Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma has been somewhat of a curiosity throughout its development. Initially unveiled as a grand new role-playing game (RPG) last year, Dragon’s Dogma has received a modest amount of attention for what is clearly a AAA production. Perhaps it was the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim stealing the limelight, or maybe it was just a lack of faith in the product. Whatever may have been the case, it was an unjust representation of the videogame, as now that it’s arrived it’s clear to see that Dragon’s Dogma is a unique, compelling adventure.
In Dragon’s Dogma, players take on the role of the Arisen. When a dragon attacks your lands the only right thing to do is defend, and though your attempt to do so was ill-fated, it could have been much worse. As the dragon flings you from his back and sees you defenceless, he removes your heart 
with but a tap of his finger, and eats it. You awake unknowing of how much time has passed, but now able to hear the voice of a distant antagonist. Grabbing your sword and shield, you step forth to claim your heart back from the dragon, and save your land.
A high-fantasy tale for which the delivery edges towards the mature market, Dragon’s Dogma begins with a short tutorial informing the player of the basic mechanics, such as combat and using Pawns. These are artificial intelligence (AI) comrades who will work with your towards your goal. They can be hired and fired, and will gain experience as they work with the player. In a nutshell, they are the key innovation of Dragon’s Dogma: allies that act similarly to those of Dragon Age: Origins, but without the need for the player to perform every command.
The player can command one main pawn who goes everywhere with you, and is subject to the same customisation and class system for its development. Three classes are available initially: Fighter, Strider and Mage. 
The Fighter is a melee character, Striders are ranged attackers and the Mage is exactly what any experienced gamer would expect. You can also hire up to two additional pawns at any point, though these are not so customisable. Instead they stick to a set pattern for class and level, but are no less helpful in combat. The AI is in fact so well designed that some gamers may well think that it’s been taken a step too far, and that some of the ‘playing’ has been taken out of the player’s hand. But doing so is to miss the point: Dragon’s Dogma provides a simulation of real comrades, and while they may not have the most unique characters they do promote an understanding of the player’s wishes greater than most.
Players and Pawns will climb through levels automatically, gaining statistics increases as they go and gaining experience points. Experience can be spent with tutors located around the land in exchange for leaning new skills or improving existing ones. These skills can then be assigned to a face button and, while holding 
either the left or right should button depending on whether it’s your secondary or primary weapon respectively, pressing that face button will execute the manoeuvre in combat. The levelling system is fairly rudimentary, but in that it echoes one of the greatest sentiments of the videogame: Dragon’s Dogma is realistically a fairly straight forward adventure title, but it constantly gives the feeling that you are engaging in a deep and methodical RPG in which your decisions have a bearing on the outcome. Were it not for the respectably sized open world, Dragon’s Dogma would have more in common with the underappreciated Warriors: Legends of Troy than The Elder Scrolls or Dragon Age series.
The quest structure plays as would be expected: a series of core quests that advance the story and some intermittent sidetracks that offer bonuses and rewards otherwise unobtainable. Again, it’s a structure that appears to follow the convention dictated by RPG titles, but is just as evident in the Fable series. What does give Dragon’s Dogma a slight edge here is that many of these quests can intertwine. You can be attempting a 
quest which seems fairly simple, only to hit a stumbling block and be able to proceed, however opting to break and complete a different quest in the same area might well be the key to your success. It’s a simple addition to the formula that sounds more annoying than it is, as all paths still lead somewhere.
There’s plenty of similarly scaled additions that make Dragon’s Dogma feel like an interesting variation on a standard template, such as the unlocking of additional classes and the opportunity to change that of both the player character and pawn at inns, the Affinity system which sees AI characters develop an opinion of you based on your actions and not simply through conversations, and of course there’s the frequently discussed ability to climb on enemies. This last mechanic isn’t limited to just giant beasts however – who do often offer unique points for those who choose to scale their heights, in a fashion clearly inspired by Shadow of the Colossus – with smaller enemies also able to be grabbed as well as environmental objects, such as rocks and exploding barrels.
From a technical standpoint Dragon’s Dogma isn’t exactly astounding, but it could never be considered poor either. The visual quality may not be striking, and there are occasional draw distance issues, but the designers have chosen to use a filter which does make the look and feel of the videogame something quite unique. The character creation process does at first seem remarkably limited, asking you to choose from a selection of preset bodies, but this is merely giving the casual player the chance to jump straight in with a reasonably proportioned hero. The options are there for a player to customise 
their on-screen avatar to a considerable degree, but it still falls short of the likes of Mass Effect 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by a fair margin. More successful however is the sound design. A perfectly balanced score marks the highs and lows of your adventure, and distances moments of tension from the run-of-the-mill highway battles.
Despite the comparative lack of attention Dragon’s Dogma has received since its announcement, it weaves a truly remarkable tale. While at a glance it may appear to be a deep and foreboding RPG it is in fact a very accessible adventure videogame. So enjoyable is its combination of tried-and-tested and innovative mechanics that it does in fact compete with some of the finest adventure titles available on current-generation systems. Minor blemishes in terms of collision detection, visual design and reliance on outdated story delivery conventions don’t degrade the overall experience, which is never anything less than engrossing.
 
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