The first Dragon's Dogma was a true cult classic. Weird, idiosyncratic, in some ways a huge pain in the ass, yet deeply compelling. Since 2012 it's built an audience of people who love it for its strangeness, warts and all—myself included. When a big, modern sequel was announced, I was excited… but also a little anxious.
New additions more often than not feel totally in the spirit of the original, too. From unnecessary but mouth-watering live-action cooking cutscenes, to, to an entire settlement that simply doesn't speak the same language as you down to its item shop menus, Dragon's Dogma 2 only cements the idea that this is a series more interested in making you meet it on its own terms than it is bending to any preconception of what a fantasy RPG should be in 2024.
As a newly emerging adventurer, one pack of wolves or gang of bandits could very easily overwhelm you while you tried to get to grips with the combat system. On your first few journeys into the wilderness, it was all too easy to stumble into trouble, either running out of healing supplies, or simply being unable to find camps to rest at and having to experience the pitch black horror of travelling at night.
Certainly that mean streak doesn't seem to have evaporated entirely. Recently the community has descended into panic over Dragonsplague, an ailment that can cause pawns to go berserk and wipe out entire settlements, crucial NPCs and all.