Matt Kamen 

Dragon’s Dogma – review

Online features add lustre to this fantasy title, writes Matt Kamen
  
  

Dragon's dogma
Dragon's Dogma: 'none of the stat-grinding tedium' of Skyrim. Photograph: Public Domain

Left literally heartless but somehow alive in the wake of a dragon's attack on your village, Dragon's Dogma sees players set off to not only reclaim their vital organ but perhaps to save the world en route. So far, so Skyrim – but Capcom's new game only bears surface similarities to Bethesda's fantasy opus. Branching quests and ridiculously customisable characters certainly make their appearance here, but there's none of the stat-grinding tedium. Instead, hardy combat is the focus, with a class system allowing you to blend melee, magic and ranged attacks as you progress.

The standout feature, though, is the pawn system, where support characters are shared online when you're away, returning with spoils of war. You can hire additional pawns from a global pool to bolster your own party too. It's a fantastic system that brings a fresh level of interaction to single-player gaming, and makes Dragon's Dogma a unique offering from Japan's otherwise play-it-safe developers.

 

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