17 Sep, 2011
With an onslaught of gaming previews, booth babes, and cosplay, the 2011 Tokyo Game Show swooped in to give us a taste of all the big hitters to come later this year and also next. Among them was the mysterious open-world RPG Dragon’s Dogma, developed by old school powerhouse Capcom. While many of us don’t relate Japanese developers to this style of gaming, Capcom decided to take a plunge, and it won’t be a terrible one either.
With a character creation system that would make Dark Souls envious, Capcom gives players the option to mess around with the details that would allow gamers to create that perfect hero look. We’re talking messing about with chest size (take that, Soul Calibur), muscle mass, and even posturing. Who said hunchbacks can’t have a pretty face?
In a live demo at Tokyo Game Show, Destructoid revealed that while you can make the prettiest of the pretty, there’s also going to be some pretty nasty looking characters. Capcom stated during the show that all in-game characters were made with their character creator. The next time you want to complain about just how ugly that shopkeeper is, all you have to do is look at your own character in comparison, and know how fickle the character creator can be.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of Dragon’s Dogma is the pawn system. It plays very much like old-school RPGs, in which the player has control over all members of their party. You may issue commands on who to attack, whether to take a defensive or aggressive stance, or to act at will. Pawns in this game can be fully customized and traded with other players online. Players can then choose to give them gifts, trade their pawns in exchange for one of yours, or rate your pawns. You might score some nice loot in this way if your pawn is worth it.
Unlike most RPGs, Dragon’s Dogma does not require resources. The effectiveness of your spell depends on how long you’ve charged it, which takes away much of the tediousness in trying to locate items or potions that can replenish your powers. After all, this game does have a very heavy focus on action and combat, which will make a good many of us happy. It will also feature the latest craze of giant-monster fighting much like Lords of Shadow‘s Ice Titan battles and Shadows of the Colossus. Players will be fighting giant monsters while clinging to their bodies in an epic struggle in the skies or running through forest. Eat your heart out, Legolas.
If you’re looking for an action-oriented RPG that will ease the pain of finishing Skyrim, look no further than Dragon’s Dogma. The 60 hour campaign might seem short, but we’re pretty sure there will be other stuff available to push it over that 80 hour mark. Go ahead and don’t make plans for a month or two.
For Destructoid’s full run down of the preview, check it out here.
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