Dragons Dogma 2 makes you feel like you're in a dream. A dream that you never want to wake up from. #dragonsdogma2 #dragonsdogma2gameplay #dragonsdogma
@@ZiggyCrane Its not a fucking movie dude. It's not game of thrones. Run around, kill shit, explore, enjoy your time with your pawns. Try new vocations. Stop being an entitled whiny crybaby. So tired of you complainy ass little kids. Judging video games on any metric you feel like it so you can feel victimized by it. You were one probably crying your little baby eyes out about the easily ignored mtx too. there isn't 47 different monsters in this game. i cant fast travel when i want. the story isn't lord of the rings. Open world games are just too much for people now because they need someone to tell them what to do at all times.
@@ZiggyCraneI agree the story felt like it was cut in half, leaving lots of things unresolved, and the fact that the story is just so boring makes it worse… but I still enjoy the game, it’s the gameplay, armor, weapons, and Pawns that make it fun for me personally.
This is exactly what I tell people I love about the game. Its like OG WoW or Morrowind where you actually had to read the quests or pay attention to the quest giver or you'd fail it. I love the feeling of getting truly lost in this games world and finding really cool nooks and crannys.
we need more games with no handholding. DD2 is so refreshing to play after the mountains of other games that treat you like you’re stupid and have to be guided the entire way with quest markers and fast travelling everywhere and just putting everything in the world on your map. too many games nowadays feel suffocating with the amount of information they throw at you instead of letting you figure things out for yourself. having the freedom to explore the world at your own pace while journeying and finding quests and dungeons to explore without having any of it marked on the map for you is extremely refreshing
Love that "Slow burn" comment. I feel the same. I'm roughly 35 to 40 hours myself.....i'm not "Rushing through this", i'll test out the Vocations, explore the world, level up etc. I love a game that let's you do that. One of my fondest memories so far...trying my party out against a Griffin in a very rocky area.....only to "wake up" a Golem that was in the same area....I kid you not!...Ran away as fast as i could...and watched as the Griffin and Golem started fighting against each other! As i left them too it....the Griffin started targeting my party again and to cut a long story short...this thing kept following us and as we crossed over a bridge, the damn Griffin dive bombed straight into the river and got "Brined!" I sat there with my jaw hanging open then burst out laughing! I couldn't believe it!
It’s such a great game. Getting raided on an oxcart ride to the Checkpoint Rest Town by two ogres and a band of goblins. Utter carnage. Forcing a dragon into the Brine. Fist bumping your pawns every time you kick the living shit out of something. It’s one of the purest adventures I’ve had in a game for a long time.
Ironically, despite not being a coop game, Dragon's Dogma is a good argument that if developer makes a coop game then you should be able to play it offline with AI partners that are as good as actual players so you can enjoy it regardless how many friends you have to play it with and can still play it in the eventual future when online services are finally shut down.
The two fighter abilities makes me say that every time 😀 The one where he bashes the enemy with his shield, and sends the enemy flying into a tree or off a cliff.. Absolutely outstanding! And that other one where you hold down the light attack a 2 seconds, and when you let go he swings his sword upwards, and send light enemies up in the air. but the movie is so brutal with the dirt particles exploding up.. I love it. Fantastic stuff!
well let's be honest, if you want the one partner who will be with you for your entire adventure to be a man, and then fill the other 2 party members slots with men as well, you are fucking gay.
THANK YOU for not being a puppet. This review was spot on. I have just started my second playthrough switching between Magick archer and Sorcerer. The game does have a few flaws, but it's definitely not enough to say this game is anything less than a great experience!
I agree 100% that this experience has been, and still is, the best slow-burn adventure I've played in a long time. We can only hope to see future expansions and continuous support from the developers. Great video.
My last session I saw my elf bro at my house I. The common quarters and we journeyed to the ancient battlefield for the first time as a way to show off his skill improving. Then I saw Oskar’s quest and excepted it. Then I saw a drake and a cyclops in the fields and thought if I were to ever kill a drake this early, it would be now. 20 minutes later, it’s night and everybody except me died. Only after I ran away did I realize it would automatically save after battle. So inn save it is… I love this game.
I'm right in sync with ya on how I feel about this game. I like your idea of removing the HUD to get even more immersed, gonna try that tonight! I'm very close to 200 hours played since the game came out, and am on NG+. I didn't finish the end- and post-game until about hour 130. I really think this game is at its most enjoyable when you stop laser-focusing on completing quests or grinding for things. Slow down and taking your time to sink into the game's world and just explore. Quests definitely give you the initial direction for heading out of town, but I often forget the reason I left as I get fully sidetracked by interesting sights in the world I hadn't noticed before.
The reason why people say that the story is "bad" is because the main story quest content is very front-loaded, sorta like they wrote a really nice Act I and planned out an epic finale in Act III but then ran out of time or money and there basically isn't an Act II. If you beeline the main quests then you hit the end of the game surprisingly fast. Which is why the "slow burn" approach is definitely the best way to enjoy the game. The second half of the map might not have much main story content, but it has just as many interesting side quests as the first half. Many side quests involving important characters also have payoffs much later in the game so they're definitely worth doing. I had about 110 hours when I finally hit the end of the game and I absolutely loved it because so much of that time was spent exploring the map and really having that sense of adventure with your party of pawns, stumbling on new things and getting out of all sorts of scrapes you might not expect. Definitely the sort of game where the experience of the journey makes up for a somewhat disappointing destination, if that makes sense.
To me the issue is how some people are portrayed as ill intentinoed, suspicious and the arisen never raise an eyebrow as to help them, question what they are doing, accept being used by said party. this makes no sense. Add to this that some characters become irrelevant to the story up to a certain point, the story feels rushed and inconsistent. Its a shame because theres alot of good poiints about the game, but this is one of the big negative ones.
