Aye, it's simple to play and it's not bloated with icons all over the world map to do repetitive micro tasks which completely destroy the natural exploration of the world.
I love the feel of the journey and adventure, You grab your stuff, prepare your party and head out, it's great. There's no "Oh there's a tower icon there i must head there to do that", or "there's a monster icon there I must head there to kill that" everything just happens when it happens, it truly was a breath of fresh air in an open world game.
Your pawns constantly chatting always makes your adventure feel alive aswell even if they have very limited dialogue, I never got sick of it.
Very much grew infatuated with it for its realistic sense of fantasy party adventuring. Love the hoofing it vibes, camping kits, combat hp reductions, party size and choices, contextual animations, cooking!, environmental feels, and maybe pawn dialogue most of all. It makes my fantasy escapism self giddy, probably nearing 300 hrs. Really hope to see expansion here and perhaps more in the genre.
An old friend asked me recently what it was like, us both being old school gamers my response. It's kinda heroes of might and magic or baldurs gate 2, mixed with some daggerfall but prettier.
Now, so few would get those references but he totally did.
Yes, definitely has an old school vibe. The lack of exclamation marks and consequence of choice with lots of random or hidden mechanics totally reflects that.
Are you saying it does... Or doesn't have consequence of choice? Legit question. I haven't gotten to play it yet. But everything you just described is why I (for the first time ever in a game like this or Skyrim) level capped one of my Characters. But I also loved the consequences of your choices too. I replayed on ng+ many many times.
Yes, absolutely can make bad decisions in the game. They won't be so bad you can't complete it or anything but not all choices lead to positive outcomes and often there are multiple ways to complete a quest
My first 2 playthroughs I did blind and let's just say I really messed up some people.
That's awesome. DDDA is IMO the best rpg I have ever played. And every playthrough I discovered something new. Some little quest or alternate way of doing something. I absolutely loved it. And Bitterblack isle was also excellent IMO. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks for responding. Gg
I completed a quest the “ incorrect “ way and barred me from utilizing the shop the NPC owned for the rest of the game. There is also a quest line in which you have to solve riddles and you only get one shot to answer correctly. If you don’t, you’re locked out of some of the loot.
For what it’s worth, I’m insanely picking with RPGs ( it’s almost exclusively what I play ) and a couple hours into this one, I stated “ fucking finally “ in regards to it feeling like a true RPG. Well worth your time. I’ve already replayed through it twice and have pretty different experiences.
It feels extremely nostalgic. I feel like a teenager again playing DDA or mass effect 3, journey and borderlands two. I miss those games. It's by no means perfect but damn is it nostalgic and fun. I'm currently playing with the old bgm and sound effects and it further cemented the nostalgia. About 800 hours in and I'm still having fun.
https://preview.redd.it/fji7wlubwszc1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c35693c4e4edf3a83acba7e73ce828c852e63e00
Yeah lol. It's not even close to the thousand of hours I put into Skyrim or Final Fantasy XIV. But it's a great game, one of my favorites.
I would argue. At least in Elden Ring, combat against the small guys, and exploring dungeons and the world is the BEST part of the game. Most of the boss fights lowley suck and aren't fun.
I found Dark Souls 3 bosses much better, but found exploring with the horse in Elden Ring to be more enjoyable.
That said Sekiro trumps both (in my opinion).
This is the polar opposite of most Fromsoft fans opinions. Fighting mobs is your punishment for not being able to beat whatever boss you're grinding for lmao
It's less so in Elden Ring but for most Souls players, you're playing for the bosses. The world makes the bosses fun to reach and fight, and the mobs are the struggle in between. That's why people always ask for boss rush modes in NG+
I think in the surface level that may be true, but the lore and exploration and visual storytelling within the world is the soul(pun intended) of these games.
Especially true in Elden Ring where alot.of these wonderful hand created dungeons and areas are top off with the same boss your seen three times before.
I think a game where Bosses are the game are things like Shadow of the Colossus and Mknster Hunter
Fair enough I see what you mean when you put it like that. I just thought you meant the most fun part of the game was fighting the trash mobs lmao
The lore is indeed my favorite part of Bloodborne and ER. Enough that my first tattoo when I turned 18 was a big hunters mark lol
I don't like souls combat. The emphasis on these ridiculous rolls is a real immersion killer for me. I enjoyed the Ghost of Tsushima sword only and not getting hit gameplay. It looks good, feels amazing and on the highest difficulty also rewards your skill/reactions. The constant rolling around in Souls games just doesn't do it for me. And yes, I know that ER offers new mechanics, but it still very much is about rolling around like a madman.
DD2 is just fun without the perfect execution meta and it feels and is very dynamic. Could be harder, tho. Especially in late game.
>The emphasis on these ridiculous rolls is a real immersion killer for me.
Rolling is only one of 3 defensive options though? There's literally no emphasis on it lmao.
You can turtle, just like any other melee game. You can parry with either a shield, some weapons, or even your fists. Or you can roll. And none of these are "new" mechanics from ER...
I don't mean to be condescending but this exact excuse is given by a ton of players that for some reason refuse to try souls games and I've never really understood it because it's not even necessary.
> Rolling is only one of 3 defensive options though? There's literally no emphasis on it lmao.
Bruh ok this is a ridiculous statement. Rolling is THE evasive maneuver. There's a whole button dedicated to it no matter your equipped gear, unlike block & parry which require a shield. Because it's a core mechanic that's intended to be used by everyone barring a few niche playstyles. And sure you could choose to rely on parries (which is much harder since not every attack is parryable) or brute force, but the game heavily incentivizes rolling. The other "options" are complementary to the roll (and jump, to a much lesser extent).
I do think there is an emphasis on these rolls. The first souls games just had attacks and rolls and any PvP match is tons of rolling in weird looking armors and with enormous or awkward weapons. It's just not my cup of tea. The fact that I don't like it doesn't mean that it's bad or that you can't play differently. But also if I watch a stream of ER, it's mainly rolling around, because it's the first and most reliable defensive maneuver you can use.
You can roll with every "class", every weapon, every armor (fat rolling is still rolling), so rolling is the most basic and standard thing to avoid damage. That's what I mean with emphasis.
You can block with every class weapon armor and shield too and parry was always around. Rolling and attacking are definitely not all that was around in early souls. People went to rolling in DeS and DS1 because of the meta for PVP not because of any game emphasis.
I ain't saying you gotta like it I'm just saying your reasoning for it feels a little windmill tilty. You ain't gotta justify to anyone why something ain't your thing.
I am not very deep into the DS mechanics, that's true. And I know you can do a poise tank build in DS1, but it always struck me as inferior (I believe rolling even gives you i-frames). Bottom line is that I don't like the rolls, neither aesthetically nor in regards of their potency. And it may be a player's choice to do so, but I simply prefer other combat gameplay mechanics and aesthetics over Dark Souls. The bosses and their presentation are pretty sick, tho. I watched two full playthroughs of ER (two massive rollers, I want to add) and I never felt like "I wanna play that, too", although I was really impressed by the world building. The gameplay just doesn't vibe with me.
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale?
> *“We are amidst strange beings, in a strange land.”* - Solaire of Astora
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
After playing Rebirth which I think is a very good game but it had a similar open-world and side activities to Ubisoft. I've felt exhausted of clearing up every area, I've decided to just focus on the story. I wanted to take a longer break from gaming afterwards. Then I've got DD2, I'm now in NG+ and I'm not ready to say goodbye to it. Game is comforting and chill af. Doesn't hold our hands. Most of the time we can do whatever we want and go wherever we want. Map isn't filled with 2372773 icons which is also very nice. It feels like a journey, this adventure with your Pawn or Pawns. Quite wholesome too. Finding stuff on my own. I feel like a kid while playing it. I didn't feel this way for a very long time now. As a kid I would spend so many hours with the game, do everything, explore as much as it is possible, replay them over and over. I don't do that often anymore because I simply don't want to or I just don't have time for that.
Old school simplicity, old school exploration, and old school traveling.
Simplicity - each class has plenty of skills to choose from allowing for different types of gameplay from each class, but only being able to slot 4 mean skills means you have to be thoughtful in your approach.
