Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen

Gamers are always searching for the perfect game, going through countless categories and sub-categories, trying out different console after console, comparing replay ability, graphics, story, characters and so on. I’m here to tell you though, if you haven’t played Dragons Dogma yet, then you have been wasting your time.

A perfectly blended hack-and-slash RPG with all the classes you’ve ever dreamed of playing as, endless quests, a world of characters that will aid you in your adventures and millions upon millions of skills, this is the not so hidden gem that you need to play.

Set in the medieval land of Gransys, you set out as the arisen, a warrior that has come back to life after fighting a dragon that is attacking the lands. Your mission is to get vengeance on the fiery foe that has stolen your heart, quite literally. Soon your allies the pawns join your quest and on you go, fighting towering monsters until you are ready to take on this mighty enemy.

Capcom developed the game, creators of other masterpieces such asDevil May Cry, Resident Evil and others. They took only the best gaming mechanics to include in the game, from being able to grapple on to enemies to attack where it hurts most, from enchanting devouring spells and delivering powerful, connected blows. The world alone is immersive enough to make any gamer feel like a true explorer of the vast lands of Gransys.

Your general resting place is the great castle of Gran Soren, where theft is an every day thing, dungeons are crawling with the undead and the king is being swindled by his aids into doing all that is wrong. So basically, the best to take a quick nap and buy the wares you need. After hours of creating your character and choosing your starting class, you venture out of your hut in Cassardis where you healed from the dragons wounds and make you way towards this great castle. Quests are found left and right in this castle, from simple things as finding a pendant, to more troublesome hunting for specific hides from animals.

When you start off the game, the classes are divided in the usual ones found in most RPG’s. These are,

• Fighter: equipped with a sword and shield, it is the perfect balance for defense and attack, great for players who like to play the field, going from attacking powerfully to defending in a corner. Skills are commonly strong hits with your sword and parries with your sword and shield. Soon though, you turn into a skilled swordsman, able to take on many on your own without taking any kind of damage.
• Strider: a quick and agile class, you are equipped with daggers, a bow and arrows. This is built for people who fight from close range only when they need to but prefer to stay at a farther distance. Skills are usually quick dagger blows or concentrated blows with your arrows from afar. They begin getting quicker and sharper to the point where a strider makes goblins and giants run in fear.
• Mage: a staff as your main weapon, this vocation is for players that like to keep control over all and any situations, taking their time in battles to make sure they win. Spells are the usual fire, electricity and heal in the beginning but begin getting more and more complex, bringing meteors and huge casting areas.

• Warrior: armed with a giant war hammer, this vocation is for all tank players who take up all the damage. The skills are slow but devastating, clearing enemies with single blows

• Assassin: a very broad and prepared class, you can choose from a sword, shield, bow and daggers, letting you use many of the same skills from other vocations, it’s a powerful and quick class.
• Ranger: armed with a longbow, you are the master of shooting perfectly aimed shots at the endless horde of chimeras. The skills focus on strong arrow attacks with quick recharges for continual shots.
• Magic Archer: this is the class that allows you to infuse those arrows with something special. This vocation permits you to wield a bow, daggers and a staff, giving you a strong choice to make according to your battle strategies.
• Mystic Knight: this class arms you with a sword, a magic shield, a mace and a staff. The power in the vocation is vast and the skills are innumerable.
• Sorcerer: the class that is much stronger than the usual mage, the sorcerer dwells in all kinds of magic arts, even in the darker ones of them, letting the dead do their bidding and becoming almost gods in the process.

As soon as you start this game, you know the adventure will be long and grueling. The game does not hold your hand through any of it too, with monsters from small goblins to giant griffins and ogres roaming around with different skills and powers you will have to find out and dare to attack on your own.

The selection of the armor, what person you like the most in the game as a crucial element to the finale, the amazing weapons to choose from, the endless quests to try and all the classes to play with and be, this is a game even I still have not finished completely. You have just so many choices and such different scenarios arise from it.

The gameplay gets even better with every replay as you learn on what potions or Greenwich to use according to the occasions, and which dungeons are too dangerous to venture in yet. Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen is a perfect game with smooth mechanics, great teamwork and fun, interesting classes. It is an adventure you have to try! I’m just thankful I have this great game to play when the day seems gloomy and that Dragons Dogma online isn’t too far into the future anymore!

Article by: Steven Gutiérrez