Dragon's Dogma 2 review roundup: 'a thrilling open-world adventure'
Dragon's Dogma 2 has been well-received by critics, but it isn't free of controversy
👍 Dragon’s Dogma 2 has an OpenCritic score of 89 after 90 critic reviews
🤩 96% of critics would recommend the game
⚔️ Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the long-awaited sequel to Capcom’s 2012 title
💰 The game is out now and costs $69.99, but has come under fire on Steam for its use of microtransactions
Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 continues the Japanese publisher’s sterling record of garnering strong reviews from critics. The long-awaited sequel to the 2012 title has been extremely well-received, but the game is currently sitting on a review score of “mixed” on Steam due to how microtransactions have been implemented.
Dragon’s Dogma has achieved an impressive OpenCritic score of 89 after 90 critic reviews, with 96% of reviewers happy to recommend the game. It’s available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
IGN said Dragon’s Dogma 2 is “more of a redo than a sequel” and called it “a strange and wonderful action-RPG that bolsters the original’s strengths without addressing its weaknesses.”
Eurogamer gave Dragon’s Dogma 2 a perfect score, calling it “a huge improvement over the original and a captivating journey from beginning to end.”
Game Informer was also impressed with Capcom’s sequel, saying, “Dragon’s Dogma 2 captures the spirit of the original without sanding down the edges of what made it excellent. Its insistence on player exploration and discovery, coupled with an ending I will think about for the rest of the year, makes Dragon’s Dogma 2 a standout game and a worthy successor.”
GameSpot said, “Dragon's Dogma 2 is an excellent sequel that builds upon the first game's core concepts to create a thrilling open-world adventure.”
Not everyone was as enamored with Dragon’s Dogma 2, however. Metro said the game was “disappointingly similar to the 2012 original” while Digital Trends said the game is “an exhilarating, if occasionally frustrating, RPG full of dynamic player-driven moments.”
Despite the positive reviews, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has been criticized by players on Steam for its use of microtransactions. The vast majority of reviews failed to mention that Capcom is charging for basic features such as being able to change the appearance of your character or pawns.
For example, the ‘Dragon's Dogma 2: Art of Metamorphosis - Character Editor’ lets players “Obtain an item that allows the Arisen to edit their own appearance or the appearance of a pawn. It can be used only once when visiting a barberie.”
While the microtransactions are by no means mandatory, locking simple features behind a paywall for a $70 game is excessive. Capcom has since released a statement on Steam that says all DLC items can be earned in-game.
Check out the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games to see what’s next for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles.