The world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 might sound surprisingly acquainted, even if you happen to by no means performed the unique. A lush, forested terrain speckled with hidden caves and cobblestone ruins; inhabited by beasts and creatures you may in all probability title on sight. That’s as a result of director Hideaki Isuno meant to create a high-fantasy world that appears and appears like one that everybody would think about a real-life fantasy world to seem like.
This intention has carried over from the unique Dragon’s Dogma, and is why they centered on making a European and northern English really feel, all the way down to the vegetation and constructions. The creature design has additionally remained grounded – as grounded as a fantasy creature will be.
“Our method to design is to consider what a monster would seem like if it existed in actual life. It is arduous to recollect what these monsters are named after they present up, so we’re cautious to create characters that look similar to their names,” Itsuno defined. “We wished anybody on this planet to have the ability to see its design and say, that is a Sphynx. We interviewed a lot of individuals from around the globe after creating the primary recreation, and there have been numerous monsters that seem in Dragon’s Dogma that individuals stated seemed precisely like their psychological picture of them, such because the Griffin. That is one thing we’re pleased with, and we’re glad we put a lot consideration into it. It is nice to listen to individuals say, ‘Sure, this!’”
The Cyclops, Harpy, and Minotaur are only a few extra of the creatures present in Dragon’s Dogma 2 anybody aware of high-fantasy may in all probability title on sight. Should you performed the primary, don’t anticipate to acknowledge any explicit places from Granys, although.
Itsuno stated: “Dragon’s Dogma is the story of many parallel worlds, and the world we see in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is only one of those worlds. In every parallel world, Pawns work together with Arisen and different Pawns.hat’s why the story of fixed rebirth that is centered round dragons, in addition to the assorted components of the world proven within the earlier recreation have all carried over to this one as nicely. That stated, it does happen in a special parallel world, which is why I believe there might be components which can be related but completely different. That is mirrored in numerous completely different locations, and I hope gamers take pleasure in it.”
The artwork director Daigo Ikeno commented that making a parallel world really made Dragon Dogma’s 2 design a bit harder. “We determined to hold on components from [the previous Dragon’s Dogma]. Not with the ability to make any huge adjustments really made it a bit troublesome, as a result of this meant having to carefully study every little a part of the sport,” Ikeno stated.
Quite than take a look at fantasy movies and different extra fashionable works as reference materials for the artwork design of Dragon’s Dogma and Dragon’s Dogma 2, Ikeno gave the crew classical work and medieval artwork that depicted historical surroundings.
“That meant we had been fairly restricted in a manner, however I believe it changed into one in every of Dogma’s distinguishing options,” stated Keitaro Kato, the idea lead. “It was extremely troublesome to research what made this artwork good, then take that and incorporate it into our recreation’s maps, or into the general ambiance of its world.”
The crew wasn’t solely impressed by drawn artwork, however by the views of real-world terrain as nicely. Itsuno defined: “We scouted for places in order that the crew members would know what sorts of terrain I wished and really feel enthusiastic about it for themselves. That is one thing I’ve executed ever because the first recreation within the sequence, in addition to throughout Satan Might Cry 5… We went to every kind of locations in order that planning members may perceive what it means to be in a spot the place your vacation spot is close by and never too distant, but you’re feeling excited in regards to the path there. This largely concerned climbing mountains. I additionally preferred ria coasts, with their clear elevation adjustments and blocked sightlines.”
This emphasis on blocked sightlines ties into Itsuno’s need to make journey enjoyable and significant inside the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2. There’s an enormous distinction between touring down a protracted street and with the ability to see your vacation spot with nothing fascinating on the best way and forested paths with fascinating distractions popping up round each nook. The latter is how wandering in Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels.
Itsuno stated: “Journey is boring? That is not true. It is solely a problem in case your recreation is boring. All it’s a must to do is make journey enjoyable. That is why you place issues in the proper location for gamers to find, or provide you with enemy look strategies that create completely different experiences every time, or pressure gamers into blind conditions the place they do not know whether or not it is protected or not ten meters in entrance of them. We have put numerous work into designing a recreation the place you may stumble throughout somebody and one thing will occur, so whereas it is superb if it does have quick journey, we determined to design the form of map the place gamers will make the choice for themselves to journey on foot in an effort to benefit from the journey.”
The actual-life visits and fashionable graphics helped the crew create environments that clearly communicated its inherent hazard or security, too.
Itsuno continued: “As an alternative of utilizing symbols to say ‘you may die if you happen to fall right here,’ we may begin making everybody perceive visually that they’d in all probability die in the event that they fell in a sure place. It allow us to convey our real-life sense of hazard, security, and safety into video games as-is. Now that we had been in an age the place we may try this, I used to be acutely aware of making these sorts of experiences every time attainable. That is why all of us went to this scary attraction the place you may stroll alongside the sting of the highest of the Abeno Harukas skyscraper, as a result of I wished everybody to expertise what was scary about it. I paid particular consideration initially to educating everybody and having them expertise the sorts of terrain and views that transfer individuals emotionally.”
Although the extent design and world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 are nonetheless very a lot primarily based on the primary, there are some distinctive variations. The clear new inclusion is the brand new race, beastren, and their neighboring nation of Battahl.
This race was all the time meant to have existed on this planet of Dragon’s Dogma, however because of the limitations within the PlayStation 3 period, the crew was unable to implement them. Primarily, this was because of the beastren’s fur.
Curiously, the beastren’s origin stems from Capcom’s Crimson Earth (additionally known as Conflict-Zard in Japan.) The fantasy preventing recreation included half-beast characters that ended up as inspiration for the beastren.
In Dragon’s Dogma 2, the people and beastren come from completely completely different cultures. Whereas the human kingdom of Vermund is a monarchy very a lot with a “mainstream medieval European ambiance,” the nation of Battahl is run by priestesses.
“We would like gamers to grasp it as a tradition that stands in distinction to Vermund,” Kato defined. “We determined for the 2 to be completely different all the way down to their most elementary constructions in an effort to change gamers’ impression of them.”
The 2 international locations’ environments are additionally vastly completely different, influencing particulars like clothes design. “The land the international locations stay on is completely different as nicely, and so I assumed comprehensively about what sort of garments would match their local weather, together with the climate, whereas additionally specializing in incorporating that into the sorts of visuals that the director wished, particularly at first, in addition to the artwork director. I believe that method has created a reasonably large distinction in ambiance between the 2,” Kato defined.
Together with beastren, the elves even have a base of types in Dragon’s Dogma 2. The elvish language is completely made up, and Should you can’t perceive it in-game, you may’t learn it, both.
“I ended up on-site in London on the recording with the voice actors and our story author who made up a language and wrote it out phonetically, and the result’s all because of the learning the voice actors did. We defined that it was elvish, and informed them find out how to learn it phonetically. We wrote traces completely phonetically in order that related phrases would sound the identical. When the voice actors heard that they might be talking elvish, they advised that it’s pronounced like a Scandinavian language and totally researched the topic. They placed on performances there that took phonetically spelled made-up phrases and turned them into one thing that sounds genuine. And it is not as if we recorded the total language. Our sound crew managed to patch it collectively nicely to create a base for the entire language via their blood, sweat, and tears,” Itsuno defined.
This stage of element is obvious all through Dragon Dogma’s 2, applied painstakingly by the devoted crew. No matter how uncannily acquainted its medieval high-fantasy surroundings could be, the world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 is uniquely its personal.
Casey DeFreitas is the deputy editor of guides. Catch her on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD