At this level I can not maintain my tongue about my least favourite half in a sport I’m in any other case actually having fun with. That might be quick journey in Dragon’s Dogma 2, or typically, the shortage thereof.
Earlier than launch, Dragon’s Dogma 2 director Hideaki Itsuno went out of his approach to speak in regards to the sport’s lack of simple fast-travel, and even mechanics like horseback mounts to hurry up journeys:
“It’s solely a difficulty as a result of your sport is boring. All you must do is make journey enjoyable. That’s why you place issues in the fitting location for gamers to find, or provide you with enemy look strategies that create totally different experiences every time, or drive gamers into blind conditions the place they don’t know whether or not it’s protected or not then meters in entrance of them.”
Whereas I perceive what he’s speaking about in idea, in observe, the system that’s meant to arrange extra dynamic encounters and encourage exploration typically does the precise reverse, and shutting in on 20 hours with the sport, I’m not discovering it any higher, nor do I signal on to the logic getting used right here.
The sport does have quick journey simply…in extraordinarily restricted, convoluted methods. You may oxcart journey between main cities when you’ve found them, however they’re few and much between and whereas low-cost, typically don’t assist a lot relying in your goal, nor do something once you’re out within the wild.
Then, the concept is a forex system that means that you can spend a considerably uncommon Ferrystone stone to fast-travel between beacons on the map, making you cautious about once you’re determined sufficient to make use of it. As the sport unfolds, it is possible for you to to arrange your personal beacons across the map, however once more, 15+ hours in right here, I’ve solely gotten a type of, and as I’m nonetheless exploring the map, I don’t even know the place to place it. All of this serves to construct one thing resembling a quick journey system, however one you both hardly ever use or prices an annoying forex to make use of, and I believe this complete system does the alternative of what it says it’s designed to do.
This concept that you’re encouraging exploration with this technique is nonsense. Identify another huge sport on this style, Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild, Skyrim, no matter, and you’ll discover video games which have available quick journey whereas clearly encouraging a lot of exploration. Simply because you may freely journey across the map as soon as you discover current places, that doesn’t discourage you from exploring darkish corners or new locations on the map.
However I continuously discover myself being discouraged in Dragon’s Dogma. I trekked all the best way to a brand new metropolis and was given a quest to discover a lacking boy endangered by some wolves. The POI for that was a couple of ten minute stroll again precisely the place I had simply come from. Fairly than battle by means of 100 rounds of draining stamina and recharging it and strolling previous chests I’d already opened, I left that child to the wolves. This concept that “dynamic” issues can occur when strolling as a substitute of quick touring might technically be true, however the overwhelming majority of the time it’s simply combating the identical trash mobs you’ve already fought on that very same path 3-4 occasions.
I completely suppose that Dragon’s Dogma 2 has an incredible map to discover, however this concept of not having regular quick journey, but organising a way more exhausting, annoying model of the system as a substitute, is a big turn-off. Not sufficient to get me to place down the sport, however I discover myself investing in rather a lot fewer quests and returning to fewer areas to discover given journey time or price alone. Oxcarts solely get you to this point and Ferrystones remind me of the terrible Fallout 76 mechanic which charged you cash to quick journey on the map. That is all annoying for its personal sake, and actively discourages exploration slightly than encouraging it. No, this isn’t a “microtransaction ploy” as the sport (stupidly) sells only a single quick journey level, which is nothing, but it surely’s a type of “nicely that is the best way it’s all the time been” issues that doesn’t work when below a microscope. I can’t get on board, and I don’t seen that altering in one other 20, 40, 60 hours, half of these being spent recharging my stamina meter,
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Choose up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller collection and The Earthborn Trilogy.