Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen is a wonderful game to sit down and immerse yourself in.
I’ve been going at it the past few days, and it’s surprising to me how this game embodies a lot of staples of FromSoft’s games. Exploration is fairly unguided, apart from your pawns chiming in. Weapons and Gear are just as important as knowing when to fight or flee. Along with that comes the unapologetic difficulty. Fuck around and find out, really. Forgot to rest and save before venturing out? Good luck.
… Yes, I just ragequit after finishing the objective of opening a door and then dying to the cyclops guarding it… Just as I got it down to a quarer of its health. Should have run away. But I didn’t.
This is one of my favorite games of all time. I would not compare it to FromSoft’s games though. It is difficult at times, but not as frustratingly difficult as those games (I hate those games because I suck at them). I think Dragons Dogma is far more approachable and rewards players for taking their time. Also, the pawn system helps out a lot too.
I didn’t necessarily mean a direct comparison, but more the theming and the exploration / world building and storytelling. It’s far more rewarding than dodging boss attacks and whittling health down, like in fromsoft games.