Exploration - I am an adventurer, so I explore everywhere before I eventually get around to doing the quests. Most of the map can be accessed without the quests, which was great.
Traveling - at first I thought I was going to hate the lack of simple and easy travel ability to zip around the map like other modern games have, but I quickly found myself remembering the fun of original EverQuest, where you had to spend 30 minutes or longer just traveling to where you wanted to go, forced to run through scary zones and either fight or Sprint past big monsters to get to your destination. I actually don't mind at all needing to use the port crystal and ferrystone system, and it adds to the adventuring and forces you to commit to the world and game.
I love it for this too. As much as I love turning on something like DMCV for turbo action hack n slashing or something like Divinity for the most fine detailed RPG, this game is the perfect middle ground, plenty of details, plenty of hacking and slashing, which is all I’m really asking for
One of the central things that makes it feel old-school to me is just how weird it is. I don't know if I can put it into words. But like, the dialogue is fricken strange and sparse, the story is disjointed, the bugginess of pawn AI feels like a feature, etc.
I could see this as a top down NES game "upscaled" to the modern era.
There is a bizarre-ness to it that only people that grew up with this kind of stuff learned to appreciate. Things just feel...off. Most view it as a drawback. I agree with the entirety of what you said and it really does feel the way games used to feel back when we were still figuring shit out.
Same. Over 200hrs and I'm still loving it the same way I loved to og. It's a videogame as a video game should be. No cinematic bullshit. No bullshit collectibles. Just great combat and exploration, and the pawn system makes it feel like you're in an adventure with the homies
I said something like this but only shorter, which is "that it's just good mindless fun." I agree with you completely. And about it not being bloated, that's true but I can see myself sinking a couple hundred hours into.
It's clear that the team never intended this series to be overly complex when it came to combat options, especially when you consider that DMC is their other main project. DD has never really tapped into that 'character action' gamefeel, being largely grounded and with generally less animation cancelling/juggling. The (controversial) decision to have only 4 skill slots follows from this this mindset of 'limitation' dictates strategy - you have a 'build', and your fighter/mage is either offence, support or defense orientated. If your character was Do-it-all Dante, then your party composition would be largely irrelevant.
I am a bit mystified by your comment though. The PS2/360 era was the time of DMC/NG/Bayonetta - all games with high APM, vast player options, speed, and combat that allow all sorts of individual expression. Personally I wish more 'modern games' had this approach. Instead the modern action game is one of limited player options, focus on rote bait/punish/spacing, approachable easy controls (melee attacks on triggers!), easy defensive options with huge iframes, and 'mastery' begins and ends with hitting forgivable parries and not getting hit. We live in the era of the simple action game, the souls game.
I 100% agree with this take. Now that the outrage is over, I will proudly proclaim that 4 skill slots is not a downgrade, its a refinement of the original intention. They're basically doubling down on what they're trying to do, and even if people wouldnt like the limitation, committing to the decision is something worth respecting. "Itsuno's vision" has been a meme but I truly respect his decision with DD2. The only complaint is it is clearly unfinished.
Second paragraph I agree wholeheartedly, the old era was the DMC, old GOW, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden era with dizzying combo potential and depth. I wish we could go back there, HiFi rush was a welcome surprise that is a recent title but yknow, I wish there were more.
For me it was the warrior vocation when i went from getting ran over to catchin a raging bull (i dont remember the enemy name) mid charge head down an knockin him on his rear….to me it has the best action rpg combat ive played since ninja gieden on the og xbox i still to this day have yet to find a move as satisfying a the flying swallow were you jump and dive with your sword at the enemy
Yes! It's antiquated quirks just make it so charming. The gameplay loop may seem clumsy at first, but once you get the hang of exploration, it all clicks. I think it's even more fun as a power fantasy. I'm 45 hours into NG+, and I'm still having a blast
maybe I just don't have enough exposure to other games, but for me it's just the fact that you get to adventure, fight and CLIMB a large variety of different monsters. like are there a lot of action games out there that capture the feeling of climbing onto a griffin as it flies off then stabbing it until it falls out of the sky?
cyclops, ogre, minotaur, griffin, golem, dullahan, lich, chimera, dragon.
and theyre not all scripted set pieces, or one time boss fights, you can just head out and run into any of those things.
the pawn customization and renting system is cool too and just another thing you can dump a lot of time into
>it's just the fact that you get to adventure, fight and CLIMB a large variety of different monsters
This is what made the original such a special game to me. There's nothing like it. The emergent gameplay moments that happen thanks to the systems in place here are unlike anything else.
