Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - Review After 100% 

the character customization is actually pretty big, longer hands increase your cahracter attack range with swords, heavier characters are knocked around less and are better at pinning down enemies (large and small), smaller characters consume much less stamina when climbing enemies, longer legs allow for faster movement speed, etc ... there are many little details like this into the game that makes it feel really diverse and cool.

I love how in this game when the Sun goes down it get's REAL dark. Like you need a torch to see what's in front of you and skeletons literally rise up out of the ground beneath you. It was so cool going out at night. Totally different feel. Combat is STILL the best in any action RPG in this game. The way you fight with 3 followers is so cool and so fun!

The spell effects was also a highlight for me, the destruction is well above standard RPG fare. Anyone unfamiliar should search it if they have yet to see.

Bitterblack Isle being the least played is weird to hear, specially since that is the part of the game I actually enjoyed the most. The fact I could take my fully leveled character into a new place, and still be challenged was a good feeling to me. And I remember some of the music in BBI being especially creepy when my character and his party of pawns would suddenly get attacked by some massive undead dragon. Of course that was years ago. But still remembering it being the best part. In my opinion.

Not sure if you mentioned it, learning all vocations is good because you can use the passives with any vocation, unlike the skills. While people tend to not play Bitterblack Isle, i would absolutely recommend it. The amount of loot and the cool encounters absolutely make it worthwile. It also rewards learning the fighting mechanics if you hadn't at that point, like proper parry timing etc. If Elden Ring showed anything it's that difficulty is not necessarily a hurdle. The problem with DD is, i think, that people are just worn out by the time they think they should go do the DLC.

The magic is amazing, especially when you have multiple sorcerers, they will sync certain spells which can shorten cast time considerably and then really blast enemies together. Three socerers casting fulmination surrounding a living armor is incredibly satisfying.

I liked the way the pawns and npcs in your team would act on their own initiative - really felt like you were a group of adventurers working together. Nothing quite like walking down a dank corridor with torch in hand only for a colleague to bash open a nearby chest and claim the loot.

I was really disappointed when they shut down Dragon's Dogma Online without ever releasing it in the West. It looked really good with considerable improvements. I hope to see a sequel soon though that would be fantastic.

DD is one of the finest rpgs that I have ever played, the guys created it with a lot of heart and passion and it shows in the gameplay.

One thing I think is fascinating about Dragon's Dogma is how unfinished the game is. Not in the sense of it being full of bugs, but in the sense that they actually had to cut out over half of the content they originally planned for the game. If you look at the developer interviews you'll see some truly wild stuff they had planned out.

This is a true diamond in the rough. I love this game. It’s deeper than it seems at first. There’s a ton of cool side stories and hidden things you can do with other characters that aren’t really signposted, or even necessarily quests, you just have to talk to people and figure it out. I do totally agree that the story is poorly told, at least until you get used to it. It’s like there’s a bunch of story happening around you, but not all of it is told to you. There’s a more realistic world building with it that takes a lot of getting used to, and then you start _seeing_ it. You start to get the feel of how the game is telling you stories. It takes far too long to get going and the beginning doesn’t have much of that, but man is it worth it! I’ve never finished it, though. I played maybe half of it when it first released, then again I nearly finished it when the expansion came out. I really ought to go back to it.

Like i've always said, DDDA is easily on my top 5 RPG's of all time. Yes it's a relatively small world when compared to other open games like Skyrim, but the amount of pure gameplay joy you can get from this game by doing the story, working on getting the solutions to certain quests the way you want, and finally testing your steel in BBI, makes this game well worth buying and imo a must have for anyone who likes fantasy RPGs.

Watching this after DD2's release date was just announced. This has to be on your most anticipated of 2024 list.

