Developer : Capcom
Release date : 2017
Synopsis :
Dragon’s Dogma is an action role-playing hack and slash video game developed and published by Capcom for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. An enhanced version titled Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen was released for the game’s original consoles in 2013, then later ported to Microsoft Windows in 2016, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2017, and Nintendo Switch in 2019. Set in the high fantasy world of Gransys, the player takes on the role of a human protagonist dubbed the Arisen on a quest to defeat the dragon Grigori, a being said to herald the world’s end, while uncovering a deeper conspiracy along the way.
The gameplay focuses on the Arisen—a customizable avatar—exploring Gransys completing quests and fighting monsters in real-time combat. The protagonist is accompanied by Pawns, characters who provide combat support and advice; the protagonist has one customized Pawn, and two additional Pawns either pre-set within the game or other customized Pawns shared by other players through an online lobby. Both standard combat and boss battles involve grappling with or climbing on enemies.
The design document for Dragon’s Dogma was created by director Hideaki Itsuno in 2000 prior to working on Devil May Cry 2. Itsuno successfully pitched the project and production began in 2008. The 150-strong staff, who had previously worked on Capcom franchises such as Street Fighter, Breath of Fire, and Devil May Cry, took inspiration from Western RPGs including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fable II. The music, led by Tadayoshi Makino and including contributions from Israeli-American composer Inon Zur, used a full orchestra and focused on ambiance. Dark Arisen was designed to incorporate fan feedback and offer a complete experience for both old and new players.
The original version of Dragon’s Dogma was praised by critics. Praise was given to the gameplay and the Pawn system, while the narrative was generally criticized as lacking. The Dark Arisen version was praised for its technical improvements and additional content. The original Dragon’s Dogma sold over one million copies worldwide, and the different versions of Dark Arisen also met with positive sales. A Japan-exclusive massively multiplayer online role-playing game titled Dragon’s Dogma Online released in 2015. An original net animation adaptation was globally released on Netflix in 2020. A sequel, Dragon’s Dogma II, is in development.
The game opens with a group led by a knight named Savan nearing the end of a quest to defeat the Dragon, a being that signals the end of days. An unknown time later in the present day Duchy of Gransys, the protagonist’s village of Cassardis is attacked by the newly-arrived Dragon. When the protagonist attacks the Dragon, the Dragon takes their heart. The protagonist remains alive after this, marking them as the “Arisen”, a figure destined to face the Dragon and stop the coming apocalypse; the Arisen is served by Pawns, human-like beings who live to fight the Dragon, and the Arisen creates a new Pawn shortly after beginning their quest. Heading to a nearby encampment, the protagonist defends an encampment of soldiers from a Hydra attack, taking one of its heads before driving it back; this is witnessed by Mercedes Marten, a soldier sent from a neighbouring nation to support Gransys’s Duke Edmun Dragonsbane against the Dragon.
Mercedes helps the Arisen escort the Hydra head to the Duke’s capital of Gran Soren; upon completing quests for the local Wyrm Hunter guild, the Arisen is granted an audience with the Duke, who has held the position for over a century without ageing after claiming victory against the Dragon. During their quest, the Arisen finds aid from a former Arisen dubbed the Dragonforged; investigates an underground tower dubbed the Everfall by the local Pawn guild; confronts Salvation, a nihilistic cult led by a man named Elysion which seeks the Dragon’s victory; and learns of Mercedes’s role as a token ally as other nations have come to fear Gransys becoming too powerful should the Duke defeat a second Dragon. The Arisen eventually confronts Elysion, who turns his followers into undead to kill the Arisen. The Arisen defeats them, but the Dragon arrives and kills Elysion. The Dragon challenges the Arisen to find him and stop the apocalypse. Confronting the Dragon, the Dragon offers the Arisen a choice; fight and kill it, or sacrifice their beloved—a character the Arisen has grown close to during the game—in exchange for replacing the Duke as ruler of Gransys, the same bargain the Duke took when he faced the Dragon.
Upon defeating the Dragon, the Arisen and all those connected to the Dragon—including the Duke and the Dragonforged—lose their immortality, and the Everfall becomes a bottomless pit which swallows part of Gran Soren. Returning to Gran Soren, the Arisen is attacked by the aged Duke and flees upon being accused of cursing him. While fleeing, the Arisen and their Pawns are swallowed by the Everfall. Passing into a higher plane after opening a portal within the Everfall, the Arisen faces the Seneschal, the being which sustains the world and the current form of the knight Savan. The Arisen is offered a choice; fight the Seneschal or return to Gransys and live a quiet life. Should the Arisen lose the fight with the Seneschal, they are reborn as the next Dragon. Besting the Seneschal results in the Arisen taking their place, unable to interact with the world below. The Arisen then kills themselves to break the cycle, falling back towards Gransys with their Pawn. The game ends with the Pawn awakening within the Arisen’s body in their village to be met by their beloved.
Source : Wikipedia