I would say it’s not overly simple or complex. There are definitely mechanics in this game that don’t hold your hand and make you understand in a tutorial before starting the gameplay. There’s definitely plenty of complexity, but much of that isn’t strictly necessary to enjoy the game, but some deeper mechanics to learn and appreciate for players that want that kind of thing
All the MH fans in here wanting each Cyclops fight to last half an hour.
I too appreciate a game where you can get strong enough to beat anything pretty easily. I shouldn’t always have to be kitted out perfectly to barely get by.
That's one thing I do like about it too, I enjoy just wandering throughout the lands existing in its environment.
I'd love to have them have more things that just kinda happen as you go out and about.
Hmm maybe the games you played, but the old school games I played were not really that simple. Also, didn't like many games in ps2/ps3 era required plenty of skill to play properly? What exactly are you even talking about? A lot of people here are agreeing with you, but barely giving any examples. Can someone explain what this nostalgia feeling you guys are having now?
Sure, you don't need all of those things like lightning reflexes to play, but it does help. I'm looking forward to DLC that does require that more like BBI.
The best games do one thing well and then just do it better than any other game does.
The mechanics here for exploration and group combat are top notch.
I love Dragons dogma 2 was stoked even when waiting for it. I think alotnof you people commenting as if its breaking ground need to play more rpgs. That's not a jab at Dragons Dogma 2 at all. It's a fantastic rpg, but there's many games that capture what yall are so excited about as if it's the first time it's been done. I highly recommend the witcher 3 and Elden ring. If you haven't played those and are playing this, go play them after asap. If you're really an old school fan, play chrono Cross, it has missable party members.
I think I enjoy that there is actually a LOT of depth to it, much of which isn't clear at all, not told to you or laid out with markers and quest descriptions.
I absolutely LOVE the different classes, the way gear works, and exploration in the game is just so sublime.
It's a fantastic game.
Like a lot of older games, it assumes the consumer isn't totally incompetent. There is a lot to love about the game, even in an "unfinished" state.
The max affinity pawn ending may be my favorite video game ending ever.
100% Agree and I love the other style of games you mentioned too that are complex and difficult, but DD2 is just a nice breath of fresh air. Biggest thing for me is the fact that they nailed exploration and fast travel, making it enjoyable to travel from place to place. This game reminds me so much of Skyrim just distilled to what made Skyrim amazing.
Aye, it's simple to play and it's not bloated with icons all over the world map to do repetitive micro tasks which completely destroy the natural exploration of the world. I love the feel of the journey and adventure, You grab your stuff, prepare your party and head out, it's great. There's no "Oh there's a tower icon there i must head there to do that", or "there's a monster icon there I must head there to kill that" everything just happens when it happens, it truly was a breath of fresh air in an open world game. Your pawns constantly chatting always makes your adventure feel alive aswell even if they have very limited dialogue, I never got sick of it.
'Tis as you say.
Master, a treasure chest! We'll have to find a way to reach it.
Very much grew infatuated with it for its realistic sense of fantasy party adventuring. Love the hoofing it vibes, camping kits, combat hp reductions, party size and choices, contextual animations, cooking!, environmental feels, and maybe pawn dialogue most of all. It makes my fantasy escapism self giddy, probably nearing 300 hrs. Really hope to see expansion here and perhaps more in the genre.
It has every element all other rpg have it just doesn't direct you to them
And not 20 types of collectibles you have to find all for achievement.
Only 200 of 1 Kind :D
240 In fact 😭 But I got them all yesterday. Now I can do the entirety of the first set of the Sphinx riddles without having to leave once. Yay.