For a game that initially came out in 2012, I honestly feel that this game was severely underrated at the time. I remember playing the demo on PS3 and instantly falling in love with the game. The release of the DLC in 2016 was amazing for players who had played through the first game and wanted a bigger challenge, I mean after beating the game a few times, you lose the excitement; however, Bitterblack Isle gave even diehard veteran players a run for their gold. Never before seen mobs and the fear of facing something terrifying gave quite the adrenaline rush. Not to mention realising that you can tell if Death is lurking because of the music (or lack thereof) was even more terrifying. Despite feeling overwhelmed by the strength of mobs, the experience gained from those slain mobs and the treasure made the risk of venturing deeper into bitterblack isle worth it. It was unfortunate that the game wasn't given as much love as other series, but to me, it still feels like a diamond RPG with a story that leaves you realising that there's a lot to this world that you don't know about.

The world was apparently going to be a lot bigger compared to what we got in the game, but due to budget and time the studio had to cut a large chunk of the game. There was even going to be an entire section exploring the Moon of Gransys.

Been playing this since 2013 when Dark Arisen came out on PS3, bought it again for ps4 in 2019 and now on PC 2022. Well over 2k hours total, can play this blindfolded and know every line by heart. We've been robbed of a sequel in 2019 because of DMC 5 D: but thanks to the Anime, MMO and rereleases to switch, I have hope.

Solid video! Thinking of checking this series out as its on sale on steam. Subbed!

Easily one of the best action RPGs I ever played. I literally made like 12 different PSN accounts just for this game to create my own personal army of pawns to choose from.

Really cool to listen to your thoughts around one of my favorite games! Glad even more creators give this game some recognition! The community really expands and It's fun we are so many making videos about this game :)

I'm so happy that a sequel is finally coming out. BTW I'm surprised you didn't mention any of the missable quests or how easy it is to fail them. DD is very hard to 100% and basically needs a guide. I wasn't able to do it till my 3rd playthrough.

Bouncing through YT looking at vids for Arisen (after the DD2 announcement), this is the best one I have watched! Very clearly explained. Please do an update.

I cannot begin to describe how absolutely *hilarious* the romance system was. I will never forget suddenly ending up in a relationship with the guard captain. But it’s okay. On my next playthrough I forced the relationship with the character I wanted… by force feeding her copious ammounts of stamina nuts. Guess the true way to your beloved’s heart is through their mouth, huh?

At this point you've become my "go-to" for reviews on games i can potentially play! Nice one man

I'm dying for a sequel for this, as long as it stays true to the original in terms of difficulty.

Hi Mort, did you also try the magic spells, especially the high level ones? I believe the magic is a highlight as well. As a mage you're an easy target when forming your next incantation, but those spells hit hard and many of them look very impressive. :)

Im about 150 hours in, beat the game 4 times with my last time playing through speedrun mode, and i only have 1 achievement left! I absolutely LOVE this game!!

on the whole sequel thing; there actually was a dragon's dogma mmo that was available only in.. japan I think? that has since been closed down afaik, but I found it interesting that there actually was a bit of a follow up to the game that we in the west never got to see

It’s awesome this video is spiking in views! I’m glad you lucked out on the algorithm, when you worked so hard on this video! I love 100% reviews too, I did one with Ys: Memories of Celceta when I got a pre-release copy - and it was a lot of hard work, so kudos to you!

When i played, beated the game and just completed Bitter Black Island one time and call it a day, it was an amazing adventure. In the sequence i hope they put more effort in the design and art style of the game, i know it's beatifull and have cool monsters, but they are all a bit generic in some way.

I really apreciate your review, I found it fair, and you went through most of it in a pretty straightforward and efficient manner.

I think that it's important to note that, while min-maxing _does_ greatly increase your damage, it isn't necessary to be powerful. Honestly, at max level it's really the difference between melting the final boss in 10 seconds vs 1-2 minutes. So don't worry about it too much. Really I levelled the other vocations mainly to get those sweet sweet augments.

Thanks for your review, I'll buy it instead of the sequel because money Can't believe a game so highly praised went under my radar for all these years

You are legendary. Best source of information out there

I also enjoyed the heck out of BBI. Nice review man, I agree with everything except one. You're playing the game from the keyboard and mouse perspective, and that's fine. Just realise that the game was designed with a controller in mind. :)

Been saying the same thing about the spawn systems since I played it yrs ago, how is this been not utlized more? Same for how choice's in ME effected play throughs to the sequel. And we can add Shadow of Mordors nemisis system also to the list.