One quest that impressed me a lot is the quest about the evil nun. In my first run I arrested her the quest marked as finished so I moved on to do other thing but in NG+ I decide to check on the patients and saw they still there, nothing change. After a few day another nun stop me to say they can't make it. So I load old save to figure out if there's anything I can do and there's actually I can but the game keeps it hidden unless you actually care to do it. So I did it and the they saved and well. It feels good to actually see it through.
I'm in love with this game, I was also pleasantly surprised how some sidequests made my main quests go more smoothly. Currently exploring everything in NG+ it's now usually just my Pawn and I to make it more challenging, I'm glad the game let's me search and hire low level pawns so my Pawn and I don't get too lonely exploring the open roads.
I am a Big fan of single player RPG games. I have to say Capcom did a great job on this game ! Hopefully with more DLC n always having the players guessing what the next action will have a different effect. Definitely contender for Game of the year 👍
I need to turn off the hud for good. I did it to record some combat clips but what you describe is something that I have experienced myself. I’ve gotten so lost in this game. Not as in lost my bearings. I mean complete immersion in exploration as I wander around and it is one of the reasons I can’t put it down. I feel as though I exist in its world and it’s made me appreciate how all of the elements that are so well crafted to enable that.
I kinda wish the monster attacks on the oxcarts and on foot were a bit less frequent. Feels like I never get an uneventful trip and half the time when the oxcart is attacked it gets destroyed because there's a cyclops or orge or worse my pawn destroys it fighting next to the damn thing. I wish it was immune from my pawns attacks at least.
I took your advice to turn off the mini-map! I immediately found myself immersed and part of the fun was just remembering important locations around cities 😊. Thank you for the awesome video!
This game has won me over so much. I’ve never really been into these kind of fantasy rpg games but I took the dive in. It was very difficult to start with but I’m hundreds of hours in and I’m addicted. I might try the no hud immersion, it does look glorious.
The guide feature is really one of the best features of this game albeit a small feature. I can concentrate on my surroundings instead of being 100% focused on what trail or direction I have to go & I have the option to shut it down.
I have 200 hrs now and I still haven't explored everything. I wanna go through every single cave,buy all dragons forge armor and weapons, I also wanna get everything leveled up to max level. I really enjoy it. Even tho there's not really endgame or anything I still am having a blast.
we need more games with no handholding. DD2 is so refreshing to play after the mountains of other games that treat you like a baby and have to be guided the entire way with quest markers and fast travelling everywhere and just putting everything in the world on your map. too many games nowadays feel suffocating with the amount of information they throw at you instead of letting you figure things out for yourself. having the freedom to explore the world at your own pace while journeying and finding quests and dungeons to explore without having any of it marked on the map for you is extremely refreshing
I agree with the story/quest part, and while I understand why it all sounds more meaningful without HUD, I can safely tell you I feel the same even with the HUD on. I knew almost every single NPC from Vermonth, I gave presents to a lot of them. I was at 130 hours in this game, did not beat it, and I would often gift residents presents (not just in this town, everywhere). I knew where many lived, and what their routine was. Sometimes, some side quest would happen, and I would go around town checking the npcs related to the quest and see if they changed behaviour or had some dialogues (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, so it is not perfect, but there are many tiny details to be found). There are many sidequests moments that I see people on the internet saying: "how the hell am I supposed to know I could go here?". But I went there naturaly because I knew the npcs and how they work in the world. There was one quest that mentioned a name and I was like: ohhh, that person that lives in that house...
When you said you're not rushing to beat this game, I felt that. I just like to find a good vantage point, and pose my team for pictures I've spent hours just messing with photo mode, the character creator and photo mode are top of the line in this, so isn't everything else this game is one of the best games I've ever played in my life. I've not had 1 crash or anything either, barely a frame drop, so all this talk about performance issues, I've never had one. Been a treat through and through.
Remember there's also grasshoppers in this game. 250 Hours of game play and always discover new things and memes that you can try. Sometimes it works and doesn't work but it is fun to test it out. It is better to take a walk and use camps like you are hiking. Feel the virtual nature of this game. I always carry my favorite NPC (that has a weapon) with me and they will fight for you. So it's five party. Just don't lose sight of them.😂
when it rains the rats shake the rain off like dogs, if you carry a goat until it gets annoyed it'll butt you, this game has so many cool little details
@@collapsiblechair9112 yes😊it is fun to discover those tiny details. You can also use rotten meat for the wolves. They won't attack you for a moment since they're busy eating.
Lol. Same. I'm 49 years old and I can't seem to stop playing this game since I bought it on launch day. No woke bullshit here. Just pure action adventure with the main plot of trying to uncover the secret surrounding my existence as "Arisen" and his "Pawn". I have gotten as far as Bhattal region and at level 41 at the moment. To boot, so many side quests it makes my head spins. Every day after freeing myself from office works, I play DD2, either directly on my PS5 or via PS Portal. Playing this game while lying down, resting my back after hours of sitting down, is a dream! When it works, of course. As you know the Portal is extremely dependent on the network condition. But, as bad as that thing sometimes, I love it so much! Just wish Sony would actually release a proper next-gen handheld one of these days. Now let me finish my works again so I can get back to adventuring!
"The Pawns are so incredibly helpful", lol.. until they get stuck running into a stone or suicide by jumping off a cliff or they just stare into the enemies while you are doing everything yourself.
In making fast travel a reward and not a habit, Dragons Dogma forces the player to embrace the journey by travelling through the world and taking everything in; What became mundane for us for so many years was, in truth, the core reason we all loved action-RPGs like Bethesda’s early entries. We haven’t had games that pursue that formula in a long time. Dragons Dogma as a series makes that it’s core experience and makes the core more solid with a grand combat experience even in the most mundane of moments.
I’m now on the start of my 3rd playthrough; after the first and then NG+, I am starting new level one again. I’m staggered by how many things I do, see, places I go that I’m doing for the first time. Yeah, you just need to let the game come to you and do what you feel; it is so well done. Agree about the quests and side quests; they’re by and large interesting and immersive. Game gets too much negativity, it’s a masterpiece.
