Pretty good RPG, feels like along with Dark Souls this will be the best Berserk video game we'll ever get... And I say that with absolute clarity, the game even had a Berserk armor sets DLC (sadly not licensed anymore).
Anyways. The pawn system is great, it feels representative of old Dungeon Crawlers like Might & Magic, Wizardry, etc. Where parties could meet fatal ends, plenty of replacement NPCs, etc. The added aspect of them being player-made is excellent and even the little gifts and advice you can send back, it's fun to see what Pawns other people made and can show up. Great idea. I do wish they had more voice variety and lines to say, and that is something I'll certainly be looking for in Dragon's Dogma 2, perhaps even personality kits similar to Wizardry 8 to assign to them. Mischievous Rogue, Daring Warrior, Honorable Paladin, etc, that determines how they respond to everything. Instead of, "Wolves travel in packs!" the Paladin can say, "Let us vanquish this furry menace with flame and steel Ser!" ... Or well, something cooler.
The combat is fun, the grappling and climbing system, the hack and slashness, the insane spells, character builds, etc. I have two minor gripes, some enemies can have bloated HP without even really being a threat and it takes far too much time and feels just like a waste. And the stamina system is super annoying, I understand wanting it, and wanting carryweight and etc to reflect it, but it makes anything above neutral weight feel like a slog, and even when you're at neutral if you run out you're just stuck for a long time until you're hit or a Pawn's AI decides to bless you.
The world is fun to explore and interesting, enough lore to grab you but wish for a lot more, NPCs are fun and feel like they're in a mix between Berserk and Monty Python, the quests are fun, (Save some of those escort quests), and I do recommend you look up when certain quests became available and expire. As it seems completely random, and backtracking a long distance to an area you wouldn't know to otherwise could have an entire new questline in store for you. The world is gorgeous and interesting. But one small gripe... Far too much backtracking, and it takes ages to get anywhere. And the stamina system makes it even worse. Limited fast travel options. Again, I hope the sequel will fix this, make the world more compact, less empty space and traveling times but have more to see, and maybe introduce a wagon/cart or ship travelling in between settlements you've already been to. I think just having the world more filled in would help too as a lot of Dragon's Dogma's overworld is fairly empty and samey. And the cut-off for many quests is a bit too nonsensical and annoying, although the quests themselves are good.
Overall this is a flawed gem, enough things wrong to stop it from truly being a masterpiece in my eyes, but enough for me to look at it and go: Damn, that's a good game. A diamond in the rough. Such unique mechanics and feeling. Tons of potential.
Anyways. The pawn system is great, it feels representative of old Dungeon Crawlers like Might & Magic, Wizardry, etc. Where parties could meet fatal ends, plenty of replacement NPCs, etc. The added aspect of them being player-made is excellent and even the little gifts and advice you can send back, it's fun to see what Pawns other people made and can show up. Great idea. I do wish they had more voice variety and lines to say, and that is something I'll certainly be looking for in Dragon's Dogma 2, perhaps even personality kits similar to Wizardry 8 to assign to them. Mischievous Rogue, Daring Warrior, Honorable Paladin, etc, that determines how they respond to everything. Instead of, "Wolves travel in packs!" the Paladin can say, "Let us vanquish this furry menace with flame and steel Ser!" ... Or well, something cooler.
The combat is fun, the grappling and climbing system, the hack and slashness, the insane spells, character builds, etc. I have two minor gripes, some enemies can have bloated HP without even really being a threat and it takes far too much time and feels just like a waste. And the stamina system is super annoying, I understand wanting it, and wanting carryweight and etc to reflect it, but it makes anything above neutral weight feel like a slog, and even when you're at neutral if you run out you're just stuck for a long time until you're hit or a Pawn's AI decides to bless you.
The world is fun to explore and interesting, enough lore to grab you but wish for a lot more, NPCs are fun and feel like they're in a mix between Berserk and Monty Python, the quests are fun, (Save some of those escort quests), and I do recommend you look up when certain quests became available and expire. As it seems completely random, and backtracking a long distance to an area you wouldn't know to otherwise could have an entire new questline in store for you. The world is gorgeous and interesting. But one small gripe... Far too much backtracking, and it takes ages to get anywhere. And the stamina system makes it even worse. Limited fast travel options. Again, I hope the sequel will fix this, make the world more compact, less empty space and traveling times but have more to see, and maybe introduce a wagon/cart or ship travelling in between settlements you've already been to. I think just having the world more filled in would help too as a lot of Dragon's Dogma's overworld is fairly empty and samey. And the cut-off for many quests is a bit too nonsensical and annoying, although the quests themselves are good.
Overall this is a flawed gem, enough things wrong to stop it from truly being a masterpiece in my eyes, but enough for me to look at it and go: Damn, that's a good game. A diamond in the rough. Such unique mechanics and feeling. Tons of potential.