After 10 long years, I’ve finally played it, and it was worth the wait.

After 10 long years, I’ve finally played Dragon’s Dogma.

This is a bold take but hear me out, Dragon’s Dogma has solidified its place among the best open-world RPGs.

Honestly, I don’t think I can give an objective review of this game at all because I enjoyed it on such a deep personal level.

So instead, I will tell you about what I loved about this game in a non-linear and scatterbrained manner — because I really don’t know where to start.

Un-Retiring the Old Monster Hunter

In the early 2010s, I played Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Monster Hunter Portable 3rd a lot with other kids in our neighborhood.

I was a very bad Hammer user and was often scolded for using up all the revives during party raids.

Despite the difficulty, I found this to be a grueling but fun experience.

Around the same time, Dragon’s Dogma was announced, and a year later, it was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

I was in awe of the stunning gameplay, rich combat options, and amazing high fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma, but I didn’t have the equipment to play it.

I didn’t have a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 when it was first released in 2012, and my computer wasn’t capable of running it during its Microsoft Windows release in 2016.

It wasn’t until last year that I was finally able to buy the game and have the right equipment for it.

I knew then and there that I was going to fall into an addiction with Dragon’s Dogma and waste hours and weeks playing it.

Fortunately, its grindy gameplay and my fascination with other games such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Red Dead Redemption 2 put this on hold.

A year passed by, and 2023 came. I did not have any more games I wanted to play, and I was almost burned out with open-world RPGs after finishing Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.

So, what reignited my passion? Yes, Dragon’s Dogma.

Cycle of Fate… or just Addiction Withdrawal.

I started playing Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but quickly grew bored of its dialogue-heavy cutscenes and multiple gameplay hints.

That is when I came back to Dragon’s Dogma.

In all honesty, I have had multiple restarts in Dragon’s Dogma over the past few months and I basically knew how to speedrun the first few missions until reaching Gran Soren.

However, I think it is important to go through the early parts of Dragon’s Dogma as it has one of the best opening missions in video game history.

Underrated Gameplay and Story Introduction

Dragon’s Dogma’s prologue mission throws you into the fray with Savan and his companion Salde.

Dragon’s Dogma immediately teaches you movement controls and one of the most important items: the lantern.

This item not only serves as a light inside dark dungeons, but also during the night — subtly introducing its day-and-night cycle.

Just a short walk past the broken-down entryway, you encounter the game’s main antagonist, the Dragon.

His introduction is one of the best, in my opinion, in video game history.

His sudden entrance presents the scale of combat, intensity of action, and high-fantasy experience that awaits you in your journey.

Again, in my opinion, this is one of the best character and story introductions in video game history.

As you delve deeper into the dungeon, you are introduced to more companions called Pawns.

With these new party members, you descend even deeper and face off against various enemies like Bats, Goblins, Wolves, and Harpies.

Eventually, you face off against the tutorial boss, the Chimera.

There are different ways of defeating the Chimera, but it is apparent that the game wants you to kill its Serpent tail and Goat head first by climbing on the monster.

Yes, you climb monsters in this game and this is what impressed me the most when I first saw Dragon’s Dogma.

After defeating the Chimera, the prologue mission ends.

It’s hard to recall any game that introduces both story and gameplay so seamlessly.

In this short introduction, Dragon’s Dogma covers basic movement and combat, the day-and-night cycle, lighting, monster weaknesses, pawn companions, different combat classes, the story setting, and the main villain.

Customizable Hero, Companion, and Party Members

After completing the prologue mission, you’ll face the Dragon once again, this time in the town of Cassardis with your custom character.

Although you manage to fend off its attack, the Dragon takes your heart and makes you an Arisen, creating a bond between you two.

To prevent Gransys, your continent, from being destroyed, you must seek and defeat the Dragon as the Arisen.

As the Arisen, you’ll need to pursue the Dragon and take on various tasks, such as defeating monsters, building a strong party, training your primary Pawn, and mastering your chosen class.

All these to prepare you for the ultimate battle against the Dragon.

My journey was long and challenging as it required a lot of off-stream playtime to level up my player and class properly.

In Dragon’s Dogma, classes are known as Vocations, and players can start off as a Fighter, Thief, or Mage.

Since I preferred the Sword and Shield playstyle, I chose the Fighter class, while my Pawn, named Meya after my partner, used Daggers and Bows as a Thief.

I summoned different Pawns to create the generic party composition: a tank, a physical damage dealer, a magic damage dealer, and a healer.

Together, we faced a variety of monsters, including Wolves, Goblins, Lizard Men, Bandits, Griffins, Chimeras, Undead, Phantasms, Cyclops, Trolls, Wyrms, and Wyverns.