I don't run fast in this game any more, i walk, looking at my surrounding and explore slowly. I enjoy this game very much.. Its been 3 weeks no. I feel blessed to play this amazing game
Inspired by this video, I also gave turning the minimap off a shot - the change was really quite transformative! I never realized how much my eyes were glued to the minimap instead of actually taking in the environments! Great tip!
Me too lol, I really enjoyed adventuring with only my main pawn, the world is really alive & the sense of danger lurks everywhere is just hit my button rlly hard.
Bro that was spot on! I'm not a big gamer but I always regarded DD 1 and Gothic 1 to be the most immersive and romantic games I ever played. And the second one did not dissapoint!
One fun (weird) thing about pawns is that when you complete a quest in ng+ with a different result than before, your own pawn will tell you „oh so this is what happens instead, my own master decided otherwise“.
How I discovered all the world. Playing without map and with discover augment. Forced me to find 220 token only with sound and running everywhere in this world was fantastic. Keep playing the game after 180 hours and loving it.
A lot of frustrating BS and jank just like the first game BUT the core gameplay and world are utterly addicting. I find myself having a blast just going out with a different vocation and exploring. Haven’t realized I’m already 60 hours in and I just started the Battahl questlines
Goty 2024. That's all I'm saying. I'm in 100+ end game, and if you think your jaw dropped hard on any quests given in the open world, wait till you get to the end quest. I had to stop playing for two days before I could man up and continue.
@@Garl_Vinland I find it equal in its own ways to those games. BG3 has atrocious gameplay that's purely a slog to get through so you can have seggs with a demon or a bear. Elden Ring is a fucking masterpiece sure. But the thing is, this game isn't competing with them. It's competing with garbage games so far, and I don't see that changing. At this point it's only going to compete with Shadow of the Erdtree 😂
@@TheStraightestWhitest I agree with you but also a matter of perspective and taste, I find games like Elden Ring frustrating to play and just can't enjoy them, I find the combat non responsive and that's both frustrating and boring to me ( and I like the Trickster ), so a masterpiece is definitely subjective. But yeah they are not competing with each other.
This is so true for me too and your points are spot on! It's what happens when you really get immersed into a fictional world. My mindset when getting into the game was that I let the game flow organically, I was basically letting the game flow me through it like as you would flow with a boat through a river, some also describe playing the game and enjoying the journey and not necessarily the end. As soon as you go through the game as you would a checklist it's going to start to feel as a chore because you're missing the point which is the journey basically and of course for some people the game just simply might not be for them which is alright.
I have 155 hours in this game currently and feel the same way as you still! I love this game...has such a unique vibe that is amplified further when you slow down and enjoy it. I turned off my controller layout long ago but im going to try and disable the minimap now too!
I'm doing the same thing, I'm in zero hurry. I have been a Gamer since Pong 😮 I have always been a Explorer, I have always tried to open a fog covered map, as soon as I could until I got my a** handed to me lol. With this game I followed the quest line up to Vermund, before I started to really explore. Things really got going once I got the Trixter augment Detection. I was at a good place to stop doing the main quest, so I didn't go past the point of no return. What I did was complete the 220 seeker Tokens, for all the rewards. This also helped me find the finders token, for the 5th Spinx quest, I had totally forgot. I had 3 main Ideas where it was, the first 2 were wrong, on the way to the third, it pinged on a high slope. I would never have found it without that augment. Now I'm farming Wyrmslife Crystal's and finishing out leveling the vocations to max. Sorry so long Cheers!
There are, but it would be nice if they brought back a couple from last game and added a few more. But if your above selection is what you've found so far then yeah, you'll see more.
people legit sleeping in how well the quest design are in this game, for the most part every little quest tell small stories that builds the world into a bigger scope. Everyone kept somewhat only focus on the "main quest" the things is, doing these side quest is part of the arisen journey too. Really what compels me to get ready for this game and playing it to its fullest was watching Frieren, that anime made me understand the magic of fantasy world. Its about enjoying the journey and the process, by its concept we know we gotta slain the dragon thats it, if you rush the game that the thing you are getting so slow down a bit and enjoy the process.
On my like 3rd about to start 4th playthrough, and definitely agree with you. Also how you go about things can change dialogue or even outcomes of some of those quest. Another thing that I like is that even with the hud on, I've been allowed to finish a quest differently than the alternatives the game pointed out and it was actually thought out by the developers. I know many people hate the Dragon Plague but for a game like this its genius in my opinion, because it makes it so you have a different experience in another playthrough and makes you care for your companions if you want to have them.
I spent a long time in my first play through and had a great time. I tried all the vocations. Sorcerer was my favorite and my main pawn was a warrior. Even though I took my time, I still missed a lot of stuff. My second play through started with me reversing the eoles and doing a lot more free form exploration. This is the best game I've played since Oblivion.
It feels like a real adventure. I changed vocation to archer and I thought I would not like it, but it was really fun. I also want to play this all day long.
i have an all women group and my pawns constantly ask if they can braid my hair and tell me their tired.*and i agree with everything you said, 90hrs in and i keep asking myself, why is DD2 so dam good?!
Very well put together thoughts thanks for sharing. It didn’t occur to me to remove the mini map. This game in some respects is less hand-holding, just like the first. You discover things rather than always go to a point on your compass and I love that. The open world isn’t gargantuan either, and the way it’s laid out it guides you along at just the right level. I’m exploring, but not lost.
Imagine all this with real time AI to whom you can live voice chat and interact in unlimited ways.... It's quite possible a mod for this comes up this year or the next.