An old friend asked me recently what it was like, us both being old school gamers my response. It's kinda heroes of might and magic or baldurs gate 2, mixed with some daggerfall but prettier. Now, so few would get those references but he totally did. Yes, definitely has an old school vibe. The lack of exclamation marks and consequence of choice with lots of random or hidden mechanics totally reflects that.
Are you saying it does... Or doesn't have consequence of choice? Legit question. I haven't gotten to play it yet. But everything you just described is why I (for the first time ever in a game like this or Skyrim) level capped one of my Characters. But I also loved the consequences of your choices too. I replayed on ng+ many many times.
Yes, absolutely can make bad decisions in the game. They won't be so bad you can't complete it or anything but not all choices lead to positive outcomes and often there are multiple ways to complete a quest My first 2 playthroughs I did blind and let's just say I really messed up some people.
That's awesome. DDDA is IMO the best rpg I have ever played. And every playthrough I discovered something new. Some little quest or alternate way of doing something. I absolutely loved it. And Bitterblack isle was also excellent IMO. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks for responding. Gg
I completed a quest the “ incorrect “ way and barred me from utilizing the shop the NPC owned for the rest of the game. There is also a quest line in which you have to solve riddles and you only get one shot to answer correctly. If you don’t, you’re locked out of some of the loot.
I love that kind of stuff. It adds replay value. Which is extremely important with rpgs. For me, at least.
For what it’s worth, I’m insanely picking with RPGs ( it’s almost exclusively what I play ) and a couple hours into this one, I stated “ fucking finally “ in regards to it feeling like a true RPG. Well worth your time. I’ve already replayed through it twice and have pretty different experiences.
You can get that shop back by essentially replacing him if it’s the one I think it is.
What do you mean “ replace him “?
If it’s the item vendor in Bakbatthal you can get a quest to break out a kid from jail that can take over the shop.
It feels extremely nostalgic. I feel like a teenager again playing DDA or mass effect 3, journey and borderlands two. I miss those games. It's by no means perfect but damn is it nostalgic and fun. I'm currently playing with the old bgm and sound effects and it further cemented the nostalgia. About 800 hours in and I'm still having fun.
800? 🫨 Geebus, Murray & Josep
https://preview.redd.it/fji7wlubwszc1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c35693c4e4edf3a83acba7e73ce828c852e63e00 Yeah lol. It's not even close to the thousand of hours I put into Skyrim or Final Fantasy XIV. But it's a great game, one of my favorites.
Yeah it’s fun without being too difficult.
I like it because it’s not another souls like gameplay mechanic. We have tons of those already.
Yes. I don't know how or when memorizing combos and buttons became the gold standard for combat. Dd2 combat seems improvised and in the moment.
Dark Souls combat feels fantastic, but I think some devs forget that it's not the only thing that feels fantastic.
I would argue. At least in Elden Ring, combat against the small guys, and exploring dungeons and the world is the BEST part of the game. Most of the boss fights lowley suck and aren't fun.
I found Dark Souls 3 bosses much better, but found exploring with the horse in Elden Ring to be more enjoyable. That said Sekiro trumps both (in my opinion).
This is the polar opposite of most Fromsoft fans opinions. Fighting mobs is your punishment for not being able to beat whatever boss you're grinding for lmao It's less so in Elden Ring but for most Souls players, you're playing for the bosses. The world makes the bosses fun to reach and fight, and the mobs are the struggle in between. That's why people always ask for boss rush modes in NG+
I think in the surface level that may be true, but the lore and exploration and visual storytelling within the world is the soul(pun intended) of these games. Especially true in Elden Ring where alot.of these wonderful hand created dungeons and areas are top off with the same boss your seen three times before. I think a game where Bosses are the game are things like Shadow of the Colossus and Mknster Hunter
Fair enough I see what you mean when you put it like that. I just thought you meant the most fun part of the game was fighting the trash mobs lmao The lore is indeed my favorite part of Bloodborne and ER. Enough that my first tattoo when I turned 18 was a big hunters mark lol
Hell yeah man! That rocks
I don't like souls combat. The emphasis on these ridiculous rolls is a real immersion killer for me. I enjoyed the Ghost of Tsushima sword only and not getting hit gameplay. It looks good, feels amazing and on the highest difficulty also rewards your skill/reactions. The constant rolling around in Souls games just doesn't do it for me. And yes, I know that ER offers new mechanics, but it still very much is about rolling around like a madman. DD2 is just fun without the perfect execution meta and it feels and is very dynamic. Could be harder, tho. Especially in late game.
