NY Comic Con Hands-On: Dragon's Dogma - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 20 October 2011 / 4,621 Views
Dragon’s Dogma, a new fantasy IP from Capcom, was being showcased via a playable demo in the hidden crevices of the fighting-focused booth. I was curious about the game when it was first announced, and even more curious when I saw so few people waiting in line to play, when every other game had throngs of people standing around waiting to play. What’s even more curious is that Dragon’s Dogma is actually a ton of fun.
Set in an open fantasy world, Dragon’s Dogma lets you create your own hero, though customization options were unavailable in the demo. It is completely single player, but up to three companions can be recruited from around the open world, sporting different classes and back stories to compliment the character you’ve chosen. While I was told I’d be able to switch from character to character in the final release, I couldn’t in the demo, which made it frustrating to hit aerial enemies with just a sword and shield and no jump action. Companions can be given commands by the d-pad, and AI seemed to be pretty intuitive, responding eagerly to my requests for help with unique answers and quips. It helps personalize the experience, and gives a notion of multiplayer when there will be none.
Combat, while relying on combos of X’s and Y’s, throws in some interesting skills mapped to each face button when holding either RB or LB (L1 or R1). Skills can be upgraded and customized, but the demo featured what I think is a high level character at 20, with each skill already maxed out. As a fighter, I had multi-hit combos, thrusts, and upward slashes at my disposal, as well as ripostes and shield bashes. It’s an invitingly fun system and is very action oriented, feeling like a mix of Dragon Age: Origins and a simpler Demon’s Souls.
Dragon’s Dogma holds a visual aesthetic akin to Capcom’s other third-person, fantasy-esque franchise, Monster Hunter. Colors were vibrant, even with the grainy look, and combining the two is a great fit for the fantasy setting. Environments ranged from grassy fields inhabited by detailed griffins, to dank caverns that feed the manticores, yet destructibles were noticeably absent. A giant chest in a room should yield something, rather than being completely unbreakable. Though, there are enough varied enemies to go around, just nothing too original or impressive besides the griffin and manticore bosses.
However, Dragon’s Dogma seems to be focused on engaging and exciting combat, instead of outstanding visuals. It will be intriguing to see how Dragon’s Dogma turns out – it’s just too bad there’s no release date besides a 2012 window.
