However, it’s been a few years since Dark Arisen released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and the lack of updates regarding a sequel lead many to believe that the series was done for good. It’s a great addition to the game as the vast majority of the monsters inside are not found in the main game and the difficulty is so high that it will give even veterans of the base game a run for their money. This is essentially one big challenge dungeon, as you and your team are tasked with fighting deeper and deeper into the area to encounter increasingly difficult foes. As a result, I often found myself favoring fleeing rather than fighting.The very next year saw the release of Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, an expansion upon the original game that tweaked some of the gameplay while also adding a big new area called Bitterblack Isle.

These fights certainly are no easy feat and can swiftly send you back to your last checkpoint if your combat skills are not up to scratch. Once you move outside of a city’s walls, you become fair game to any gangs of goblins and bandits lurking in the shadows. Not only will you have to prepare yourself for the missions, but you will also need to make sure you are ready for any battles during the walk over to the mission. Simply traversing the landscape is a challenge by itself. This is not a game for casual players, and its tough difficulty will be what either attracts people towards it or drives them away. Instead of dying, you have become the Arisen, a special ‘chosen one’ who is the only person capable of slaying the heart-stealing monster, a terrifying task that must be done if you wish to reclaim your heart and become whole again. But, surprisingly, this doesn’t kill you. Failing to put an end to the destructive beast with a few gallant swings from your rusty sword (like that was going to do anything), you are thrown across the ground and promptly have your heart snatched out of your body by one of the dragon’s gigantic claws. The titular dragon, glimpsed at in the prologue, attacks the peaceful village that is home to your avatar.

After this action-packed prologue, the story jumps forward to a sleek cinematic that would give the opening of The Hobbit a run for its money. The story begins with a prologue showing an unknown warrior battle through a mysterious temple as he and his company are attacked by a fierce dragon.

Dragon39s dogma dark arisen review