Fun fact: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Dragon’s Dogma were released within half a year of each other. While Skyrim sort of became the de facto open-world template and has also been released all the time constantly since, Dragon’s Dogma, even with the Dark Arisen re-release, remained a cult classic more than a huge landscape-changing affair. That is, until Dragon’s Dogma 2 released last week, and now the series is finally getting the attention it deserves.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 builds upon the first game in a multitude of ways, many of which are spoilers and so won’t be mentioned here. The main thing, though is that while the story and characters are good, the open world is the main character for a lot of players. Dragon’s Dogma 2 excels in unscripted random encounters. Every player will have a unique story to tell about some weird thing that happened to them as they were journeying around, and there are mechanics in the game that are left purposefully obtuse to keep that constant element of surprise going.
While there is no doubt plenty of people waiting for The Elder Scrolls VI, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not only already here, but also absolutely fantastic. If your aim is to get lost in a magical world with classic fantasy creatures, the ability to fight in different ways, and indulge in a little bit of political intrigue alongside all of that fighting, then Dragon’s Dogma 2 is everything you’ll need.
It’s filled with incredible twists, which again we can’t say anything about, that not only push the world forwards, but help you actively impact it, and every NPC not only has their own little life but can die permanently too. It’s probably a lot smaller than The Elder Scrolls VI, but it’s also more handcrafted and meaningful than Bethesda’s most recent game, Starfield, managed at any point.
The Elder Scrolls VI may well change up how Bethesda does open-world games, and maybe it’ll mark a huge turning point, for not only the company but this genre of game entirely. We’d like that to be the case, sure, but for now, we’ll take Dragon’s Dogma 2 very happily. Not only is it a very different kind of world, with a lot more in common with Elden Ring than any other fantasy RPG, but it’s full of plenty of chances to create your own stories and share them with friends too.