Summary
Much like its 2012 predecessor,Dragon’s Dogma 2doesn’t quite play the rules of its genre. Adopting an open-world style all of its own, a unique progression system, a distinctive sense of storytelling, and a whole slew of emergent gameplay mechanics,Dragon’s Dogma 2is a wholly unique product and one that stands out massively in today’s open-world market, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Though its unconventional approach won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, for those who end up vibing withDragon’s Dogma 2, it’s quickly going to become an unforgettable experience, and likely a new favorite in the realm of large-scale fantasy RPGs. One ofDragon’s Dogma 2’s biggest strengthsis its originality and its willingness to subvert modern trends, and that includes one industry-wide trope that’s become stale before it can even get started.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Puts a Fresh Spin on Multiverses
The First Dragon’s Dogma Teased a Multiverse Long Before It Was Mainstream
The concept of a multiverse has been around in the entertainment industry for decades, with both DC and Marvel dabbling in parallel universes all the way back in the early 1960s. However, in the wider entertainment industry, multiverses have only recently become such a mainstay, though that doesn’t mean that certain movies, TV shows, and in this case, games haven’t experimented with the concept of a multiverse, and surprisingly,the original 2012Dragon’s Dogmais one such example.
About halfway through the firstDragon’s Dogma, players encounter a gigantic, seemingly never-ending cylindrical pit in the ground known as the Everfall. According to the lore ofDragon’s Dogma, the Everfall acts as a gateway to countless parallel worlds—worlds where the game’s Pawns come from. The only beings able to travel the multiverse freely, Pawns access different parallel worlds via a cosmic realm known as The Rift. Viathe use ofDragon’s Dogma’s Riftstones, Pawns can be called to the aid of various Arisen across parallel universes.
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Multiverse Is Refreshingly Simple
Multiverses have come a long way since the release ofDragon’s Dogmaback in 2012, both for better and for worse. After popularizing the concept back in 2018 withSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the entertainment industry has well and truly milked the multiverse concept for all it’s worth, spending the last six years or so releasing half-baked multiverse movies that barely do anything exciting or substantial with the premise. While there are, of course, standouts likeAcross the Spider-VerseandEverything Everywhere All at Once, many movie-goers are getting a little tired of the multiverse premise.
Unfortunately, that same oversaturation seems to be bleeding into the world of video games. In just the last six months, several major AAA video games have put their multiverse premise front and center of the experience, including the likes ofMortal Kombat 1,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and evenFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with these games using the multiverse concept, an overabundance of them could soon lead to a lack of variety in the gaming space.
That being said, the wayDragon’s Dogma 2handles the multiverse is quite refreshing. Essentially just doubling down on its predecessor’s lore,Dragon’s Dogma 2keeps itsmultiversal narrativesurface-level, with it taking a complete backseat to the vast majority of the game’s story, and only really appearing when Pawns are discussing the parallel universes that they came from.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Set forth on your grand adventure, Arisen!Dragon’s Dogma is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG series that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more. Now, in this long-awaited sequel, the deep, explorable fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 awaits.On your journey, you’ll be joined by Pawns, mysterious otherworldly beings, in an adventure so unique you will feel as if accompanied by other players while on your own adventure.All of these elements are elevated further through physics technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and the latest in graphics, to create a truly immersive fantasy world in Dragon’s Dogma 2.
