being washed away by a dam collapsed by a resourceful warrior, and some handily-placed explosive barrels. 

My lion-headed brawler was joined by three Pawns, who were the highlight of my demo. A returning feature, Pawns are AI-controlled companions which you select from a network of player-designed characters. You're basically borrowing a stranger's companion, before sending them back. These pawns accrue experience and treasure, and they also learn and share information about missions that they have embarked upon with other players. It's a wonderful and unique system that set DD apart from other similar games.

In Dragon's Dogma 2, you can travel with up to three of them, and they are there to serve. They're very reliable, and will readily share knowledge of missions and terrain. I could give them orders, but there was very little need, as they always seemed to be doing the right thing at the right time. My pawns - George, Max and Sara - a wizard, an archer and a thief, had my back from start to finish, and their presence was a reassuring one. Pawns are very chatty, but in an endearing way. "Arisen, my heart knows no greater place than by your side!" I'd forgotten how much I love to be called "Arisen".

Please George, say it again.

Combat is fairly simple and intuitive, and for the most part satisfying. As a warrior, I was switching between strong and weak attacks, piercing lunges, as well as some character-specific skills; I could retreat behind my shield when things got too heavy. One of my favourite activities in the original was grabbing larger enemies and clambering all over them, stabbing as I went. That is very much a part of battle here, but in my demo I didn't find anything big enough to warrant it. Nothing that I encountered was much larger than me. I fought harpies, goblins and crocodile-like creatures that some idiot had taught how to stand on their hind legs and swing a sword. To be honest, I had already grown tired of them by the end of the demo, and even when they mobbed me in large numbers, my strategy didn't really need to change very much. 

One thing that will strike anyone playing for the first time is the lack of a lock-on function. This encourages you to think more carefully about positioning and timing, but it won't be to everyone's liking. You're going to do a lot of swinging and missing. Sword attacks have palpable heft to them, which feels great when the blows land, but it also means that you really feel the misses.

Dragon's Dogma 2 doesn't appear to be straying too far from the formula established by the first game.  That's fine, but I do hope it will also have some surprises in store.