Amazing! I have the same feeling, this game looks amazing for me, also I am not rushing the game, I can play only 1-2 days a week and just a few hours due my work schedule, but I am enjoying it a lot, everything. I did not try playing without HUD but surely will do it this next time. I really enjoyed your view while playing the game, Subscribed, and looking forward for more video. Thanks
You could definitely finish a playthrough of this game in 25-30ish hours. That said I don't recommend it, you'd 100% miss out on a ton of things. Friend of mine complained there wasn't much to the game and that they missed stuff, very well knowing since they played the first, that this is the type of game where you get out what you put in. I took my time, dragging it out admittedly, because the game was so good I didn't want it to end, and finished my first playthrough in 173 hours. And I definitely felt fulfilled. A slow burn is exactly right. This is the type of game to get lost in.
I knew the color pallet was different in this game compared to the first one, which was definitely more vibrant. Another gorgeous detail that I'd like to point out for both games, is that there are no two NPCs that are exactly alike. Every one of them, even the mundane "filler" people, are a different person.
Your description of the sidequest makes me think of how players get surprised by the writing of Dark souls 2 when they actually interact with the questlines instead of boss rushing.
The game is really fun when you go explore, but honestly the characters and story are beyond boring? I'm shocked the guy in the video says they are good?
@@allandmsome locations felt like cut content and the majority of important npcs/characters really needed more development (only 2 girls with exclusive romances, the others got too few interactions; hell, one of the poster girls is included in that list). But having played the first game and immersed in the limited lore exposition we got made me appreciate the changes in the second. The meddling of the Pathfinder with the cycle was enough to make me interested in the new story, and his dialogues in the unmooored world and the true ending made me interested one more time in the lore. Especially the new lore implications relating to DD Online
@@user-sc6cp8qn1m it takes a long time walking around everywhere. Now I’ve worked out you can always buy a Ferrystone pretty much any location you arrive at 😅 (thought they were one-off)
The character models are fucking amazing. I love the armor and everything about this game. I can’t wait for the DLC. Hopefully it’s almost exactly like BBI 🙏🏻
This game is an onion. You only will get the full picture if you dive deep to the core layers. Things are not on a silver plate here, you have to explore, investigate and interpret what you are seeing.
I like the interactions with Grigori or well the dragon. The story its not the best but not the worst. But being able to just explore and shit without loading screens its what keeps me playing. I feel like when i played skyrim but without loading screens XD Playing with just my pawn feels much more fun than a full party
I’m going to have to try turning off the hud and just explore the lower level areas I kinda rushed through in the beginning, I know I left some chests behind somewhere.
Truly agree with u This game is quite addicting and there’s no other game like it. The game is making its own thing. Always get the feeling of LOTR on daytime and Berserk on nighttime ❤
Im better late than never but excellent review... Picked this game up only 2 weeks ago and fell in love with it. Poured 60+ hrs in already and its still in my head rent free lol 🔥
Only grpe I have is that one elfsister npc that dissapeard for me and completely shut off any quests around the forge in BakBathal. No matter. I start a new playthrough. ;)
Love this concept, first playthru was 100hrs made sure i didn’t miss a thing, I’ll try this on my third playthru for sure👍 also all 3 pawns are mine since I use different accounts on one console makes this game even more immersive knowing im their true master🤭(and I can do any Party combinations)
Exactly how I feel it's made like a old school rpg with a modern coat of paint. I started playing this game with three friends 2 of them flew through the game got the fake ending and said the game lacked content while the other two of us are still enjoying the game and are on NG+. I tried to tell them to take the game slow its about the journey not the destination, but they wouldn't get off those invisible rails you mentioned. Then when I told them how cool my ending was without spoiling they acted like they didn't care when I remember them being salty that their game just ended abruptly lol.
Having a 6'1 goth sorceress call you master is, in fact, a dream.
The fact that story was only 15 quests makes this game a complete joke. And even existing story didn't make any sense.
😂😂😂
That's how I feel about a fully armor clad white tigress catching me after a near fatal fall.
@@ZiggyCrane Its not a fucking movie dude. It's not game of thrones. Run around, kill shit, explore, enjoy your time with your pawns. Try new vocations. Stop being an entitled whiny crybaby. So tired of you complainy ass little kids. Judging video games on any metric you feel like it so you can feel victimized by it. You were one probably crying your little baby eyes out about the easily ignored mtx too.
there isn't 47 different monsters in this game. i cant fast travel when i want. the story isn't lord of the rings. Open world games are just too much for people now because they need someone to tell them what to do at all times.
@@ZiggyCraneI agree the story felt like it was cut in half, leaving lots of things unresolved, and the fact that the story is just so boring makes it worse… but I still enjoy the game, it’s the gameplay, armor, weapons, and Pawns that make it fun for me personally.
This is exactly what I tell people I love about the game. Its like OG WoW or Morrowind where you actually had to read the quests or pay attention to the quest giver or you'd fail it. I love the feeling of getting truly lost in this games world and finding really cool nooks and crannys.
Nah. It's way better than Morrowind. Navigation makes sense here.
we need more games with no handholding. DD2 is so refreshing to play after the mountains of other games that treat you like you’re stupid and have to be guided the entire way with quest markers and fast travelling everywhere and just putting everything in the world on your map. too many games nowadays feel suffocating with the amount of information they throw at you instead of letting you figure things out for yourself. having the freedom to explore the world at your own pace while journeying and finding quests and dungeons to explore without having any of it marked on the map for you is extremely refreshing
Yup. I'm absolutely under this game's spell. My friends and family are starting to question me. I've been claiming to be "busy" for the past month.
You too? 🤣
Same here, I have an addiction at this point.
Me too I even called into work last week Lmao, I been glued to this game😂😂😂😂😂
I’ve completed the game over 5 times in a row for since it got out😅 of
Love that "Slow burn" comment. I feel the same.
I'm roughly 35 to 40 hours myself.....i'm not "Rushing through this", i'll test out the Vocations, explore the world, level up etc.
I love a game that let's you do that.
One of my fondest memories so far...trying my party out against a Griffin in a very rocky area.....only to "wake up" a Golem that was in the same area....I kid you not!...Ran away as fast as i could...and watched as the Griffin and Golem started fighting against each other!