Another detail which is not explained in the game at all: the more XP the enemy has, the less discipline you receive. And the smaller the XP, the more discipline you receive. So if you don’t want to level up but want to rank up, you are best farming wolves and bandits, etc. for the most discipline. Great video!

This game was overshadowed by Skyrim, everyone was still much into skyrim when it came out. Now since the sequel is coming out more and more people are discovering this game and really loving it, some even say they had not idea this game existed or just never got into the game, basically, skyrim was a major problem with timing, I think this game should have waited till 2015 to come out or maybe waited for next Gen release at that time. Capcom just released the game too soon after skyrim and that hurt its sales and popularity.

Why am i watching this after 1700 hrs of gametime? THis game is close to my heart for some reason.

The berserk cosmetics! Fighting the hydra and watching one of your pawns get swallowed alive and cutting off the hydras head to save them before they are digested, riding on the back of a drake into the sky stabbing it and riding it to earth like a rocket, using a frost enchanted blade on a lizard man freezing his body and shattering it with a great sword subzero style. There are so many fun things to do in this game and bitter Black Isle is really fun too. One of my favorite games of all time.

The fact u 100% this game is a true feat it’s one of the games I always wanted to 100% but didn’t have the patience or desire to play the way I need to to get the missable trophies out the way

I love that you send out reviews AFTER completing the game fully, I think reviewers should do this more often instead of spending 2 hours in the game and then reviewing, tutorials can last longer than that lol

You gotta do the Devil May Cry games leading up to the sequel. 3,4, and 5 were all directed by the guy who directed Dragon’s Dogma.

As usual, great review. I'm growing weary of saying so many nice things about your reviews. Essentially, I'm redundantly repeating myself again and again, over and over, kind of like the three seconds that start here - 14:54. Okay, if that's the meanest I can be to you, you're doing great. Glad you had a good time and I hope to finish this damn game some day too. And Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there!

I loved this game. I played my first play-through as a fighter with a ranged pawn. For each new game after I played the pawn I had used from the previous game. I felt this went well with the story of it being this continuous tale being told.

I picked up this game from a gamestop on a whim and it has become one of my all-time favorites. I honestly don't know why people don't talk about it more often. The skills and vocations feel new even though they've been done hundreds of times before. There are skills I've never seen done in other games; I mean rogues have an animation cancelling skill. I feel like each class is played differently even with the limited types of weapons. Portstones that you place stay in new game+ so you can really speed up the main game. The boss monsters always feel like an accomplishment to beat, and the only game I've played that approaches monsters in a similar way is monster hunter and even that doesn't feel quite the same. Even the variety of monsters is something I haven't really seen in other games. The pawns are a great companion system without feeling like they are constantly getting in the way and a neat way to connect with other players. I know this is a bit rambling, but I just love this game so much.

man you 100% it already? impressive

Awesome work Sir thank you

Slight point, one thing you missed was that each vocation gives augments, which can be used by any class, so they are all worth mastering.

One of a selection of games I’ve completed and loved it. Tried to max out all the classes and grab all the best augmentations along the way. Definitely one of my favourite games. Though would have loved a fast travel system implemented right from the start! Still a unique and rewarding experience if you give it the time

Who else is here because of the sequel coming out and interested to see Mortim's opinion of the first?

I love this game. Thanks for the review now I must go play again!

"you can't equip stuff from inventory, you have to go to the equipment menu." yup, that's a japanese game alright!

The combat was done really well in this game. Everything from Warrior to Archer to Mage are fun to play. Even though the map isn't huge, it does a really good job of making it feel huge with the space they have. I also wish games did night time like this game did, it is actually dark and you need a light to travel. If they ever make another (fingers crossed) I hope they add a horse or something to get around on. Great game!

In my first playthrough, Caxton, the blacksmith from Gran Soren, was chosen as my Beloved. I wasn't able to upgrade my gear for SO LONG.