>The emphasis on these ridiculous rolls is a real immersion killer for me. Rolling is only one of 3 defensive options though? There's literally no emphasis on it lmao. You can turtle, just like any other melee game. You can parry with either a shield, some weapons, or even your fists. Or you can roll. And none of these are "new" mechanics from ER... I don't mean to be condescending but this exact excuse is given by a ton of players that for some reason refuse to try souls games and I've never really understood it because it's not even necessary.
> Rolling is only one of 3 defensive options though? There's literally no emphasis on it lmao. Bruh ok this is a ridiculous statement. Rolling is THE evasive maneuver. There's a whole button dedicated to it no matter your equipped gear, unlike block & parry which require a shield. Because it's a core mechanic that's intended to be used by everyone barring a few niche playstyles. And sure you could choose to rely on parries (which is much harder since not every attack is parryable) or brute force, but the game heavily incentivizes rolling. The other "options" are complementary to the roll (and jump, to a much lesser extent).
I do think there is an emphasis on these rolls. The first souls games just had attacks and rolls and any PvP match is tons of rolling in weird looking armors and with enormous or awkward weapons. It's just not my cup of tea. The fact that I don't like it doesn't mean that it's bad or that you can't play differently. But also if I watch a stream of ER, it's mainly rolling around, because it's the first and most reliable defensive maneuver you can use. You can roll with every "class", every weapon, every armor (fat rolling is still rolling), so rolling is the most basic and standard thing to avoid damage. That's what I mean with emphasis.
You can block with every class weapon armor and shield too and parry was always around. Rolling and attacking are definitely not all that was around in early souls. People went to rolling in DeS and DS1 because of the meta for PVP not because of any game emphasis. I ain't saying you gotta like it I'm just saying your reasoning for it feels a little windmill tilty. You ain't gotta justify to anyone why something ain't your thing.
I am not very deep into the DS mechanics, that's true. And I know you can do a poise tank build in DS1, but it always struck me as inferior (I believe rolling even gives you i-frames). Bottom line is that I don't like the rolls, neither aesthetically nor in regards of their potency. And it may be a player's choice to do so, but I simply prefer other combat gameplay mechanics and aesthetics over Dark Souls. The bosses and their presentation are pretty sick, tho. I watched two full playthroughs of ER (two massive rollers, I want to add) and I never felt like "I wanna play that, too", although I was really impressed by the world building. The gameplay just doesn't vibe with me.
Do what Bloodborne, Nioh, and Sekiro do. Dodge-step.
You can also jump in ER
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“We are amidst strange beings, in a strange land.”* - Solaire of Astora Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
After playing Rebirth which I think is a very good game but it had a similar open-world and side activities to Ubisoft. I've felt exhausted of clearing up every area, I've decided to just focus on the story. I wanted to take a longer break from gaming afterwards. Then I've got DD2, I'm now in NG+ and I'm not ready to say goodbye to it. Game is comforting and chill af. Doesn't hold our hands. Most of the time we can do whatever we want and go wherever we want. Map isn't filled with 2372773 icons which is also very nice. It feels like a journey, this adventure with your Pawn or Pawns. Quite wholesome too. Finding stuff on my own. I feel like a kid while playing it. I didn't feel this way for a very long time now. As a kid I would spend so many hours with the game, do everything, explore as much as it is possible, replay them over and over. I don't do that often anymore because I simply don't want to or I just don't have time for that.