As i left them too it....the Griffin started targeting my party again and to cut a long story short...this thing kept following us and as we crossed over a bridge, the damn Griffin dive bombed straight into the river and got "Brined!"
I sat there with my jaw hanging open then burst out laughing!
I couldn't believe it!
Same here. I'm really taking my time with this one. I've spent hours just on one side quest because of the amount of things I'm discovering
It’s such a great game. Getting raided on an oxcart ride to the Checkpoint Rest Town by two ogres and a band of goblins. Utter carnage. Forcing a dragon into the Brine. Fist bumping your pawns every time you kick the living shit out of something.
It’s one of the purest adventures I’ve had in a game for a long time.
Glad to find some like minded people. Open world games sometimes become completionist collectathons.
Ironically, despite not being a coop game, Dragon's Dogma is a good argument that if developer makes a coop game then you should be able to play it offline with AI partners that are as good as actual players so you can enjoy it regardless how many friends you have to play it with and can still play it in the eventual future when online services are finally shut down.
Every day I play I see something that makes me say “God Damn” loud.
The two fighter abilities makes me say that every time 😀
The one where he bashes the enemy with his shield, and sends the enemy flying into a tree or off a cliff.. Absolutely outstanding!
And that other one where you hold down the light attack a 2 seconds, and when you let go he swings his sword upwards, and send light enemies up in the air. but the movie is so brutal with the dirt particles exploding up.. I love it. Fantastic stuff!
@@reeanimationgaming1034 Just wished tusk toss took less time to charge, you have to stop comboing to activate hit
A fever dream where the pawns call you geh for assembling an all-man party, lol
🤣🤣🤣
Accurate.
they don't though, you're just projecting lol
@@collapsiblechair9112they definitely say it without saying it 😂
well let's be honest, if you want the one partner who will be with you for your entire adventure to be a man, and then fill the other 2 party members slots with men as well, you are fucking gay.
THANK YOU for not being a puppet. This review was spot on. I have just started my second playthrough switching between Magick archer and Sorcerer. The game does have a few flaws, but it's definitely not enough to say this game is anything less than a great experience!
The verticality is impressive
I agree 100% that this experience has been, and still is, the best slow-burn adventure I've played in a long time. We can only hope to see future expansions and continuous support from the developers. Great video.
I played the same way and loved it. Took me 160h to finish the first run. Diving blind into the game is really rewarding.
- 74lvl
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p.s if you know you know ;p
120+ hours in second playthru, to all these people who haven't yet this game, if you planning to get this don't rush to the end, enjoy the journey
My last session I saw my elf bro at my house I. The common quarters and we journeyed to the ancient battlefield for the first time as a way to show off his skill improving. Then I saw Oskar’s quest and excepted it. Then I saw a drake and a cyclops in the fields and thought if I were to ever kill a drake this early, it would be now. 20 minutes later, it’s night and everybody except me died. Only after I ran away did I realize it would automatically save after battle. So inn save it is… I love this game.
110 hours, level 80, and still haven't even started endgame quest yet. I'm definitely running back into ng+ immediately after I finish the 1st.
I'm right in sync with ya on how I feel about this game. I like your idea of removing the HUD to get even more immersed, gonna try that tonight!
I'm very close to 200 hours played since the game came out, and am on NG+. I didn't finish the end- and post-game until about hour 130. I really think this game is at its most enjoyable when you stop laser-focusing on completing quests or grinding for things. Slow down and taking your time to sink into the game's world and just explore. Quests definitely give you the initial direction for heading out of town, but I often forget the reason I left as I get fully sidetracked by interesting sights in the world I hadn't noticed before.
The reason why people say that the story is "bad" is because the main story quest content is very front-loaded, sorta like they wrote a really nice Act I and planned out an epic finale in Act III but then ran out of time or money and there basically isn't an Act II. If you beeline the main quests then you hit the end of the game surprisingly fast.
Which is why the "slow burn" approach is definitely the best way to enjoy the game. The second half of the map might not have much main story content, but it has just as many interesting side quests as the first half. Many side quests involving important characters also have payoffs much later in the game so they're definitely worth doing. I had about 110 hours when I finally hit the end of the game and I absolutely loved it because so much of that time was spent exploring the map and really having that sense of adventure with your party of pawns, stumbling on new things and getting out of all sorts of scrapes you might not expect. Definitely the sort of game where the experience of the journey makes up for a somewhat disappointing destination, if that makes sense.
To me the issue is how some people are portrayed as ill intentinoed, suspicious and the arisen never raise an eyebrow as to help them, question what they are doing, accept being used by said party. this makes no sense. Add to this that some characters become irrelevant to the story up to a certain point, the story feels rushed and inconsistent. Its a shame because theres alot of good poiints about the game, but this is one of the big negative ones.
One quest that impressed me a lot is the quest about the evil nun. In my first run I arrested her the quest marked as finished so I moved on to do other thing but in NG+ I decide to check on the patients and saw they still there, nothing change. After a few day another nun stop me to say they can't make it. So I load old save to figure out if there's anything I can do and there's actually I can but the game keeps it hidden unless you actually care to do it. So I did it and the they saved and well. It feels good to actually see it through.
I'm in love with this game, I was also pleasantly surprised how some sidequests made my main quests go more smoothly. Currently exploring everything in NG+ it's now usually just my Pawn and I to make it more challenging, I'm glad the game let's me search and hire low level pawns so my Pawn and I don't get too lonely exploring the open roads.
I am a Big fan of single player RPG games. I have to say Capcom did a great job on this game ! Hopefully with more DLC n always having the players guessing what the next action will have a different effect. Definitely contender for Game of the year 👍
I need to turn off the hud for good. I did it to record some combat clips but what you describe is something that I have experienced myself. I’ve gotten so lost in this game. Not as in lost my bearings. I mean complete immersion in exploration as I wander around and it is one of the reasons I can’t put it down. I feel as though I exist in its world and it’s made me appreciate how all of the elements that are so well crafted to enable that.
