Dragon’s Dogma 2 players compare game to Elden Ring, Zelda in one specific way

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s launch has not been without its issues, but it seems as though many consider it an immediate game of the year contender despite some technical problems and microtransaction controversy.

The open-world RPG from Capcom is getting praise from all ends of the gaming spectrum, and some have even compared it to a few massive gaming titans when it comes to one specific aspect.

“I appreciate the exploration in DD2 sooo much,” the poster of a March 25 Reddit thread said. “I feel like I never know what’s lurking around every corner which makes me very eager to explore, with a constant feeling of unease in a good way. There are no map markers (until you find P.O.I.) and you constantly find interesting caves, buildings and areas with good loot, tough enemies/’bosses’ and pawns to hire. You don’t know what you will find, but it could be something amazing. As a bonus you gain in strength while doing it.”

Dragon’s Dogma 2 throws the player into an open world where the fun can be found anywhere and in many shapes and forms—and this player especially enjoys it so much that they compared it to some of the greatest games in recent memory.

“To me this is true exploration in a open world game, and it’s so rare,” they said. “Games I’ve played with exploration like DD2 that I can think of is Elden Ring, Zelda BOTW/ToTK, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Bethesda RPG’s. The Witcher 3 is probably my favorite game all time, but I wouldn’t put that in this category. That makes me appreciate it even more when it does come along.”

Several players agreed with how good DD2’s open world is, saying they’ve “enjoyed just running off and getting into skirmishes,” with the lack of map markers encouraging truly exploring the world as opposed to marking off a checklist of objectives like in some other open-world games.

“I feel like the back and forth, and fast travel being expensive, is done on purpose to maximize the encounters you run into while traveling,” another player said. “Most of my ‘giant monster’ battles have happened on the way to somewhere unrelated. My favorite, though, is last night I was in the main city buying some gear and a cyclops just wandered into the city, and we all took him down.”

While the lack of abundant fast travel options may turn some other players away, it’s clear that it’s a big hit with others. And with the game only having been out a few days, the exploration looks to continue for some time to come.