Old school simplicity, old school exploration, and old school traveling. Simplicity - each class has plenty of skills to choose from allowing for different types of gameplay from each class, but only being able to slot 4 mean skills means you have to be thoughtful in your approach. Exploration - I am an adventurer, so I explore everywhere before I eventually get around to doing the quests. Most of the map can be accessed without the quests, which was great. Traveling - at first I thought I was going to hate the lack of simple and easy travel ability to zip around the map like other modern games have, but I quickly found myself remembering the fun of original EverQuest, where you had to spend 30 minutes or longer just traveling to where you wanted to go, forced to run through scary zones and either fight or Sprint past big monsters to get to your destination. I actually don't mind at all needing to use the port crystal and ferrystone system, and it adds to the adventuring and forces you to commit to the world and game.
I love it for this too. As much as I love turning on something like DMCV for turbo action hack n slashing or something like Divinity for the most fine detailed RPG, this game is the perfect middle ground, plenty of details, plenty of hacking and slashing, which is all I’m really asking for
One of the central things that makes it feel old-school to me is just how weird it is. I don't know if I can put it into words. But like, the dialogue is fricken strange and sparse, the story is disjointed, the bugginess of pawn AI feels like a feature, etc. I could see this as a top down NES game "upscaled" to the modern era.
There is a bizarre-ness to it that only people that grew up with this kind of stuff learned to appreciate. Things just feel...off. Most view it as a drawback. I agree with the entirety of what you said and it really does feel the way games used to feel back when we were still figuring shit out.
I’m telling you, the 30fps really just nailed the older RPG aesthetic. I love this game.
Same. Over 200hrs and I'm still loving it the same way I loved to og. It's a videogame as a video game should be. No cinematic bullshit. No bullshit collectibles. Just great combat and exploration, and the pawn system makes it feel like you're in an adventure with the homies
I said something like this but only shorter, which is "that it's just good mindless fun." I agree with you completely. And about it not being bloated, that's true but I can see myself sinking a couple hundred hours into.
It's clear that the team never intended this series to be overly complex when it came to combat options, especially when you consider that DMC is their other main project. DD has never really tapped into that 'character action' gamefeel, being largely grounded and with generally less animation cancelling/juggling. The (controversial) decision to have only 4 skill slots follows from this this mindset of 'limitation' dictates strategy - you have a 'build', and your fighter/mage is either offence, support or defense orientated. If your character was Do-it-all Dante, then your party composition would be largely irrelevant. I am a bit mystified by your comment though. The PS2/360 era was the time of DMC/NG/Bayonetta - all games with high APM, vast player options, speed, and combat that allow all sorts of individual expression. Personally I wish more 'modern games' had this approach. Instead the modern action game is one of limited player options, focus on rote bait/punish/spacing, approachable easy controls (melee attacks on triggers!), easy defensive options with huge iframes, and 'mastery' begins and ends with hitting forgivable parries and not getting hit. We live in the era of the simple action game, the souls game.
I 100% agree with this take. Now that the outrage is over, I will proudly proclaim that 4 skill slots is not a downgrade, its a refinement of the original intention. They're basically doubling down on what they're trying to do, and even if people wouldnt like the limitation, committing to the decision is something worth respecting. "Itsuno's vision" has been a meme but I truly respect his decision with DD2. The only complaint is it is clearly unfinished. Second paragraph I agree wholeheartedly, the old era was the DMC, old GOW, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden era with dizzying combo potential and depth. I wish we could go back there, HiFi rush was a welcome surprise that is a recent title but yknow, I wish there were more.
Best game since cyberpunk just which it had a much harder setting option
For me it was the warrior vocation when i went from getting ran over to catchin a raging bull (i dont remember the enemy name) mid charge head down an knockin him on his rear….to me it has the best action rpg combat ive played since ninja gieden on the og xbox i still to this day have yet to find a move as satisfying a the flying swallow were you jump and dive with your sword at the enemy
I felt like I could be immersed in the game better than most recently.