I kinda wish the monster attacks on the oxcarts and on foot were a bit less frequent. Feels like I never get an uneventful trip and half the time when the oxcart is attacked it gets destroyed because there's a cyclops or orge or worse my pawn destroys it fighting next to the damn thing. I wish it was immune from my pawns attacks at least.
Trickster has an augment that reduces the chance on oxcart rides and when camping.
Absolutely love this game, 125 hours in and only just started new game + I am praying for a DLC
Over 80 hours in and I've just finished the magistrate jail main quest. I have so much more to do and explore!
There is a DLC coming.
I took your advice to turn off the mini-map! I immediately found myself immersed and part of the fun was just remembering important locations around cities 😊. Thank you for the awesome video!
This game has won me over so much. I’ve never really been into these kind of fantasy rpg games but I took the dive in.
It was very difficult to start with but I’m hundreds of hours in and I’m addicted.
I might try the no hud immersion, it does look glorious.
The guide feature is really one of the best features of this game albeit a small feature. I can concentrate on my surroundings instead of being 100% focused on what trail or direction I have to go & I have the option to shut it down.
“Hello, I’m Derek and I’m addicted to DD2” 😂😂😂
Genuinely though 😂 loves it
You made me regret playing with the Hud on :') but I'm on my second playthrough so it's never too late
couldn't play any singleplayer games before.. DD2 feels like an adventure. The only thing that let me forget about this pathetic world we are living
T8: Stress, not fun to ply.
DD2: Chill, fun to ply.
I have 200 hrs now and I still haven't explored everything. I wanna go through every single cave,buy all dragons forge armor and weapons, I also wanna get everything leveled up to max level. I really enjoy it. Even tho there's not really endgame or anything I still am having a blast.
we need more games with no handholding. DD2 is so refreshing to play after the mountains of other games that treat you like a baby and have to be guided the entire way with quest markers and fast travelling everywhere and just putting everything in the world on your map. too many games nowadays feel suffocating with the amount of information they throw at you instead of letting you figure things out for yourself. having the freedom to explore the world at your own pace while journeying and finding quests and dungeons to explore without having any of it marked on the map for you is extremely refreshing
I agree with the story/quest part, and while I understand why it all sounds more meaningful without HUD, I can safely tell you I feel the same even with the HUD on.
I knew almost every single NPC from Vermonth, I gave presents to a lot of them. I was at 130 hours in this game, did not beat it, and I would often gift residents presents (not just in this town, everywhere). I knew where many lived, and what their routine was.
Sometimes, some side quest would happen, and I would go around town checking the npcs related to the quest and see if they changed behaviour or had some dialogues (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, so it is not perfect, but there are many tiny details to be found).
There are many sidequests moments that I see people on the internet saying: "how the hell am I supposed to know I could go here?". But I went there naturaly because I knew the npcs and how they work in the world. There was one quest that mentioned a name and I was like: ohhh, that person that lives in that house...
When you said you're not rushing to beat this game, I felt that. I just like to find a good vantage point, and pose my team for pictures I've spent hours just messing with photo mode, the character creator and photo mode are top of the line in this, so isn't everything else this game is one of the best games I've ever played in my life. I've not had 1 crash or anything either, barely a frame drop, so all this talk about performance issues, I've never had one. Been a treat through and through.
Remember there's also grasshoppers in this game.
250 Hours of game play and always discover new things and memes that you can try. Sometimes it works and doesn't work but it is fun to test it out.
It is better to take a walk and use camps like you are hiking. Feel the virtual nature of this game.
I always carry my favorite NPC (that has a weapon) with me and they will fight for you. So it's five party. Just don't lose sight of them.😂
when it rains the rats shake the rain off like dogs, if you carry a goat until it gets annoyed it'll butt you, this game has so many cool little details
@@collapsiblechair9112 yes😊it is fun to discover those tiny details. You can also use rotten meat for the wolves. They won't attack you for a moment since they're busy eating.
@@THEGAMESEEKERS This, though you can actually use regular meat too if you want to.
Lol. Same. I'm 49 years old and I can't seem to stop playing this game since I bought it on launch day. No woke bullshit here. Just pure action adventure with the main plot of trying to uncover the secret surrounding my existence as "Arisen" and his "Pawn". I have gotten as far as Bhattal region and at level 41 at the moment.
To boot, so many side quests it makes my head spins.
Every day after freeing myself from office works, I play DD2, either directly on my PS5 or via PS Portal. Playing this game while lying down, resting my back after hours of sitting down, is a dream!
When it works, of course. As you know the Portal is extremely dependent on the network condition. But, as bad as that thing sometimes, I love it so much! Just wish Sony would actually release a proper next-gen handheld one of these days.
Now let me finish my works again so I can get back to adventuring!
"The Pawns are so incredibly helpful", lol.. until they get stuck running into a stone or suicide by jumping off a cliff or they just stare into the enemies while you are doing everything yourself.
In making fast travel a reward and not a habit, Dragons Dogma forces the player to embrace the journey by travelling through the world and taking everything in; What became mundane for us for so many years was, in truth, the core reason we all loved action-RPGs like Bethesda’s early entries.
We haven’t had games that pursue that formula in a long time. Dragons Dogma as a series makes that it’s core experience and makes the core more solid with a grand combat experience even in the most mundane of moments.
I’m now on the start of my 3rd playthrough; after the first and then NG+, I am starting new level one again. I’m staggered by how many things I do, see, places I go that I’m doing for the first time. Yeah, you just need to let the game come to you and do what you feel; it is so well done. Agree about the quests and side quests; they’re by and large interesting and immersive. Game gets too much negativity, it’s a masterpiece.
I don't run fast in this game any more, i walk, looking at my surrounding and explore slowly. I enjoy this game very much.. Its been 3 weeks no. I feel blessed to play this amazing game
Inspired by this video, I also gave turning the minimap off a shot - the change was really quite transformative! I never realized how much my eyes were glued to the minimap instead of actually taking in the environments! Great tip!