The land of Gransys is filled with dangerous creatures, and there are countless more that I have not yet even mentioned.

Breathtaking Areas and Exciting Bosses

Passing through different places and landmarks in Gransys, it is evident that both civil and wildlife fill the continent.

At the beginning of your journey as an Arisen, you’ll find yourself at the Encampment, a small military outpost tasked with protecting nearby settlements.

One thing I’ve noticed is that Dragon’s Dogma has a pattern: almost every area features a mini-boss.

This makes reaching and exploring new locations all the more rewarding, and the Encampment is no exception.

In fact, the Encampment is where you encounter two mini-bosses, the more significant one is the Hydra. Just look at the photo below and find out why.

Just like the Chimera, there are many ways of dealing with the Hydra: wait for one of its heads to lower down, cast a spell as it opens its mouth, attack it from afar with magic or arrows, or climb on it and slash it down.

After defeating the Hydra, you will need to deliver one of its heads to the capital of Gransys called Gran Soren.

You escort the military group led by Ser Mercedes and pass through the Moonsbit Pass.

This pass is located in a mountain guarded by Harpies, Wolves, Goblins, and Bandits. Walk carelessly and you might even find yourself crushed by falling boulders.

The Moonsbit Pass may not be the most impressive area with its narrow and treacherous design, however, it perfectly fits as an introduction to monster-filled areas you will encounter throughout the game.

These areas are carefully designed to mix a specific theme, the monsters, and the current story being told in your progress.

This is reminiscent of Monster Hunter areas where they often have winding paths and tricky shortcuts.

There is another area later on in the game that I was absolutely awestruck with: the Soulflayer Canyon.

Just like Dark Souls or Elden Ring, one thing I love about games made by Japanese developers is the way future locations are often revealed, both openly and subtly.

At the top and end of Moonsbit Pass, you will see the capital of Gransys and the plains between them, called Estan Plains.

In the distance, you can also see an ominous coliseum that seems to beckon your curiosity.

This, in fact, is an important area further into the game.

Dragon’s Dogma is littered with these simple yet carefully made locations that make exploration always worthwhile.

Dedicated Niche and Helpful Community

Around the quarter mark of my playthrough, I had just gotten out of jail after accidentally punching a guard, and was about to escort the daughter of one of Gran Soren’s merchants when FlyOutFate came to my stream to say hello.

At that time, I didn’t know who FlyOutFate was, but I was happy to have him join my stream.

He stuck around for an hour or so and seemed to be knowledgeable about the game. He even helped me with certain missions and class compositions.

It wasn’t until the next stream that I found out that he is a World Record Speedrunner of Dragon’s Dogma.

Having such a person occasionally drop by my stream is something I am truly grateful for.

This is because Dragon’s Dogma is, unfortunately, not that popular.

Instead, it has a very dedicated and niche community that provides quality-of-life mods and helpful tips on the internet.

Another viewer that I greatly appreciate is AftahShak.

AftahShak is a Filipino viewer who found me and stuck around until the end of my Dragon’s Dogma playthrough.

He entertained every gameplay and lore question I had and even gave me strong equipment.

The deed I am most grateful for from him is his openness to conversing with me about my lore theories on Dragon’s Dogma — I share this in the picture below so beware of spoilers.

These dedicated fans of Dragon’s Dogma are everywhere on the internet, and their mark can be felt through the various mods, accessible communities, and YouTube videos that help you with the game.

The Good, the Evil, and the God

Speaking of Dragon’s Dogma’s lore, it has one of the most basic and straightforward stories you can ever make in fantasy fiction.

The generic fairy tale story of the hero and the dragon goes like this: there is a Dragon that represents Evil, and a Hero that represents Good, destined or chosen to defeat it.

This is how it plays out in Dragon’s Dogma, but only if you pay no mind to the subtle character interactions, sly hints in the dialogue, item descriptions, and post-game content.

I won’t spoil it — even though I feel like I already did — but it is worth exploring the world after finishing the game.

Just because the Dragon — which I am absolutely sure you will love — is gone, it doesn’t mean the story has ended.

Should You Try It?

Yes.

In my opinion, Dragon’s Dogma is at the peak of open-world RPG games.

Granted that some of its gameplay mechanics and graphics are outdated, the core elements and high-fantasy RPG experience it offers are made to perfection.

There are no more words I want to add, and I just hope my love for this game is reflected in this writing.

PostScript

I pray to God that Dragon’s Dogma 2 plays smoothly and looks remotely like this.