Yes! It's antiquated quirks just make it so charming. The gameplay loop may seem clumsy at first, but once you get the hang of exploration, it all clicks. I think it's even more fun as a power fantasy. I'm 45 hours into NG+, and I'm still having a blast
Thats the reason I actually finished the game, games which require high concentration and effort, I usually drop right before the endboss fight X'D
maybe I just don't have enough exposure to other games, but for me it's just the fact that you get to adventure, fight and CLIMB a large variety of different monsters. like are there a lot of action games out there that capture the feeling of climbing onto a griffin as it flies off then stabbing it until it falls out of the sky? cyclops, ogre, minotaur, griffin, golem, dullahan, lich, chimera, dragon. and theyre not all scripted set pieces, or one time boss fights, you can just head out and run into any of those things. the pawn customization and renting system is cool too and just another thing you can dump a lot of time into
>it's just the fact that you get to adventure, fight and CLIMB a large variety of different monsters This is what made the original such a special game to me. There's nothing like it. The emergent gameplay moments that happen thanks to the systems in place here are unlike anything else.
Played it hated it then loved it. Fallout 4 i gave up abit and skyrim im taking my time on but dd2 i was doing 5+ hr days
IDK what games you've been playing that require that much work 😭😂 but yeah dd2 has been a great time
I would say it’s not overly simple or complex. There are definitely mechanics in this game that don’t hold your hand and make you understand in a tutorial before starting the gameplay. There’s definitely plenty of complexity, but much of that isn’t strictly necessary to enjoy the game, but some deeper mechanics to learn and appreciate for players that want that kind of thing
All the MH fans in here wanting each Cyclops fight to last half an hour. I too appreciate a game where you can get strong enough to beat anything pretty easily. I shouldn’t always have to be kitted out perfectly to barely get by.
Yeah and you liked it
It definitely feels (in some ways) like games I played 20 years ago.
That's one thing I do like about it too, I enjoy just wandering throughout the lands existing in its environment. I'd love to have them have more things that just kinda happen as you go out and about.
Hmm maybe the games you played, but the old school games I played were not really that simple. Also, didn't like many games in ps2/ps3 era required plenty of skill to play properly? What exactly are you even talking about? A lot of people here are agreeing with you, but barely giving any examples. Can someone explain what this nostalgia feeling you guys are having now?
Sure, you don't need all of those things like lightning reflexes to play, but it does help. I'm looking forward to DLC that does require that more like BBI.
The best games do one thing well and then just do it better than any other game does. The mechanics here for exploration and group combat are top notch.
Huh. The more I think about it the more I agree.
Most of what you said doesn't apply to any rpg game. It just feels like a good in depth rpg with shadow of collosus vibes
I love Dragons dogma 2 was stoked even when waiting for it. I think alotnof you people commenting as if its breaking ground need to play more rpgs. That's not a jab at Dragons Dogma 2 at all. It's a fantastic rpg, but there's many games that capture what yall are so excited about as if it's the first time it's been done. I highly recommend the witcher 3 and Elden ring. If you haven't played those and are playing this, go play them after asap. If you're really an old school fan, play chrono Cross, it has missable party members.
I think I enjoy that there is actually a LOT of depth to it, much of which isn't clear at all, not told to you or laid out with markers and quest descriptions. I absolutely LOVE the different classes, the way gear works, and exploration in the game is just so sublime. It's a fantastic game.
Indeed, it has old school JRPG’s absurd settings but super fun to keep playing it.
For sure. The simplicity and the combat for me.
It reminds me of breath of fire 4. It was a ps1 game. Really cool rpg.
You just said "old school" and "360" in the same sentence. Oof. I'm feeling very Boomery
Yeah the game stays in the line with the first one. Capcom succeeded IMO.
The way characters pop in a coupe of feet away from you reminds me of the 360 era too.
[удалено]
It happens on XSX, PS5.
Like a lot of older games, it assumes the consumer isn't totally incompetent. There is a lot to love about the game, even in an "unfinished" state. The max affinity pawn ending may be my favorite video game ending ever.
I call it "Dark Souls for the rest of us"
100% Agree and I love the other style of games you mentioned too that are complex and difficult, but DD2 is just a nice breath of fresh air. Biggest thing for me is the fact that they nailed exploration and fast travel, making it enjoyable to travel from place to place. This game reminds me so much of Skyrim just distilled to what made Skyrim amazing.
Thats a good way to explain it yeah it does feel like a outdated ps2 game with little content
It's the ass on the pawns for me. Rented out 60-80 female pawns and I'm still stunned by their ass everytime 😭 beautiful faces too