Dragon's Dogma 2" Play Report: Enjoy the vast open world with your friends in a royal fantasy world!　Enjoy the royal fantasy of traveling through a vast open-world world with your friends!

Tokyo Game Show 2023 is being held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, from September 21 to 24, 2023.

Although the show had been scaled back since 2019 due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, this year, for the first time in four years, the entire show floor is being used, with all halls from 1 to 11, the Event Hall, and the International Conference Hall, Makuhari Messe, all colored in game colors.

In this article, we will report on our play of "Dragon's Dogma 2," which we were able to try out at the Capcom booth.

Three quests with pawns in tow

This is the latest title in the "Dragon's Dogma" series, an open world game set in a fantasy world that has sold over 7.7 million copies worldwide.

At the play area, players can choose from three quests: "Defeat the Monsters in the Head of Castle City," in which they can use the "Fighter," a job that combines offense and defense with a one-handed sword and shield; "Archer," a job that excels at long-range attacks with a bow and arrow; or "Defeat the Monsters in the Western Part of Castle City," in which they can choose the "Thief," a job that allows them to move easily, evade, and deliver swift, continuous blows. The author, who enjoys close combat, was able to choose which of the three quests he liked best.

As I like close combat, I chose the "Defeat the Head Demon" in which fighters can be used. I quickly moved to the vast field, which was very large due to the fact that it was an open world. Pressing the touch pad to open the map, I found that many areas had not yet been explored due to the fact that it was just after the start of the game, but I could still see that the world was quite vast, as one can imagine from the scale of the map. Just strolling around the area, one could easily spend a whole day enjoying the world.

The game is an action game, combining "continuous fire" with the □ button and "hard stab" with the △ button, etc. By pressing the "Custom Skill Shift" button with the L1 button, the four buttons (□, △, X, and 0) change to special skills. Because one button can be used to switch skills, even the author, who is new to the "Dragon's Dogma" series, was able to get used to it quickly.

The main character is accompanied by a "pawn," a follower-like being, and on the test table, a four-person party including three pawns was available for battle. The main character had powerful skills, such as the "Kukarizashiri," which can attack airborne enemies, and the pawns supported him with melee attacks and magic, so he was comfortable from start to finish. The pawns could be directed to fight away from the player, to gather near the player, to focus on support, or to prioritize recovery and evasion, allowing for a variety of strategies depending on who was playing.

Although not involved in the battle, the pawns would praise the player for his or her successes, tell him or her when enemies were nearby, and even open treasure chests on his or her behalf. Thanks to their support in every aspect of the game, the player's motivation to venture out on an adventure is steadily increasing.

Along the way, you will battle Cyclops, an enemy with a body many times the size of the main character's. In this title, damage accumulates for each part of the body. Damage seems to accumulate in each part of the body, and when both legs are damaged, the Cyclops falls over. When we attacked its head, which had fallen back, we were able to inflict heavy damage. When fighting large enemies, it may be important to take actions that stop their movement or contain their strengths.

While we were enjoying battling with the enemies and enjoying the competence of the pawns, the 15 minutes of our trial playing time went by quickly.

In the end, we were not able to reach the point indicated by the marker, which was our initial goal, but we were able to fully enjoy the charm of this game, in which we had to battle in cooperation with the pawns.

Since this is an open-world game, time flies when you are playing it in a daze. When trying out the game, it is recommended that you decide in advance what you want to do, whether you want to battle or explore.

Product Information

Dragon's Dogma 2

Compatibility: PS5/Xbox Series X|S/Steam

Genre: Action

Players: 1 player

CERO: To be reviewed

Release date: Undecided

Price: Undecided