The long-awaited sequel to Dragon's Dogma is just hours away, and the embargo for early reviews has finally been lifted. With Capcom showing a severe lack of communication in the past few weeks, many fans of the series have been concerned about the sequel not meeting their expectations. There was a lot of discussion online centered around performance issues and the lack of enemy variety, both of which were quite noticeable based on all of the trailers released for the game.
Well, the reviews are finally out, and most of the speculation leading up to the release of the game was quite accurate. The general consensus is that Dragon's Dogma 2 is a fantastic game that is plagued by poor optimization and performance issues. In this article, we are going to go over some of the details that can be found in the wave of early reviews of Dragon's Dogma 2.
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Dragon's Dogma 2 Exceeds Expectations
Let's start with the positives. Most, if not all, of the different outlets that were lucky enough to receive an early copy have stated that the game truly lived up to the expectations, with the game opening to generally favorable reviews, from 85s to 100s. The dense open world, crunchy and exhilarating combat, as well as rewarding exploration that does not hold your hand have all been highly praised by both reviewers who were fans of the original and newcomers to the series alike. Some reviewers compared the lack of handholding in the open world to the likes of Elden Ring, while the random events and sidetracking have reminded others of games like Skyrim.
Dexerto - Sayem Ahmed - 5 / 5
Dragon’s Dogma 2 boldly stands as a giant of the open-world genre that dares to defy existing conventions and expectations. It’s a courageous effort that is as rewarding as it is deep. 80 hours in, I still feel as though I have barely scratched the surface of what’s on offer. Its abrasive player experience demands you abide by its rules of engagement. Comply, and you will be rewarded with one of the most engaging fantasy RPGs ever created. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a masterpiece. It is an unmissable title that not only asks for your respect, but demands it.
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The rewarding exploration is only one piece of the puzzle, as the combat system in the game is also causing a lot of reviewers to reevaluate their scoring systems for some of their previous pieces. Jumping on large enemies, creating the perfect party of Pawns, and the general physics and feel of the combat have been highly praised by many outlets. For all intents and purposes, it seems like Dragon's Dogma 2 has managed to successfully build off of the systems from the original while also being able to package it into a modern AAA game.
GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 9 / 10
Dragon's Dogma 2 is an excellent sequel that builds upon the first game's core concepts to create a thrilling open-world adventure.
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Dragon's Dogma 2 Performance Issues
Speaking of modern AAA games, let's talk about the other side of the coin. Even a few days ago, fans of the series were still speculating on whether or not the game is going to be properly optimized, both for PC and consoles. These concerns were all based on the fact that Capcom did not release a playable demo of Dragon's Dogma 2, which is something they have done with all of their latest major releases. Many of the marketing trailers were also recorded in what looks to be 30 fps, which was a hot topic in many online communities.
If you were only judging the wave of reviews based on the numbers and the quotes, you would not be even close to expecting the severe lack of performance issues that the reviewers have had while playing the game. The general consensus on this topic is that the game can barely run at 60 fps on high-end rigs, with dips to under 30 in some of the larger towns. And that is on PC.
PC Gamer Performance Analysis:
If you have a mid-range or budget-level gaming PC, you're unlikely to see performance figures in excess of 60 fps in the open world areas. In the main city, though, you'll be looking to hit half that figure, even at 1080p with low quality settings.
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For consoles, some outlets like IGN have stated that their editors were suffering from motion sickness due to framerate issues on the PS5. The game has an uncapped framerate, and by the words of Game Director Hideaki Itsuno, they are aiming for 30 fps. Both the PC and console performance results are, quite frankly, unacceptable for a $65 game in 2024. Only time will tell whether or not these issues will be fixed with the addition of new drivers or the day 1 patch, but players should remain skeptical.
Dragon's Dogma 2's framerate issues were so rough for IGN senior editorial producer Mark Medina that he had switch from playing on PlayStation 5 to PC because he was getting motion sickness.
My current rig exceeds the recommended specifications (aside from the CPU), and the game generally runs at around 60fps using the game's "High" preset. Sometimes it dips into the 40s and drops even lower inside villages and cities, but it's certainly playable, if a little unstable.
That covers our breakdown of the first wave of reviews for Dragon's Dogma 2. Most of the speculation and doomposting about the game seem like they were warranted, as a large part of the fan base was right to criticize Capcom's lack of communication prior to the release of the game. We truly hope that the game is able to alleviate some of these issues before the launch, but in the meanwhile, we suggest that you wait for some more information before purchasing the game.
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