Dragon's Dogma.. A name that on mere contemplation brings forth theocratic contemplation.

When we look at the definition of a Dragon, the definition reads;
A mythical monster like a giant reptile. In European tradition the dragon is typically fire-breathing and tends to symbolize chaos or evil, whereas in East Asia it is usually a beneficent symbol of fertility, associated with water and the heavens.

And when we look up the definition of Dogma:
A principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.

The incontrovertible truth about is that there's a Dragon, and you are the prophesied hero of the hour to slay this Dragon, but what does it truly mean to be, Arisen?

In Dragon's Dogma, you live life as a fisher in a small village engaging in casual small-talks with your fellow villagers before your entire life is turned upside down, and you are forced to seek out a greater destiny - A Greater Purpose - in your life. Before you even leave the confines of your village however, a man drops down seemingly from the void, a place known as The Rift, and he presents himself as a Pawn sworn to follow the Arisen no matter where the road loads and how.

Pawns, said to be soulless but not mindless creatures who walk eternally in the Rift between worlds. The Arisen, the one chosen to slay the Dragon. But what does this all mean? It's a mystery you're going to have to find out for yourself...

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Dragon's Dogma is a beautiful game that I like to compare to Dark Souls II and vice versa. Both of the games share a sort of visual similarity to each other although they play very loosely alike. Dragon's Dogma is more based on ideas of old-school Fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons while updating the look and feel of it. You'll fight Beholders, Chimeras, Goblins; Bandits, Dragons and more while exploring a beautiful small part of a larger world.

You'll explore a scary forest, you'll admire the seaside view, you'll have a breathtaking view from a mountain, you'll see a ruined tower in the distance and eventually reach it and explore all it's nooks and crannies.

If I would describe Dragon's Dogma with one word, it'd be Magical.

Dark Arisen, the Subtitle, is the name of the expansion which features a new end game dungeon that you can visit directly at the start of the game if you so desire where you'll face the toughest of enemies - Including Death itself - while uncovering what happens to an Arisen who refuses his fate ...

If there's something negative to say about Dragon's Dogma, it's the forced romance that unless you know beforehand or really look into, will take you completely by surprise. And while that was surprising, I found myself terribly amused by it as well since I seemingly had no say in it and just decided to ride along, but I can see others finding it silly.

Likewise the Pawns, the lovable frustrating Pawns. I equate them to that of Puppies. Before they gain adequate Enemy-fighting experience, your pawn will be absolute garbage. Constantly jumping into battle and then needing you to pull her out of it. But just as a puppy, while you'll scream at the top of your lungs when they make an accident somewhere for the 50th time, you'll apologize and hug them because they're just trying to be a good boy / girl. You'll be quoting what the Pawns say endlessly to your friends after playing this game.

The game does have a multiplayer component to it. Just like Dark Souls, you can summon your friends to help you - but it's not your friends you summon, it's their pawns. Likewise they can summon your pawn to assist them in their world. Later they can send your pawn back home to you with a rating of three categories up to five stars each category, a pre-set comment and a gift if they chose to send one to you.

I cannot recommend this game enough.
My friend got me this game years ago.
I got this game for another friend.
Together we influenced a third friend to get it.

A great game, a great story.
Minor flaws, many hours of fun.
New Game+ mechanics that you can access at will by changing your difficulty setting.

Get this game now for you and your friends.

Strength in Numbers, Arisen.