Dragon’s Dogma: REVIEW (SWITCH)
Dragon’s Dogma Review
Dragon’s Dogma deserved this. Not just a second chance, like it had with Dark Arisen, an enhanced port from 2017, but a third and a fourth and more with its many releases. It finally finds itself on Switch and has found a great home on this portable console. If you’re like me and missed out on this title before, with it’s great, big open world and engaging monster hunting, this is an awesome add to your Switch collection.
When Dragon’s Dogma was announced for this platform, I had to ask Galaxy of Geek writer Deshawn Vasquez why it sounded familiar. He informed me that the game came out in the long shadow of Skyrim, despite the titles being a sales quarter apart. After playing the game I see why that would happen. I have been describing this game to friends as a combination of Skyrim and Monster Hunter. In the best way, like seriously. It has the open, in-depth RPG world of Skyrim and long, well thought out monster fights that last a little while, like they do in Monster Hunter. Add all this in a portable package, and this is a must grab for RPG lovers on the Switch.
So Dragon’s Dogma is dope #DDDA #DragonsDogma #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/IE0XgkUgSS — Frank Duran (@yupfrank) June 4, 2019
The story isn’t exactly deep but like most great RPGs, the side quests are more a pull than the main ones. The main plot involves an ancient, evil dragon newly reborn, who comes down and steals your poor little heart right from your chest when you are out fishing. So, you spend the rest of the game routing out the dragon’s evil, dealing in the affairs of the kingdom and attempting to get your heart back. The side quests are where the world really opens up. There is a lot bubbling under the surface of every town you encounter. I really enjoyed getting lost on these little excursions, that I had to refocus and turn my attention back to the main quest. The plot ends with a great choice, and whatever course of action you choose changes the world dramatically for post game content. This isn’t the only time a choice you make will affect the world either, and I truly love that.
Now, Dragon’s Dogma isn’t only a single player questing marathon, it also has some multiplayer elements. Well, passive multiplayer, at least. Each player gets a pawn, a permanent addition to your team, which you can customize to your heart’s content. They each get their own class determined by your own team’s strategy, they also level up alongside your main character. When your game is connected to the internet, your pawn is available for other players to add to their party. This element was a lot of fun, because you get to put some serious personality into certain pawns and others that people have made are equipped with some seriously OP weapons. My favorite pawn I recruited was a masked woman named Lilith and she wielded this giant mace imbued with holy light and it wreeecked people. She was just the right amount of ridiculous to add to my party and ended up making my play-through a lot more fun.
The open world and pawn system would be enough for most RPG lovers but what I was really head over heels for was the giant monster fighting. Chimeras, cyclops, golems, gryphons and much more are here for a good ol’ scrap. I mean a scrap, too. Some of these fights can last a while, my longest lasting around 30 minutes. Some might groan at that length but I love that. It feels earned and when you finally slay a beast. Like Monster Hunter, you use the remains of the beasts to make better equipment. Maybe that franchise has just conditioned me to that style, but I love that rewarding gameplay loop.
It’s not a perfect port, though. Some of the graphics can be very muddy with all of this game’s dark colors. I also ran into several glitches and two crashes in my 35 hours with the game, neither of which were game breaking. Some glitches were just delayed texture pop-ins and objects disappearing. Also a fair warning, it’s hard. If you’re unprepared for encounters at all, you will get smashed. The combat isn’t as rigid as Dark Souls, but that still means you have to plan out your moves or a thief will stab you before you can light them up. The game is fair and only backs you up to your last save point, so save often and it won’t be too bad if you get shanked in the street.
Dragon’s Dogma is thoroughly enjoyable experience and being able to take it with you everywhere makes this port a great pick up. will please many a gamer but beware at the difficulty of this game. If you are looking for a decently priced open world RPG on switch, you will not go wrong with Dragon’s Dogma.
Galaxy of Geek Breakdown:
Rating: 8.5 Out of 10 biiiig Dragons
Time Played: 37 hours (35 to end of main quest)
Cost: $30 Physical
Spent most of the game: Jumping from roof to roof with levitate