Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen

🎮 Steam ⏳ 70 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Epic Climbing Combat #

This particular title is an expanded version of Capcom’s ambitious action RPG, bringing the original game plus new content and much-needed refinements. Its standout feature is the fast, weighty combat system, one of the most satisfying in the genre. Battles against towering beasts like chimeras and griffins feel epic, as you can grab onto their bodies, climb them, and strike at weak points, making each encounter dynamic and unpredictable.

Pawn System Depth #

Another highlight is the Pawn system, where you create a customizable AI companion and recruit others made by real players through the entire world. This adds a sense of community and variety to party composition, even when playing offline, though honestly speaking I choose to play alone, offline, and only used my own pawns, customized by myself. The expansion content, Bitterblack Isle, introduces some of the game’s most challenging dungeons and enemies, greatly increasing replay value, and I got to admit that I was not able to finish this one, but I highly encourage grinding this one out of you are a fan, it is a very good experience, if you have the patience.

Flexible Class Freedom #

One of it’s best features in my opinion, and one that I played around with the most, is the class system. You can mix and match different class skills, creating very unique combos and playstyles. Particularly speaking I like to play melee close-combat characters, but I also like to play non-tank ones, so I went with a mix of the Fighter and the Rogue, which is called Assassin. And these advanced classes are where the power-phantasy begins, you can go crazy on this game, eve in the most challenging dungeons and bosses, outscaling them with your protagonist, or even while performing a party-based approach.

Flawed Yet Memorable #

That said, the game’s visuals, interface, and storytelling are dated, and its world can sometimes feel empty compared to other open-world RPGs. Even for standards at the time of it’s original release, though particularly speaking, I don’t really care much about realistic visuals, but if you do then I consider this a big downside. Still, the sense of adventure, freedom in combat, and rewarding progression make this title a unique and memorable RPG that has built a loyal following over the years. It is one of the best games Capcom has ever made, and a must-play for fans of action RPGs.