Review for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Game for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 23/04/2013 The version for PC came out on 15/01/2016 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 23/04/2019 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 03/10/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 03/10/2017
Dragon's Dogma appeared immature in 2012, so much so as to bring Capcom to rejuvenate the title by ferrying it from the exit consoles, the (in) forgotten PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, on the next-gen consoles and a much desired PC version in the guise in which it is most known, with the expansion "Dark Arisen". With the Nintendo Switch Capcom check the latest console from an imaginary list, in fact culminating a seven-year cycle in which many have requested another chapter and found themselves in the hands of the re-editions.
There was reason to be a little skeptical about the arrival of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen on Nintendo Switch. Certainly not for the quality of the game, which we have discussed on three occasions on our pages, (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PC version), but for the potential of the Nintendo console, slightly below a PlayStation 4.
Still, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is a valuable title for Switch. A game that has become weighty over the years, as long-lived as only RPGs can be and moreover portable. The abysmal comparison with a high-end PC would be unnatural and even "bad" to propose, but the novelty of the portability - the first natural feature you usually take into account when a new game arrives and enriches the Nintendo Switch catalog - allows this latest version of Capcom's open world RPG to have its say. However, doubts remain regarding the resolution and especially the frame rate of a game which, being a pure role-playing game, is by nature as vast as it is heavy and difficult to manage.
In short, the most important question of all is the following: can the Switch handle Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen? Basically, how does it turn? Very good. The port, which he took care of QLOC (which brought another technical bet, Dark Souls: Remastered, to the Switch), did not present any problems whatsoever in our extensive test, both in portable and docked mode, in the face of all skeptics.
We happily returned to Gransys again taking a walk around the console, while noticing theabsence of any addition - which should not be taken for granted, God forbid, but for the expectations of this type, small bonuses in Diablo III on Nintendo Switch are more than welcome.
Quirks aside, the game returns as a Classic RPG with a not particularly heartfelt plot, which evidently (as already addressed) was not Capcom's priority at the time, focusing everything on the gameplay experience.
The story of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is both banal and original perhaps even less developed and less immersive than it could have been. Trivial because a greedy and powerful dragon as the legends command we could list dozens of them (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Dragon Age: Origins); original because, in fact, see a huge red dragon tear and devour the heart of a poor fisherman, it's not a scene you see every day.
The plot will then not only deal with how to stop the dragon that threatens Gransys, but will also play us in the shoes of a hapless and strangely survived fisherman got up as "Arisen" in search of his heartstill throbbing by a dragon with impenetrable scales.
The workhorse of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is definitely the freedom given to the player in creating and customizing the character. A profound editor, the one in which the most stubborn spend hours to feel the "own" character: for naked and raw fans of role-playing games, the title starts off on the right foot, offering, for example, more than 60 hairstyles, without stopping only on the face but passing from stature, weight, posture (from shy to determined) to the classic wrinkles, scars, make-up and other characteristics.
An aspect that will accompany the so-called Arisen throughout the (long) adventure, of which Capcom must have felt the importance and the silent requests of the most demanding players, allowing not only to make change appearance at a certain point of the adventure but even to change the classes at will, at the cost of a sum of class points naturally received in battle.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen offers nine classes, divided into three groups: main, advanced and mixed. The main classes (to understand which ones you will have to choose at the beginning of the game) are the most classic: Warrior, Mage and Archer. Each class has its own unique weapons: the Warrior touches the sword and shield, the Magician the stick to cast powerful spells and the Archer, as fast as he is, daggers and short bows. An Archer will never be able to wield a sword… unless he becomes a mixed class like the Assassin.
Le advanced classes are the natural evolutions of the first classes and are Destroyer (a more furious warrior who loses his shield by gaining a hammer or a two-handed sword), Sorcerer (a wizard with more powerful spells) and the Hunter (like the Archer, only with a focus on the arch going from short to long arch).
