It’s so ice to be back
It’s not uncommon to return to a dense RPG after a break of months or years and be immediately humbled, but jumping into Dragon’s Dogma II: Dark Arisen after two years away from the base game threatened to break me.
Here I was, already stumbling around and trying to reacclimate to the intricacies of Capcom’s heady epic, only to be thrown into the frigid mountains of Norgan – a brand-new region outside of the core game’s map – where new beasts, terrain and unkind weather only compounded my struggles. Even meeting the recommended character level of 40 at the outset, Dark Arisen’s new main quest was quick to challenge me with especially tough enemies and the harshest of environments. And I couldn’t be happier.
This sharp upturn in difficulty doesn’t just make sense as a natural progression for existing, battle-hardened players, but it’s important in giving the expansion a distinct feel from the base game. Contending with Norgan’s monsters, men and mountains necessitates engaging with its unique gear offerings, designed to add interesting new layers to party development. The most prominent of these are Spoils – unique enemy drops and hidden loot that generate high-level, regionally unique items and equipment after being appraised at the area’s sole friendly settlement.
A lot of the useful properties found in these are appropriate to the oppressively cold climate, offering protection against freezing temperatures that deplete your stamina or the many times you’ll be pummelled with ice – either via enemy magicks or because you accidentally swung at a pillar of loose ice perched precariously over your head. It means that no matter how prepared you were before making the trip (by air, no less) to Norgan, you’ll absolutely need to engage with the new loot cycle if you want to stand a chance.
I suppose I should touch on why we’re here, right? Your sojourn to Norgan involves rumours of a powerful, undead-spewing dragon and another Arisen – which should be impossible given you are the world’s current, one-and-only occupier of that role. Naturally, this begs investigation, and upon arrival you quickly discover that Norgan isn’t quite as deserted as most had been led to believe, prompting not only your immediate goal of slaying a dragon and safeguarding your career, but also a series of twists and turns that lead to a better understanding of the history of this region.
It’s a hefty offering, too. The main Dark Arisen quest clocking in at a minimum of 15 hours – more if you stop to smell the snowballs – plus a plethora of side quests that run the gamut from fetch-y to genuinely interesting, as well as a series of tough combat dungeons peppered throughout the original map that’ll easily tack on another 10-odd hours. I envy anyone coming in completely fresh, there’s a lot of game here for the asking price of the updated package.
It’s tough to say too much about how your mission in Norgan progresses without giving too much away, suffice it to say that there are some fantastic adventures packed into this expansion, as well as some truly wonderful storytelling. I was really happy to see Pawns get their time in the spotlight towards the tail end of the core story, and there are some fantastic characters, beasts and brutal bosses to get acquainted with along the way. A choice-based fork in the quest towards the end also makes for impressive consequences. Norgan is a delight to explore as well, even when snowstorms and precarious ice formations threaten to end your trip early, and this series’ knack for emergent moments shines just as brightly as ever.
Given it’s been a while since I last touched Dragon’s Dogma 2, this has also been my first experience of some of the game’s significant updates since launch. Of these, the Eternal Ferrystone is no doubt one of the more contentious, but it became absolutely vital to me finishing the DLC story and getting this review out on time. The beautiful thing is, had time pressure not been a thing, I never once would have felt compelled to use it – Capcom was right to be confident in the value of the game’s immediate fun and trust that most folks would continue to opt for walking over fast travel, for the most part.
I’ve also been able to experience the game anew on the PlayStation 5 Pro, where added Enhanced PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) support has meant I’m seeing Norgan in all its beauty with decent performance to boot, which is a nice improvement over how things were looking at launch. The only complaints I can possibly level at the Dark Arisen expansion are the absence of any new Vocations, and the fact that the mountainous, snowy terrain has introduced more issues than I’m used to – I’ve had a couple instances of pawns falling through the snow and disappearing, or having their pathfinding defeated by complex cliff structures. Nothing hugely annoying, but notable nonetheless.
All told, Dark Arisen has absolutely revitalised my love for Dragon’s Dogma II, and if that’s not the most valuable endorsement for a major, paid expansion, I don’t know what is. Returning players are going to find a ton of added nuance and new challenge, and fresh arrivals have another 20-30 hours of excellent adventuring to look forward to among the rest of the outstanding main campaign.
Reviewed on PS5 | Review copy supplied by publisher
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Great
- Norgan is a vast and exciting new region
- New Spoils-based loot cycle adds some fun new gear
- Lots of challenging and spectacular fights to find
- A riveting new story with a cool, forked conclusion
- Freki
Not great
- Some rare issues with environmental geometry
- No new vocations
Born into the world of video games through SEGA, and in particular Sonic the Hedgehog, Kieron’s gaming tastes now consist of the latest, shiny AAA thing, an indie darling or two, and an embarrassing number of hours of Balatro.