The first Dragon’s Dogma game was a flawed but extremely innovative RPG. Here’s how Capcom can make Dragon’s Dogma 2 one of the best RPGs of 2023. In this article, let’s briefly discuss the first Dragon’s Dogma game and how the sequel can improve upon its flaws. And we’ll also discuss the things Capcom can add to DD2 to make it an exceptional modern RPG.
A disclaimer: Dragon’s Dogma 2 may or may not release in 2023. It’s still in development and we have yet to see a trailer. The game has only been announced. We may have to wait till 2024 to see a definite release. Hideaki Itsuno, who is the director of DD2, told fans to ‘stay tuned’ and that we will have more news in 2023.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen and its flaws
The main flaws of Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen are the story, the bland game world, and the lack of content.
The plot of Dragon’s Dogma is actually good. It tackles philosophical subjects and the lore of the game is also pretty complex and fascinating. But the way the story is told is obnoxiously bad. The game throws cutscenes at you in no order and at the end of the game, it tries to make sense of it all to little avail. What the game desperately needed was more insight into the game’s lore and the story with more quests and details. Games like Elden Ring execute the concept of a story that’s told in parts perfectly. Dragon’s Dogma, however, fails at that. And this made many players consider the story to be very bad. In fact, the storytelling is what’s bad here.
There aren’t many intriguing locations in this big game world. And most locations it does feature feel half-baked and you can’t help but notice some sort of emptiness. Environmental storytelling is lackluster in this game. And there are only one or two quests that involve locations you can discover in Gransys.
While there are about 35 side quests that can be fun, they aren’t nearly enough to immerse the player in the quaint world of Gransys. There are notice board quests which are kill quests and fetch quests and they are also enjoyable. If you need to grind for levels or gold, notice board quests are great and it’s a fun part of the gameplay. But trying to fill the void of non-existent content which is consistent and impressive with a godly number of notice board quests doesn’t do Dragon’s Dogma many favors.
How Dragon’s Dogma 2 can improve on the original
The Story
First of all, Dragon’s Dogma 2 must focus on consistent storytelling and lore that will keep players engaged. It needs cutscenes, quests, dialogue, and environmental storytelling elements that are directly related to the lore and the story. And if there’s a journal or something similar that will have a detailed summary of the story and optional quests/activities which are related to the story, it’d be a good way to keep players aware of their progression. DD2 does not need to try to become like another popular game (i.e. Elden Ring or The Witcher 3). Instead, it should stay true to its own unique way of storytelling and lore. And if it doesn’t stray far from the authentic philosophical and complex worldbuilding and story, Dragon’s Dogma may be a franchise that’s well-known for its uniqueness.
The Game World
We cannot say if Dragon’s Dogma 2 will be set in Gransys or any other location. But either way, the map of the game probably will be bigger than that of the first game. But if the map of DD2 is as bland as that of the first game, the size won’t matter. While the first game’s map certainly had its share of goodness, it needed more content. For example, hidden locations that tell different stories or uncover information about the lore would’ve been great. Or if there were treasure hunts or similar quests throughout the map that would unlock as you explore the map, would’ve been welcome. Basically, it’d be great if the map is big and packed with things to do and find.
No matter how huge, beautiful, or interesting the game world is, players will need to fast travel every once in a while. The fast travel system of the first game was very tedious because you needed to place portcrystals in the areas you would later want to travel to. And you could only place ten portcrystals at a time, which was very inconvenient. If the developers allowed fast traveling to discovered locations while keeping portcrystals as items that would serve as custom fast travel destinations, it’d be great.
The Quests
While the first Dragon’s Dogma certainly had its share of impressive quests, it was not enough to immerse the player in the world for a long time. If the scale and the consistency of side quests were improved in the second game, allowing for multiple choices and conclusions, it’d encourage the player to try out various choices, promoting replay value. The first game allowed the player to uncover more information about the story by completing side quests. This needs to be further emphasized in DD2. If the side quests were much more important and if they served towards the unlocking of new endings or new quests, it’d make the game immensely more fun.
The notice board quests must remain for grinding’s sake. But they must be made less tedious and more enjoyable to complete.
Things the developers could add to Dragon’s Dogma 2 to make it an even better game
I’m sure that the developers have great plans to add new things to Dragon’s Dogma 2. The following are what we think could be nice additions to the game.
A Mount
If the map is huge and there are lots to explore (which definitely needs to be in the game), a mount will serve great. If there’s a separate customization/progression system for the mount, like in Red Dead Redemption 2, it’d serve toward an even greater gameplay experience.
New weapons and tools
In the first game, there were an impressive array of swords, hammers, daggers, bows, and staves. If DD2 included even more weapons like spears, axes, halberds, crossbows, and more, the gameplay variety and the build variety will be greater.
An overhauled romance system
Everyone loves romance systems in games, right? Dragon’s Dogma’s romance system wasn’t bad but it could’ve been better. If there were more cutscenes and scenarios which will deepen the relationship between the characters in DD2, it’d be welcome.
Factions to join
Many RPGs feature various factions which the player can join. The first Dragon’s Dogma featured nothing of the sort. If we had a few factions to join in DD2, for example, gangs or schools, it’d make the gameplay even more deep and fun.
An even better character creation/customization system
Dragon’s Dogma has one of the greatest character creators in gaming history. Even the settings that seemed unimportant served greatly in the gameplay. This is one of the few occasions where a game’s character creations directly impacted the gameplay. It goes without saying that DD2 needs to retain this system. In the sequel, there needs to more customization options that will include hair, beard and tattoos, and the like.