Mentioned KCD and THEN playing no HUD?? A kindred spirit indeed. Subbed and belled up, my friend.
The more i play the more i love it. Its so freaking awesome
Me too lol, I really enjoyed adventuring with only my main pawn, the world is really alive & the sense of danger lurks everywhere is just hit my button rlly hard.
You spoke my mind. I'm new to this IP but this game held me spellbound. I enjoy every single moment in the fantasy world of Dragon's Dogma 2.
Bro that was spot on! I'm not a big gamer but I always regarded DD 1 and Gothic 1 to be the most immersive and romantic games I ever played. And the second one did not dissapoint!
One fun (weird) thing about pawns is that when you complete a quest in ng+ with a different result than before, your own pawn will tell you „oh so this is what happens instead, my own master decided otherwise“.
I luv this game, and at lvl 106 I’m just now doing all the side quests 🤷♂️
How I discovered all the world. Playing without map and with discover augment. Forced me to find 220 token only with sound and running everywhere in this world was fantastic. Keep playing the game after 180 hours and loving it.
A lot of frustrating BS and jank just like the first game BUT the core gameplay and world are utterly addicting. I find myself having a blast just going out with a different vocation and exploring. Haven’t realized I’m already 60 hours in and I just started the Battahl questlines
Me too!! Got rid of the mini map and the controls HUDs and the game became all the more immersive
Goty 2024. That's all I'm saying. I'm in 100+ end game, and if you think your jaw dropped hard on any quests given in the open world, wait till you get to the end quest.
I had to stop playing for two days before I could man up and continue.
More like the interactive endings, they hit hard 😢.
Not even close. This is no Elden Ring or Baldur’s Gate 3
@@Garl_Vinland I find it equal in its own ways to those games. BG3 has atrocious gameplay that's purely a slog to get through so you can have seggs with a demon or a bear.
Elden Ring is a fucking masterpiece sure.
But the thing is, this game isn't competing with them. It's competing with garbage games so far, and I don't see that changing. At this point it's only going to compete with Shadow of the Erdtree 😂
@@TheStraightestWhitest I agree with you but also a matter of perspective and taste, I find games like Elden Ring frustrating to play and just can't enjoy them, I find the combat non responsive and that's both frustrating and boring to me ( and I like the Trickster ), so a masterpiece is definitely subjective. But yeah they are not competing with each other.
@@Garl_Vinland BG 3 may look good and have deep characters but the Gameplay is from age of empires era lmao.
This is so true for me too and your points are spot on! It's what happens when you really get immersed into a fictional world. My mindset when getting into the game was that I let the game flow organically, I was basically letting the game flow me through it like as you would flow with a boat through a river, some also describe playing the game and enjoying the journey and not necessarily the end. As soon as you go through the game as you would a checklist it's going to start to feel as a chore because you're missing the point which is the journey basically and of course for some people the game just simply might not be for them which is alright.
I have 155 hours in this game currently and feel the same way as you still!
I love this game...has such a unique vibe that is amplified further when you slow down and enjoy it. I turned off my controller layout long ago but im going to try and disable the minimap now too!
I'm doing the same thing, I'm in zero hurry. I have been a Gamer since Pong 😮 I have always been a Explorer, I have always tried to open a fog covered map, as soon as I could until I got my a** handed to me lol. With this game I followed the quest line up to Vermund, before I started to really explore. Things really got going once I got the Trixter augment Detection. I was at a good place to stop doing the main quest, so I didn't go past the point of no return. What I did was complete the 220 seeker Tokens, for all the rewards. This also helped me find the finders token, for the 5th Spinx quest, I had totally forgot. I had 3 main Ideas where it was, the first 2 were wrong, on the way to the third, it pinged on a high slope. I would never have found it without that augment. Now I'm farming Wyrmslife Crystal's and finishing out leveling the vocations to max. Sorry so long Cheers!
I've played for maybe 15 hours... I hope there will be more different enemies than goblins, wolves, lizards, and trolls
There are, but it would be nice if they brought back a couple from last game and added a few more. But if your above selection is what you've found so far then yeah, you'll see more.
people legit sleeping in how well the quest design are in this game, for the most part every little quest tell small stories that builds the world into a bigger scope.
Everyone kept somewhat only focus on the "main quest" the things is, doing these side quest is part of the arisen journey too.
Really what compels me to get ready for this game and playing it to its fullest was watching Frieren, that anime made me understand the magic of fantasy world. Its about enjoying the journey and the process, by its concept we know we gotta slain the dragon thats it, if you rush the game that the thing you are getting so slow down a bit and enjoy the process.
On my like 3rd about to start 4th playthrough, and definitely agree with you. Also how you go about things can change dialogue or even outcomes of some of those quest. Another thing that I like is that even with the hud on, I've been allowed to finish a quest differently than the alternatives the game pointed out and it was actually thought out by the developers.
I know many people hate the Dragon Plague but for a game like this its genius in my opinion, because it makes it so you have a different experience in another playthrough and makes you care for your companions if you want to have them.
Playing this game now is so Surrreal!
I spent a long time in my first play through and had a great time. I tried all the vocations. Sorcerer was my favorite and my main pawn was a warrior.
Even though I took my time, I still missed a lot of stuff.
My second play through started with me reversing the eoles and doing a lot more free form exploration.
This is the best game I've played since Oblivion.
I’m a level 50 Sorcerer with a Thief and archer maxed
It feels like a real adventure. I changed vocation to archer and I thought I would not like it, but it was really fun. I also want to play this all day long.
i have an all women group and my pawns constantly ask if they can braid my hair and tell me their tired.*and i agree with everything you said, 90hrs in and i keep asking myself, why is DD2 so dam good?!
Same as the first one my friend 😊.
Very well put together thoughts thanks for sharing. It didn’t occur to me to remove the mini map. This game in some respects is less hand-holding, just like the first. You discover things rather than always go to a point on your compass and I love that. The open world isn’t gargantuan either, and the way it’s laid out it guides you along at just the right level. I’m exploring, but not lost.