This is such an obscure RPG, with lot & lots of unique gameplay mechanics... A game that is in my opinion high ranking in two categories: "The King of Feature Creep" & "Games not by Kojima, but as Strange and Convoluted as by Kojima" and I love it for that strangeness. This is truly a game that takes you on a Journey. Journey... Like watching for the 1st Time: Jean Cocteau's The Beauty and the Beast! Or playing for the 1st Time Ultima 4, dive deep down to Rapture, waking up in a dark Chamber, then Discover view from the plateau in Breath of the Wild, or playing the first 150 hours of "Elden Ring". And the same as Bioshock or Ultima 4 it has a great ending... (My Opinion) 7:00 Men wake up normally to that condition... ;-) As always, thank for the Essay and your point of view... P.S. Play through on PS3 (DD) & PS4 (DDA) and in 2019 again on PC. Cheers to all, take care, be well.

One of my favorite games, I really hope they make a second one.

Every time Steam has a sale I watch a bunch of your videos. 😂 Great stuff.

2:30 This dragon must have been a pro in surgeon simulator!

What resolutions will this game run on? I have a 5120 x 1440 monitor and I can not access the bottom menus.

One of my favourite action RPGs an underrated masterpiece that deserves a sequel.

Oh boy, I was waiting for this video. DD is such an awesome game.

Downloading the game today, this looks awesome!

100% review is so nice tysm

Oh wow Im glad i been watching InfiniteCringe, SO great to see this sorta stuff for DDDA in 2022. I'm not even halfway thru my own playthrough cuz I keep taking breaks trying to prolong the inevitable Edit: oh yeah immediate sub with that intro, i respect the fact you 100% before a review, it truly does make a difference. At least in my head

The last boss in NG+ was the biggest surprise to me and the main reason I suggest anyone to run a NG+ in this game.

Bro, I can't even lie bro. You're easily my favorite reviewer on RU-vid and it's funny because you're the most recent one, but nobody goes into detail the way you do on these games and I do appreciate that and I appreciate that you actually complete the game 100% before actually giving your take on it. But yes, I tend to trust your reviews above. Anybody else's keep up the great work man. I look forward to seeing what you think about starfield at the end of the year and hopefully if stalker 2 comes out. I know you're more into RPGs you know and to say that, but those are kind of RPGs they I do have RPG elements in them. Well, starfield is an RPG so let's see and I pray to God that stalker comes out that definitely is sort of action. Adventure RPG. At least the original stalkers were. But yeah looking forward to seeing what else you put out man. I'm a console player lately. I actually straight away from PC about 3 years ago. I haven't really bothered to upgrade My PC for A while I'm still rocking an old 10 series card so it's been a little while since I haven't done any upgrades but I'm happy with my series x

In DD2 I would love it if the Dragon's I fought in NG+ and on carried the traits and sins of my past play through. If there was a way to build your own worst nightmare, I think that would be incredible. Based off the lore, it would be a nifty twist.

One of my favorite games of all time! Even with it's flaws, Dragon's Dogma still has some mechanics that is not seen much elsewhere and if there are, are not as well executed as this game did. I do have to agree with the story, it could've been told better. Side note: I think there's an item that makes people hate you and basically lose all affinity points gained for that npc.

I absolutely love this game I beat it twice and I can’t wait to play it again

I love this game, thanks for covering it ❤

The black Isle tell a story about arisen falling in love with his pawn you must complete it twice to get all the story plus you got to collect stone tablet to understand how the place become curse i love that place and you can climb on small enemys to like the lizard mans and even they have weakness

One of my all time fav's love this game great review spot on.

Onward to 200k. All glory to the algorithm.

I was interested in this game because there are hybrid classes, and i'm a sucker for hybrids/gishs. :D But i was afraid of the min-maxing aspect that many guides on the internet that kinda only use these at very late game (level 200 or something). Is min-maxing a big deal or can i start using hybrid from the start and switch to get upgrades from other classes?

