Dragon's Dogma demo thoughts: A very welcome surprise

 Though in the 90s, the concept of the Japanese RPG (like “Chrono Trigger” or “Final Fantasty”) was the dominant form of game in the role-playing game genre, that notion has changed significantly in the past few years in America. Currently, the Western style of RPG, made popular by games like “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” and “Fallout 3,” is the most popular form of the genre on the market. 

Aspects of the WRPG, like being able to freely roam a large, interesting open-world environment coupled with free form battles and all manner of side activities and quests that can be pursued at the player’s pace, set these games apart from JRPGs, which feature linear gameplay and story, turn-based combat and are heavy on dialogue. Recent games like “Kingdoms of Amular: The Reckoning” and “The Witcher 2” have been well-received critically and the genre only seems to be gaining steam. It only makes sense that a Japanese company would eventually see the trending popularity of the WRPG and attempt to make a game in that style and “Dragon’s Dogma” from Capcom is that game and it’s, actually, pretty good.

The team working on “DD” for Capcom is comprised of people who had previously worked on capcom titles like “Resident Evil,” “Devil May Cry” and “Breath of Fire” and the influence from those titles is easily recognizable in its combat system, storytelling and visual style. The combat is heavy on hack-and-slash action and is very reminiscent of “DMC.” The inventory system is very similar to “RE” and, though I wasn’t able to tell from the demo, the final game will allegedly have elements of survival horror too (though, like I said, I can’t tell how). While “DD” definitely feels like a Japanese-developed game, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially considering all that they managed to do to make the game feel and play like a WRPG.

"Dragon's Dogma" features colorful, detailed environments as well as huge enemies

                                           

The demo features two missions to play (one of which is basically just a boss battle) as well as giving you access to its extensive player customization options. You can pick from one of numerous classes, such as Warrior, Mage, Ranger and Strider, with each offering a slightly different set of proficiencies and abilities (though the details of each weren’t explained or made very obvious, that I saw anyway).

The combat in “DD” is much more action-based than, say, “Skyrim” and its here that the “DMC” influence is most obvious. Player’s move fluidly around the battlefield and chaining together combos is quick, easy and the animations are very smooth. Capcom did an excellent job giving attacks and movement a certain amount of weight - not so much that actions feel slow but enough that your attacks feel powerful and heavy. An on-screen button layout (in the bottom right), similar to “Assassin’s Creed,” helps to remind or inform the player of all possible actions, such as examining your surroundings, picking up items, or what attacks are available from your current stance. For instance, holding the Left Button will bring up your shield to block and the attack buttons initiate different, shield based attacks. Holding the Right Button will similarly allow you to perform various moves with your weapons. Also, switching between weapons (if you’re a ranger, for instance, with daggers and a bow) is quick and easy, allowing you to stay focused on the fight at hand.

Grappling onto and riding larger enemies is a unique and interesting aspect of the combat in "Dragon's Dogma"

The most interesting part of combat, though, is the ability to grapple onto larger enemies. In the demo, you’ll fight against a griffon and a chimera, two large, ferocious, dangerous beasts. In “DD” you’re able to grab onto the leg of a larger enemy and hoist yourself onto it, allowing you to climb around on it and attack specific areas. The tactic, which is reminiscent of “Shadow of the Colossus” and boss battles from “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow,” adds a unique layer to the combat that most action games have yet to explore – let alone RPGs. In an interview, the game’s director Hideaki Itsuno said, “In a lot of action games, with big enemies the tendency is just to have you hacking away at the shins. You don't get the full effect of fighting a giant boss. With this game you can climb all over it. If it has a body part, you can attack it.”

Also, like most RPGs, “DD” features a party system, though its slightly different than other games. The player will have one constant NPC ally that they can design at the start of the game who will always be present. Other party members can be added and these guys are known as “Pawns” and are also customizable as well as upgradable. NPCs are actually quite talkative and surprisingly don’t just offer up the same, tired one-liners over and over again, instead providing helpful tips for battles or how to defeat a boss. Though, their babble can get a bit overwhelming at times as, in the demo alone, I was often forced to read what new NPCs were saying to me because I couldn’t hear what they were saying over the sounds of my pawns talking to no one in particular.

This game literally just came onto my radar a few weeks ago and it’s already become a game I’m going to keep a close eye on. If the open-world environment is interesting enough and if there are lots of quests and content to be had, “DD” very well could be the template for all future JRPGs and would easily find a place in my collection.