Dragon’s Dogma review (PC version)

Most RPGs feature a large amount of combat throughout their content but the actual combat mechanics are usually lackluster. Dragon’s Dogma is a rare example of action combat in an RPG done so well it rivals the combat in games which has that as sole focus. It’s made by the developers of Devil May Cry 4 so it doesn’t come as a surprise the combat is so refined, but it also works well as an RPG overall. It has a large world to explore, it has a distinct old-school feel with how it doesn’t hold your hand and you can easily miss quests or walk into areas you’re not prepared for, inventive optional solutions to quests for people who like to experiment, and more.

One downside is the story. It doesn’t become interesting until late parts of the game, and the best you can say about the story early on is that some characters can be charming in a quirky way. The game has some other quirks as well, like its really weird romance system. You can give gifts to any NPC and they’ll become your love interest later in the game. And even if you don’t give gifts to anyone, the game will still choose an NPC which you happened to interact with a lot, and then it’s a bit awkward when the game insists a seemingly random NPC is now your love interest.

The game uses MT Framework engine, and as you would expect from the engine, the game’s performance is extremely good. Because of its open world nature, the performance is a bit lower than other games using the engine, but any modern PC should handle the game without any issues.

New players should note one thing: all of the DLC in the console version is bundled in this release. Some of this includes items in storage which are very much overpowered if you use it early in the game. Unless you want the game to be easier, I recommend avoiding these items until later on.

Oh, and you can shoot apples so they fall down from trees. That alone is worth 60 USD, and the game isn’t even 60 USD!

Recommendation: Thumbs up!