Le mixed classes, more balanced, allow the meeting between the aforementioned previously light years away: Paladin (a Battlemage class, versatile warriors who can also count on magic) Assassin (eclectic character who can use swords, shields, bows and daggers) and Archer- Mage (an Archer who has developed the ability to use spells and enchanted bows).
In Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, changing classes isn't just greedy - it's fun and recommended for the sake of experimentation. What made us turn up our noses, in the face of all this freedom, is there presence of only one save file. Creating different characters with a different mentality and a different approach is not possible, against all the rules of a self-respecting role-playing game.
A feature of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, which reiterates the discourse of customization, is the pawns system, allies from another world placed in the context and plot of the game. Controlled by AI, they are, in short, our travel companions with which it will be possible to build a varied party suitable for the different needs of the moment. Up to three pawns can accompany the Arisen, one of which is closely linked with the protagonist who will be our eternal shoulder, to be named and customized. The remaining two are interchangeable and recruitable in the vast game world.
Le pawns also act as an online component for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen: it will be possible, in fact, to share one's own pieces with the other players and to borrow them in return. For this system of solidarity exchange you don't even need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, greatly expanding the audience with which it is possible to make these temporary and profitable exchanges.
It will be possible to “control” the behavior of the AI (dancer) with three commands (forward, here, help) and recalibrate that of the main pawn through a special chair in the main inns of Gransys. The pawns will greatly facilitate the experience, sometimes blocking enemies, others investing them with a flame or a hammer (depending on the class) doing the dirty work for us, also having the function of revealing useful details if asked or directions on the mission in progress.
And yes, there is a great need for directions in Gransys: we found a significant difficulty in orientation, both in the mini map at the bottom left and in the large-scale map in the menu, often groping, other times hoping that the pawns will guide us (we underline the word hoping).
To this we must add that there is no real distinction between main and secondary missions, of which Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is full. There is no divider, apart from the logical and descriptive one, between more and less important missions, contributing to a feeling of general disorientation which we would have gladly done without and which again puts exploration more than the main story in the foreground.
Speaking of lack of intuitiveness in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen a comprehensive list of skills is also missing: they are unlocked gradually, appearing only at a certain level, nor is there a marker that indicates the exclusivity of a specific class (as for example happens for the wearability of armor).
We groped in the dark, in Dark Arisen: to give a clear practical example, with the Archer we acquired the ability to dodge with a somersault (and since you have to buy it should make you think ...), but we were able to use it only one become Arcier-Mago. Nothing and no one informed us that a vital skill like dodging was the prerogative of advanced or mixed classes (despite having unlocked it with the starting class).
Between bands of goblins, outlaws, ogres, griffins and all the fantastic creatures that Capcom has chosen to include in its fantasy IP, the frequent fights can be a bit chaotic (especially in the presence of wizards) chaos that is expressed especially in the portable mode for natural screen reasons, where the camera is slightly more ungenerous and it is more cumbersome to turn the camera with the analog of the right joy-con.
For more experienced players or in search of challenges, however, Capcom comes to meet the Isle of Nerabyss, the heart of the Dark Arisen expansion, accessible immediately through an NPC that appears on the pier of the initial village, Cassardis (only at night), which is advisable to face after the main campaign due to its greater difficulty.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is a very vast title that although it shows the signs of time in the graphic field is proposed almost as a sum of the classic RPG. Arriving on Nintendo Switch after stealing several hours on other consoles, Capcom and QLOC have succeeded in a small miracle. Great freedom is granted to the player, especially in the character creation phase and related second thoughts, but this is unnaturally counterbalanced by a single save file, a little almost artificial intuitiveness caused by a demagnetized compass and a dark system of relevance of missions and skills for the nine classes available. The pawns, in addition to being an original online exchange system between Arisen, further enrich and vary the gaming experience. In conclusion, it must be said that Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen fails to return that immersion of narrative and lore more present in other competitors, focusing on other aspects and promising a long search to reclaim one's heart.
► Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is an Action-RPG type game developed and published by Capcom for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 23/04/2013 The version for PC came out on 15/01/2016 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 23/04/2019 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 03/10/2017 The version for Xbox One came out on 03/10/2017
