When taken at face value, the review scores and Metacritic reception for Dragon’s Dogma look extremely positive. Considering the never-ending discourse surrounding reviewer vs player scores, Dragon’s Dogma seems like a strange anomaly. It’s a game that everyone agrees is a solid 8 out of 10.
This might fool you into thinking that Dragon’s Dogma is a game that everyone will love. In reality, however, I’d hesitate to recommend it to anyone without first warning them of its flaws – because these flaws are almost integral to enjoying Dragon’s Dogma. Weird as it sounds, the cult status and dedicated fanbase earned by Dragon’s Dogma is owed just as much to its imperfections as its strengths. This piece isn’t for the people that loved Dragon’s Dogma the first time they encountered it, or for the people that played through it five times and are desperately excited for the sequel. This is for those of you that gave Dragon’s Dogma a chance, and gave up halfway through.
Originally released in 2012, Dragon’s Dogma immediately drew praise for its satisfying and brisk hack and slash gameplay, as well as its surprisingly deep AI-driven “pawn” system. The opening story tasks players with, quite literally, stealing back their own heart from a Shakespearean dragon – a cool premise that unfortunately gives way to a somewhat forgettable, bloated plot until the plot eventually ramps back up towards the conclusion.
This narrative bell curve is oddly representative of Dragon’s Dogma’s biggest problem: its middle act. After an enjoyable opening, players will step out into the open world and discover a litany of reasons to promptly give up on Dragon’s Dogma. A large, yet sparsely populated map. Constant backtracking across an empty world, paired with a limited fast-travel system. Frequently recycled enemy types, including bosses that respawn mere hours after lengthy fights. Missions with undefined conditions that, when not met, will either make the mission twice as hard or fail it completely. These are all red flags that, when taken on their own, would warn anyone to steer clear.