Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Capcom
Rating out of 10: 8
We all love dragons in some way or another, but when one decides to attack your fishing village and you try to fight it off only to have it rip out your still-beating heart and make a nonchalant getaway, what do you do? Well first you come back to life, then I suggest you reevaluate how you make life decisions. And then you get even!
Developed and published by Capcom, the original (released in May 2012) was only for Xbox 360. The new version (released April 2013) is however made for both PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 which should quiet down the PS3 advocates, who complained about this, to a respectable level again (you know who you are).
Let me clear up a few things. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is not a sequel to the famed Dragon’s Dogma that was released last year, it’s actually the same game with some tweaks and enhancements. Mostly it adds a new dungeon (I’ll get to that) and some changes to the game such as making fast travel easier and making it easier to change equipment as well as changing some stats and other irrelevant things. For gamers who have already bought the first Dragon’s Dogma, buying the expansion version will give you a few extras (Capcom’s way of saying thank you for coming back) such as a ferry stone that has unlimited uses along with 100,000 rift crystals and a few armour packs here and there to sweeten the deal.
The game is set in an open fantasy world where you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want (much like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim). The plot is simple: there is a dragon known as Grigori (fancy name), who wants to destroy the world and it’s up to you (the Arisen) to stop him (and get your bloody heart back in the process). While this type of role-playing game (RPG) does seem a bit overused, that hasn’t affected the game’s popularity one bit. It’s a simple story, but a compelling one all the same.
The game features a unique and addictive combat system which I have not seen anywhere else. Is that ogre troubling you? Can you not seem to do enough damage by attacking its ankles? Well now you can! Introducing the new “climb and hit it wherever you want” ability!
That’s right folks, there is nothing more satisfying than climbing up the back of troll and beating the already modest amount of brain cells out of his head (mind his attempts to grab you and eat you while you are there) or latching onto a griffin and systematically crippling its wings so that it can’t fly away (insert evil laugh here). This combat style will ruin you for all other RPG type games.
The graphics engine is an interesting subject, since staff members of Capcom worked on previous releases such as Devil May Cry and Resident Evil – you can see that reflected in this game. The game itself compels you to explore and that mission that you started two hours ago could easily become forgotten and instead you could be on the other side of the map fighting your way through hordes of creatures and vaguely remembering that there was something you had to do. Enriched environments, a plethora of dungeons and a fairly huge open world combine to make Dark Arisen the type of game where you could actually take a break every now and then and just admire the breathtaking vistas and rich foliage and realise that a lot of work has gone into this part of the game.
I almost shed a tear in appreciation before picking up my doom hammer and yelling a war cry while plunging off of a cliff on the unsuspecting bandits below.
However, there are certain models and characters which should have been sorted out before release. Some models and weapons don’t get along well, such as an elbow poking through a shield or the shield itself magically going through your collar bone and coming out again, minor things I know but they still have to be mentioned.
The soundtrack is exactly what you would expect from Capcom, beautiful and inspiring with just a hint of sadness. It forces us to realise that to enter this game is to make a commitment not lightly given and not easily forgotten.
Let’s talk about some of the in-game aspects. One of the main features of the game is pawns. They are, simply put, emotionless beings that resemble humans and come from another world known as the rift, they are there simply so that you can add them as companions (a bit of a Dungeon Siege feel applies here) and use them to augment your fighting abilities. You even get your own main pawn which will stay with you throughout the game unlike the rest which you can swap and change whenever you get annoyed with their repetitive sayings or lack of combat prowess as the difficulty of the creatures increase. That doesn’t stop you from developing irrational bonds with some of them and letting them go can be a bit hurtful.
Another aspect of the game is the vast amount of lacklustre side quests which you will find yourself getting annoyed with on a constant basis, but you will do them anyway because, let’s face it, you need the money and experience due to the fact that Dark Arisen is a very unforgiving game and there is no prize for second place (except death).
The classes that you can chose from feature a large range of fighters, mages and archers and some classes even combine to give you assassins, mage archers and mystic knights. The best part about it all is that you can change whenever you want so there is no point in the game where you get bored with a class and there is nothing you can do about it. But be warned that you will have to advance through the ranks from the beginning if you choose a new class, but thankfully that really isn’t a deterrent since the game is open world.
Now let’s get to the main addition, Bitterblack Isle! A mega dungeon with a sense of terror and foreboding which will probably cause you, at some point, to rage incoherently at the television and go through the seven stages of grief (look it up) more often than you would like to admit.
Let’s be honest, a 15-hour dungeon filled with genetically engineered super creatures and a grim reaper the size of a modest homestead can be a little intimidating and cause you to always find an excuse to avoid it. I’ll admit, my first thought as I breached the darkness of the Isle and saw the grim reaper was “kill it! Kill it with fire!” and “he has a bigger lantern than me, is he overcompensating for something?” but seriously I wouldn’t approach the Isle until you are at least level 70-80, just so you have a fighting chance (I tried it at level 50 and I still hug my knees and cry uncontrollably in the shower sometimes).
Other than that, it is the perfect place to hone your skills and always be kept on your toes by the ever increasing difficulty of the creatures inside and the horror factor which is actually quite a nice addition. I’ll say no more; this is something you have to experience for yourself.
The conclusion? This game has a small throng of technical problems and the gameplay is so completely unforgiving and borders on unfair that it will challenge you to your very core and give you nothing in return. However I am willing to forgive all that simply because I have sunk too many hours into the game and I cannot in good conscience let it win! This game is perfect for gamers new to Dragon’s Dogma and the veterans that just can’t let go once they have been challenged. Countless hours of gameplay await those that dare accept the gauntlet thrown in their face by Capcom. - Do Gaming