You do a lot of walking inDragon’s Dogma 2, and that’s unusual for an open world this large.Capcomhas been upfront aboutwhy it disincentivises fast travel, but now the cry from a lot of people is ‘at least give me a horse!’. Despite being clear about the purpose of wandering through the forests and caverns, the default reaction has been to smile, nod, and not listen to a single word.
A few of the complaints people have about Dragon’s Dogma 2 are similar, disregarding any intent in the game to wish it was perfect in their own image. Yes,if there was no dragonsplaguethen that would be one less thing to worry about - but it is there to teach you to pay close attention to your pawns and to realise you are messing with powerful forces not to be trifled with. You would get to where you’re going quicker with a horse or with instant fast travel, but Dragon’s Dogma has always stressed the value of the journey over the destination.
Having a vision is not an ironclad insulation from any and all criticism. There are still parts of the game that are clunky, or poorly explained, or where the overall vision is at odds with how the game tries to deliver pacing, tension, and narrative at specific moments. But a lot of the criticism is of the ‘I don’t like this’ ilk, and I’m worried that while we see triple-A games explore bolder frontiers, the mass audience seems to crave the sugar rush of same old same old.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 Has No Horses Because You Don’t Need Them
There’s a difference between having issues with the game overall, and picking out specific and deliberate features to hold them up as a failure on the development team’s behalf, or in the case of the real-life cooking animations,blaming it on laziness. Personally I am finding the earliest plot beats a little too spread out as Captain Brant gives you a laundry list of tasks and the narrative stalls, while characters of import are teased then whisked away with little to care about in the world beyond crossing off tasks in the hopes they eventually lead somewhere.
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It has gotten me thinking of a connection to another issue in gaming. There’s a lot of fuss at the moment about diversity, though mostly all bark and limited bite. If you’re unaware of the controversy around Sweet Baby Inc. and diversity consultants in general, check outthis breakdown of the key points. The argument, through all the messy rage and insults, is that these companies change games - by making them more woke, primarily - in a direct contravention of the vision of the developers.
How does this relate to Dragon’s Dogma 2’s horses, you may wonder. The point is the developers choose, of their own volition, to consult with firms like Sweet Baby Inc., and then choose to implement or ignore their suggestions too. Having these notes is a core part of the developers’ vision, people just like to use the ‘vision’ excuse to underline that they feel diversity is not welcome in gaming. Dragon’s Dogma 2’s horses proves that people don’t care about vision so much as getting what they want.
It is an explicit part of the developers' vision to have limited fast travel, no horses, real-life cooking animations, and dragonsplague. These are all things that were deliberately put into the game as part of its overall direction, and the team would have been keenly aware of the divisive nature of them (maybe not the cooking). It was done on purpose to make Dragon’s Dogma 2 more unique and more rewarding.
It’s Okay If Dragon’s Dogma 2 Is Not For You
I have struggled with this idea in the past. Not the whole ‘games should only have white people’ thing, but understanding the power of direction over preference. I bounced off bothBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, and while I attempt to write with more nuance, have written articles with the basic message of ‘This thing people like? Well I hate it, so there!’. Of course, I also wrote ahead of Tears of the Kingdom thatI hoped I would hate it(back when it was simply Breath of the Wild 2), because I understood that moving into bolder, even riskier game design meant refining a vision that I did not enjoy playing, and I would rather it went deeper into that direction that veered away from it into safe blandness just so I could tolerate it.
See, I am different from that crowd.
It’s odd to see that the developer’s vision is only sacred when you like the result. Liking, or not liking, any given video game (or any mechanic in a video game) is fine. Encouraged, even - having strong opinions often deepens the connections with things that truly click. But if you love Dragon’s Dogma 2 but just wish there were horses and fast travel and no dragonsplague and why did they cut corners with the steak… you don’t love Dragon’s Dogma 2. Those features are divisive, and it’s expected that some people will tap out over them. I gave up onElden Ring, I feel ya. But it wouldn’t be Dragon’s Dogma 2 without them, and wanting them to change rather than playing any of the thousands of games that already have exactly what you want is the reason far too many games play it safe and offer nothing.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
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Dragon’s Dogma is the long-anticipated sequel to Capcom’s action RPG. Once again taking on the role of the Arisen, the game promises full customisation in how you create your character and play through your story.
