never have i expected to love this game as much as i did, but oh boy, here we are. i played the first game for about 3 hours a few years ago until i decided that it's not really my cup of tea, even though i have always been intrigued by its concept + a lot of people in my bubble were raving about how great it was but i guess it was not the right time to pick it up.

now, when the second game got announced, i was hooked immediately by the amazing animations and overall art design and gave it a try. and yeah... i kinda disliked it within the first 5 hours or so. but i gotta admit that i was mostly just a little bitch, when it comes to the games mechanics and design philosophy. and i also gotta say that most people criticizing the game for allegedly keeping the player from getting fast travel items because they are supposed to buy them for real money, are also mostly little bitches. not saying you can’t criticize the game at all. because you can. and i'm also not going to defend the micro transactions. because they (obviously) suck in any game. but i think a lot of people, including me, expected a different game.
but dragons dogma 2 does not give a single flying fuck about the player and is very ignorant, when it comes to it's game design. and that’s what i've learned to appreciate.

at the beginning i thought it’s similar to botw or elden ring where i see some interesting looking place, travel there, and get a reward. but especially during the first 5-10 hours, you know so little about the mechanics, and you die so quickly, that you have to plan every step ahead. it's a masterclass in adventuring. because it makes you feel incredibly vulnerable, in a dangerous world, where 2 harpies can kill you easily, if you leave your pawns behind (trust me, this happened to me one time.. fuck those harpies). and if you play by the games rules, you will quickly realize how rewarding it can feel, having explored a cave, having killed a huge enemy, and then resting safely at a camp fire.

besides that, i just love that the villages in this game are not just a place for you to upgrade your gear and talk to npcs, but they provide interesting secrets as well. sometimes the game can feel like a little jump n' run where you jump from roof to roof and in the end there is a chest, waiting for you to be opened.

only thing that i have to criticize is the lame main quest.
the story sucks ass and has no coherent writing at all.
some characters get introduced, only for the game to forget that they exist, 5 minutes later. also, most of the main quests are super lame and boring and basically the weakest part of the game.
e.g. the missions where you have to sneak inside a castle felt like they were trying to rip off the witcher 3 but had no idea how to pull it off.

but overall, i love this game to death. and i mean it's obvious that exploring the world is the star of the game and also plays the most prominent role. i guess almost no one gives a fuck about the story.