Dragon’s Dogma is one of the best-kept secrets in gaming. The game was released in 2012 as what looked to be yet another fantasy RPG with an open world. However, while it received superb reviews out of the gate, Capcom’s first foray into the genre simply didn’t sell very well. At the time, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was still riding high as the pinnacle of fantasy RPGs, and was still releasing DLC.
Over the years, though, people have been able to come back and check out Dragon’s Dogma, getting it more cheaply than at launch and inspired by the countless ‘Top 10 RPGs’ articles dotted around the internet. Helped by an expanded version, Dark Arisen, released between 2016 and 2019 to consoles and computers, what was a sales count of 6.8 million units in mid-2022 is now at 7.7 million, according to the publisher’s sales data sheet.
That’s an incredible haul for a game that launched to relatively low sales over a decade ago, clearly spurred by good word-of-mouth and retrospective appreciation. Soon, Dragon’s Dogma II will arrive, and when it does, Capcom can expect its RPG to hit a far higher sales mark from the get-go than it did as an original IP.
Dragon’s Dogma II knows what’s made the original so popular
Like many new entries into the fantasy RPG genre of the age, Dragon’s Dogma didn’t get everything right. The opening is fairly slow, generic, and quite unhelpful, but get past that, and you open up a crazy, quirky, and engaging world with incredible game mechanics. Chief among these is the Pawn system, which is your AI-controlled party members who help in battles and have their own personalities.
In the upcoming sequel, Pawns will remain a crucial part of the gameplay, but now, you’ll also have a fully customisable Main Pawn and two Support Pawns – who borrow from Main Pawns that other players have created. It’ll still be a single-player game, but with greater technology in play, the AI characters will feel much more real – as will the monsters. There’ll also be a new race to consider when making your characters.
The Beastren are humanoids with features of big cats, like snow leopards and tigers, and look to play a significant part in the game’s story and setting. What will remain somewhat familiar is the launching point of the story. Once again, your heart will be stolen by a mighty dragon. However, you won’t be enjoying your time in a quaint seaside town. This time around, you’ll need to break out of prison to commence your revenge quest.
The people demand dragons!
Dragon’s Dogma II, expected to arrive sometime in 2024, is building hype at precisely the right time – when dragons are right at the front of entertainment again. Despite how its predecessor concluded, the HBO show House of the Dragon dazzled viewers and critics while being very heavy on the fabled scaly beasts. Plus, Season 2 is reportedly unhindered by the strikes in the US, so it will likely be on screens in 2024.
Along with huge entertainment events like the return of House of the Dragon, the creatures remain popular draws in just about every corner of pop culture. It’s why plenty of movies have drawn them in and why so many are the main characters in games at the best-paying online casino. As a rule, slots that offer an RTP over 95 percent are the preference, and titles like Dragon’s Fire, Dragon’s Keep, Dragons Awakening, and Dragon’s Breath available at LeoVegas tick this box.
In the home of Dragon’s Dogma, dragons have again been key to the immersion, grandeur, and success of what might just go down as the best game of 2023. Baldur’s Gate III is so varied in each playthrough, technically superb, and as close as you’ll get to a digital game of Dungeons and Dragons that it’s bound to land a boat-load of awards, which will partially be spurred on by the awesomeness of the dragons in the setting.
More news on Dragon’s Dogma II likely isn’t far away following the trailer and expanded presentation shown so far. If it does stick the landing in 2024 – preferably early 2024 – it’s bound to be a big seller.