Imagine all this with real time AI to whom you can live voice chat and interact in unlimited ways.... It's quite possible a mod for this comes up this year or the next.
Amazing! I have the same feeling, this game looks amazing for me, also I am not rushing the game, I can play only 1-2 days a week and just a few hours due my work schedule, but I am enjoying it a lot, everything. I did not try playing without HUD but surely will do it this next time. I really enjoyed your view while playing the game, Subscribed, and looking forward for more video. Thanks
playing as an archer without the HUD hits different.
What about the aim icon? Do you keep it?
You could definitely finish a playthrough of this game in 25-30ish hours. That said I don't recommend it, you'd 100% miss out on a ton of things. Friend of mine complained there wasn't much to the game and that they missed stuff, very well knowing since they played the first, that this is the type of game where you get out what you put in. I took my time, dragging it out admittedly, because the game was so good I didn't want it to end, and finished my first playthrough in 173 hours. And I definitely felt fulfilled. A slow burn is exactly right. This is the type of game to get lost in.
I knew the color pallet was different in this game compared to the first one, which was definitely more vibrant. Another gorgeous detail that I'd like to point out for both games, is that there are no two NPCs that are exactly alike. Every one of them, even the mundane "filler" people, are a different person.
Your description of the sidequest makes me think of how players get surprised by the writing of Dark souls 2 when they actually interact with the questlines instead of boss rushing.
Except Dark Souls 2’s NPCs are 1000x better, and that’s saying something
@@Garl_Vinland I'll know when I finally play my copy of Dark Arisen 🤣
I definitely going to vote this game for the GOTY award
I salute a fellow hudless horseman 🫡
I feel exactly the same.
All people that complain about this game are just playing it wrong.
Imagine being this delusional lmao
The game is really fun when you go explore, but honestly the characters and story are beyond boring? I'm shocked the guy in the video says they are good?
@@allandm True? or false? I'm not sure?
@@allandmsome locations felt like cut content and the majority of important npcs/characters really needed more development (only 2 girls with exclusive romances, the others got too few interactions; hell, one of the poster girls is included in that list). But having played the first game and immersed in the limited lore exposition we got made me appreciate the changes in the second. The meddling of the Pathfinder with the cycle was enough to make me interested in the new story, and his dialogues in the unmooored world and the true ending made me interested one more time in the lore. Especially the new lore implications relating to DD Online
@@oneSayan the exposition dumps the beastern arisen gave us put me too sleep
I also can't stop playing this game as well. It's an awesome game!
Doesn’t use mini-map for immersion… leaves on subtitles and notifications.
The map was the only thing i had on. After seeing this video. ITS GOING OFF BABY!!!!
My Arisen goes missing for weeks in a row!!!
Agree 💯 … I play without guides. Am on new game @ 340 hours in total. I didn’t use a ferry stone until unmoored world
Wow
@@user-sc6cp8qn1m it takes a long time walking around everywhere. Now I’ve worked out you can always buy a Ferrystone pretty much any location you arrive at 😅 (thought they were one-off)
The character models are fucking amazing. I love the armor and everything about this game. I can’t wait for the DLC. Hopefully it’s almost exactly like BBI 🙏🏻
I'm 40 hours in and still haven't uncovered all the map. Just found battlefield castle with dragon. He destroyed the balistas....oops
I Too am addicted to this game. I’m a level 50 Sorcerer at the moment
This game is an onion. You only will get the full picture if you dive deep to the core layers. Things are not on a silver plate here, you have to explore, investigate and interpret what you are seeing.
First Dragon's Dogma was my favourite game ever so I'm glad seing people who appreciate the sequel ^^
I agree. I have played so much since release. Its a gem. Its so damn special.
I can't stop playing either. Elden ring all over again.
I like the interactions with Grigori or well the dragon.
The story its not the best but not the worst.
But being able to just explore and shit without loading screens its what keeps me playing.
I feel like when i played skyrim but without loading screens XD
Playing with just my pawn feels much more fun than a full party
I’m going to have to try turning off the hud and just explore the lower level areas I kinda rushed through in the beginning, I know I left some chests behind somewhere.
No lie man I been playing since launch and haven’t even stepped foot into Battahl yet 🤦🏾♂️😂 it’s so fun wandering and exploring
Okay NG+ will be without the HUD and only with my main pawn. Already by watching your video I felt more immersed
Truly agree with u
This game is quite addicting and there’s no other game like it.
The game is making its own thing.
Always get the feeling of LOTR on daytime and Berserk on nighttime ❤
so you like fighting goblins every 30 seconds...
Im better late than never but excellent review... Picked this game up only 2 weeks ago and fell in love with it. Poured 60+ hrs in already and its still in my head rent free lol 🔥
This is exactly how i feel about the game!
Good video, I liked it!
omg your game looks so great!
The game is just too fun lol even got my wife into playing the game as well, been sharing each other's pawns to make up three-fourths of our parties.
Only grpe I have is that one elfsister npc that dissapeard for me and completely shut off any quests around the forge in BakBathal. No matter. I start a new playthrough. ;)
Love this concept, first playthru was 100hrs made sure i didn’t miss a thing, I’ll try this on my third playthru for sure👍 also all 3 pawns are mine since I use different accounts on one console makes this game even more immersive knowing im their true master🤭(and I can do any Party combinations)
Exactly how I feel it's made like a old school rpg with a modern coat of paint. I started playing this game with three friends 2 of them flew through the game got the fake ending and said the game lacked content while the other two of us are still enjoying the game and are on NG+. I tried to tell them to take the game slow its about the journey not the destination, but they wouldn't get off those invisible rails you mentioned. Then when I told them how cool my ending was without spoiling they acted like they didn't care when I remember them being salty that their game just ended abruptly lol.
I've played 2 days straight, no bull. Caffeine and nicotine 😂.