Reviews// Dragon's Dogma

I am miles from the nearest town or inn; I have no sanctuary, my only chance of survival lies with the three Pawns keeping me company and they will not shut up! As the sun sets and darkness creeps across the land of Gransys, rendering visibility to naught but that provided by my lantern's meagre light. Step after cautious step I proceed towards my destination; a fort overrun by goblins that I have been charged as Arisen to liberate. Checking my map I notice that I am barely a mile away, relief floods through my body and I surge forward, forgetting to be wary, throwing caution to the wind I sprint forward...

Straight into the waiting jaws of a Chimera, I hear the hiss of its snake-headed tail moments before it crashes through the underbrush, striking at me. Poisoned, I stagger back from the beast's ruthless onslaught.

I draw my daggers and wait for my faithful Pawns to lend me their aid; fire rains from the pitch-black night, Olivia Wilde infuses my weapons with fire whilst Kari beats her blade against her shield drawing the creature's attention.

With it distracted I circle around. Moments before the Pawns accompanying me had been spouting inane babble about the view and how we were no longer safe because it was night-time. Now their loose lipped chatter becomes useful as they call out stratagems to me and point out weaknesses. ‘Master, the snake can be killed!’ Calls out my personal Pawn, Lucia; a mage of uncommon ability. Seeing she is correct I dash in, leap on to the beasts haunches and hack away at the base of the tail.

The tail parts from the body and it appears that victory is within sight! Except once again I get careless and find myself under the Chimera, its lion's head tearing into my soft stomach and all I can do is watch my health bar deplete. As quick as the prospect of victory appeared it is snatched away and replaced with a Game Over screen.

Welcome to Dragon’s Dogma, a game that can be best summed up as the love child of Monster Hunter and Demon’s Souls.

You play The Arisen, a mortal whose heart has been consumed by The Great Dragon. Somehow you survived it plunging its talon deep into your chest and now whenever you touch the scar left behind on your breastbone you hear the dragon’s challenge to take up arms and become strong, and when you are ready to come and find it... probably to get brutally murdered.

Narrative in this game comes across as clichéd and rudimentary at best. It offers just enough to get you moving and keeps the momentum going with an evil mage, goblin incursions and the dragon that the title refers to. There is the mystery of the Pawn Legion - a group of human-like warriors sworn to follow The Arisen and obey her will - to be solved, as well as the question of why the giant crimson dragon literally stole your heart. You will get answers to the scant questions posed by the game's threadbare plot.

This story poverty is the game’s one major detracting element.

The stars of this show are the land of Gransys itself and the beasts that populate its verdant locales. Lush forests and sparse alpine hillsides spotted with medieval architecture, both functioning and ruined, provide the backdrops for your opening hours of the game.

The environments could have been lifted directly from numerous literary sources and in all fairness to the designers, probably were. Each is beautifully rendered and thick with an atmosphere that drags you in with fierce determination. If you can see something in the distance you can almost certainly get there.