Character creation also makes big differences on stamina and stamina regen based on weight

I just got this game a few days ago.my son and I are having a blast playing it together

Very important note to anyone picking Dragon's Dogma, don't bother minmaxing, planning your levels based on your class in this game is pretty much ,useless since 98% of your damage is dependant on your gear, for example if you have any of the tier 3 weapons from Bitterblack Isle you can pretty much obliterate anything no matter if your "build" is focused on said thing, so play whatever picks your fancy you will do great as long as you have good gear and keep upgrading them.

It's interesting to see someone suggest writing off bitterblack Isle when it, like the rest of the late game/endgame/postgame are astronomical leaps in quality above everything that comes before. Bitterblack is by far, the best content in Dragon's Dogma.

Oh, the rose tinted glasses!!! :-D When I was looking at your time stamps, I was wondering why the negative part was so long. In my recollection of playing the game only the incredible pawn system and boss mechanics remained. After your first sentence about the menus the flashbacks started kicking in. :-D I had totally forgotten how awful could be at times. Still one of my top RPGs off all time. :-)

Really awesome you that you finished before the sale ended. Very informative. Great video. Btw I haven't heard you say anything about "The Wayward Realms". A game in the making. Have a look on Steam. Cheers

Dragons dogma has my favorite combat, and there's a bunch of skills I've never used only to discover how cool they are, although not all of them. My favorite game overall.

Video Idea: A running tally of your total 100% games, like how many games have you done this to total, along with a most memorable games list, and a most memorable moments or moments when you were truly caught off guard by the story, IE plot twist. P.S. Keep making this content, I love these videos.

Your character weight also affects your carry weight and stamina recovery

Fighting the bigger monsters like cyclops or hydras had a very Monster Hunter feel to it, was very cool.

I'm playing this to prepare for the sequel. Can't stand the menu system and backtracking, but combat is what keeps me going.

I love this game so much. bought it for ps3, then bought the DA dlc, so my items carried into it, and I got an eternal ferrystone, which made NG+'s a lot easier. Combat system is unmatched, even by souls games standards: the combination of skills and stances you have are not present in other games. It actually feels varied and fun.

Just got the game for 5 dollars deff worth it

One of many things I've learned from this game is that, wolves hunt in packs.

I played this games years ago but overall it is STILL one of the best games I've played. I liked that it gave side quests and all that yet what I loved to do was simply roam. I liked brawling the undead and powerful foes at night. I remember a time I just ambushed by two chimeras in near darkness. Then the magic system imo nothing has topped it. DD's magic has so much punch to it, especially, higher level spells like Maelstrom it changes the whole feel of the battle.

at some point the shop keeper that sells weapons and armors in Grand Soren, the one that ask for a statuette to upgrade his shop, became the person with the highest affinity. just because i kept buying and selling stuff over my many new game +

one of the greatest combat systems ever made imo! hopefully development for 2 is going smoothly. THE WIND IS PUSHING MEEEEE

Spellcasting and the pawn system were my favorite parts of Dragon's Dogma. Nothing quite so epic as doing a ritual spell with pawns and watching so many meteors rain down from the sky upon your enemies. Makes you feel like a god.

I had tons of fun when I played this, tho it was frustrating from start to walk everywhere, and fast travel wasn't an option, but when I got the crystals, travelling got easier. One thing that I REALLY liked beside combat was "day and night cycle" and how it affected the gameplay, like during daytime, when it's sunny, it's easier to walk around the world, but when the night fell, it got REALLY dark and all the monsters and other terrifying creatures came out, it was scary fight them.

I really like the fact travel system, as they can absolutely save your butt in a NG+ play through if you place them correctly, (looking at you FAR off area where you fight your first Griffon.👀)

DDDA isn't just a hidden gem - it was an underrated masterpiece ahead of its time. All it lacked was marketing & pandering.

Riposte with a magic shield was an absolute game changer and it's how I played the remainder of the game once I discovered it. Nearly broken but so much fun. 👌

Dragons dogma is on sale for £8 on switch atm so thinking about getting it. This review really helps

methodical. subscribed.

Good show sir🥳

You are so fast with these games dude.