Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen –PS4 version, Reviewed on PS5 – Action, RPG, Adventure
Dragon’s Dogma was a game of interest to me when it first released on PS3, however ultimately, I did not have time to slip it into the rotation and never bought it. Eventually, it received a PS4 release with the “Dark Arisen” version, including additional and expanded content. After many years, a sequel was announced, so I figured that I should try to get the original in first, and see how I liked it. This game wound up being a wonderful adventure, and gave me the most “Elden Ring” type experience I have found, outside of From Software games.
Story:
You are the Arisen, a custom designed character of your choosing, which will appear seamlessly in all cutscenes making you feel like an actual part of the storyline and action. The customization is a nice feature, and works better in this game than most. It also feeds into the story by the end, which I won’t spoil, especially on a second playthrough.
The game opens with a dragon attack on your small beach town Cassardis, with the once defeated and gigantic red dragon is out to look for its revenge on the world. Unfortunately for your protagonist character, your heart is literally stolen by this dragon, who threatens the end of days. Somehow you remain alive, and are deemed “the Arisen.”
As the Arisen, it is your task to attempt to build yourself up and eventually take on this dragon who started your adventure. It seems simple enough, however of course being an RPG there are a multitude of characters that need your help, and tons of side-quests and tasks to complete.
The Dark Arisen version of this game includes additional story well beyond the completion of your main quest of dragon style revenge. It brings additional story and explanation to the world and its events, as well as a horrific island full of nastier creatures than found in the regular quest.
Overall, it is a long tale with many twists and turns, including unexpected choices.
Gameplay:
The third-person adventure gives a ton of typical RPG elements, but is focused on the fighting and action. You gain levels through killing monsters and completing quests, and build your character up through finding and upgrading weapons, armor and your “pawn.” Pawns are custom created companions which focus on one of six styles, such as Fighter, or Mage.
Pawns allow you to focus your main character on a specific type of playstyle, while boosting it with other powers that your Arisen cannot access themselves. Thankfully, vocations for both your main character and pawns can be changed, letting you evolve as you need as the story progresses.
Additionally, up to three companion pawns can be attained, letting you use other players’ custom created pawns as well. This does reduce experience as it is split between the characters, but is a very fun and ever-changing game addition. Overall, the pawn system is awesome and there are some silly creations out there to utilize.
Combat is fun and fluid, despite an older game engine. The PS4 Dark Arisen version has smooth motion, even while climbing up a gigantic beast to slash weak spots, while your pawns attack from afar (or do whatever you have told them to do). I used melee and bows mostly, both of which felt rewarding. Pawns with magic were blasting spells from afar, and my warrior created pawn used heavy weapons and got in close to draw monsters’ attention.
If you roll with a melee Arisen character, you will find yourself actively climbing up gigantic beasts, and avoiding their attempts to shake you off. I loved these types of moments; however, proximity certainly has its own dangers. Ultimately, it’s up to the player to choose and test tactics, of which there are a great variety. For me, the fun really never stopped, despite some very tough monsters out there waiting to be discovered and felled.
The RPG elements were fun, whether growing in strength and ability, or leveling up weapons and armor which required finding the right materials. As your character evolves in their given techniques, abilities are opened up which can further enhance your gameplay styles. These can be mixed up and reworked as necessary, so for the most part any character is not stuck in one style of play no matter what. Sometimes mixing up weapons, armors and techniques are necessary to take on larger beasts.
Exploration is key, and very rewarding. The world is large and there is no fast travel at all early on (and even later in the game it remains a limited system). For me, this enhanced the experience and exploration, and made the ancient world full of monsters feel more real. Will you risk traveling at night? Or will you try and stop by the nearest town and rest, in order to take the easier monsters found in the day?
There are small and large towns, caves, castles, forests and more to explore. Similar to the popular Elden Ring, monsters re-appear after the areas are cleared, giving additional experience and reasons to come back to level up. Additionally, items are hidden all throughout all areas, many of which can be easily missed, especially if exploring at night. Keep your lantern well stocked with oil, otherwise you really can’t see in the darkest hours, or the deepest caves.
Graphics:
The PS4 enhanced version of the game felt very much alive, despite an “older” PS3-era graphical engine in these modern days. Trees, grass and bushes all move with the wind, creating an ominous feeling when out in forested areas or large plains.
Character models are solid, and movement is good enough to not feel outdated, even comparing to modern 2024+ titles. Attacks and spells are fluid, and hits landed on enemies look and feel accurate.
Fun-level:
This action RPG was a total blast and offers tons of content. I had a lot of fun in this game at all times, even during a second playthrough. The freedom of character customization, types of techniques and vocations available, and weapon choice left me very pleased, and should fit most anyone’s playstyle. The story was sound, and left multiple options to drive it forward in how things were completed. Quests were aplenty, with most of them being well written additions to the main tale.
If you are looking for that itch to be scratched after you finish Elden Ring, consider this older game if you can handle the lesser graphics and game engine, despite being an older game, it is a total blast. I fully recommend it, and look forward to eventually finding time to play its 2024 sequel.
Downloadable Content (DLC) Review:
I believe most “DLC” for this enhanced version would be the post-main-story continued tale, as well as a large and horrific location named Bitterblack Isle. The additional story was very welcome, and continued your Arisen’s journey for another chunk of hours. It all made sense to the world, and enhances both past and present motivations for most all main story characters. It fits in seamlessly, and should not be missed.
The Bitterblack Isle chunk features very hard dungeons and evil monsters to slay. While it is optional to the story, it is absolutely necessary if you want to really level up your character into the highest levels available as it offers the nastiest beasts with the most experience, as well as amazing weapons, armors and upgrade materials. There is a bit of a “story” for the Isle also as you work through it, but it was not as memorable as the main game’s tale.
Final Score: 8.5
DLC Score: 8.5