Genre: RPG
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

The original release's muddy art work and 720p resolution meant that Dragon's Dogma's positive legacy did not lie in its aesthetic. But, behold the power of the PC! On this reviewer's system, native 4k at roughly one billion frames per second does wonders in helping the title's artistry fill to its admittedly low ceiling. There are also some astonishing enemies, such as a hydra that coils and then crushes entire buildings!

Taking a cue from the Souls titles, Dragon's Dogma is a mostly mute adventure, with the void filled by reverb-loaded sound effects, and creepy ambient noises. The player's accompanying NPCs also prattle away, and it's fun to notice how their chatter is totally dynamic depending on how much each character "knows" about each setting and active quest.

Like countless games before it, Dragon's Dogma is an "open world" RPG, with massive fields and forests, lightly littered with explorable and questable dungeons. Combat is like a cross between the Souls and Dragon Age titles, with some caution and strategy required to see out enemy encounters. Party members are chosen from other real players' companions, via a server-connected hub area.

Dragon's Dogma is middling at a lot of things: it's not as densely interesting as an Elder Scrolls game; it's not nearly as emotionally engaging as a Souls release; the combat isn't remotely as tactical as the X-COM titles. It feels wearisomely familiar much of the time. And yet, its curiously-assembled hodge podge of ideas can be situationally captivating, in that the player is driven on out of pure curiosity.