User blog:Raylan13/Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen Review Roundup



Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, the re-release of the original game, has hit the market in most places. While it boasts new weapons, quests, enemies, armors, locations, customizations and more, the critics seem divided.

Check out some of their opinions below and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!

Liked it

 * Spong - 9/10
 * When it comes down to it everybody can be easily thrown into one of four groups. Anyone still putting serious hours into Dragon’s Dogma will no doubt be desperate for this to come out and give them new stuff to hack and slash their way through, so they likely won’t need much convincing here.


 * If you vaguely remember playing a lot of Dragon’s Dogma back in the hazy days of 2012 and got a bit of a kick out of it then the added content of Dark Arisen is definitely worth checking out.


 * If you never picked up Dragon’s Dogma in the first place then I can’t recommend Dark Arisen enough. Dragon’s Dogma was a suitably meaty game in its own right, and all of the new areas and beasties of Bitterblack Isle makes Dark Arisen excellent value for money for a new player.


 * Cram Gaming - 8/10
 * Dark Arisen offers more of the same that the original handled so well, and therefore comes well recommended.


 * Metro - 7/10
 * Like almost any expansion Dark Arisen doesn't entirely fix the flaws of the original. The combat still lacks weight and the visuals remain highly uneven – genuinely impressive one moment and horribly amateurish the next. As far as the expansion side of things go though Dark Arisen is impressively weighty and although the increased Dark Souls influence may wind some up the wrong way it does at least help to distinguish things from the original Dragon's Dogma.


 * Given the increased value for money we feel a lot more confident recommending this version of Dragon’s Dogma to the uncertain, and we're certainly looking forward to what Capcom will do with the already confirmed sequel...


 * Eurogamer - 8/10
 * Dark Arisen is indisputably in Dark Souls' thrall. But this tribute is both thoughtful and creative, building upon Miyazaki's work with some individuality rather than merely mimicking its - arguably unrepeatable - wonders. Dragon's Dogma is yet to find its true identity, but this expansion is evidence of one of Capcom's more capable remaining internal teams - as well as of a series that clearly has long-term ambitions which seem likely to blossom in time.

Thought it was OK

 * Gamespot - 7/10
 * Dark Arisen adds some great new content to the excellent Dragon's Dogma, though the new dungeon's unbalanced difficulty turns fun into frustration.


 * Bitterblack Isle features lots of great battles with fearsome foes; Ominous atmosphere and pensive story enhance tension on the isle; Eternal ferrystone eases the burdens of long journeys; The main game remains a special thrill.


 * The grueling final third of the new dungeon lacks any sense of balance or fun; Pawns require more babysitting than ever.


 * EGM Now - 7/10
 * The content added to Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen over the original Dragon’s Dogma might not be enough for previous players to be able to justify buying the game for a second time. For those who missed out on Dragon’s Dogma the first time around, however, this is a great way to finally give the game a shot.

Hated it

 * Kotaku - No
 * It's a shame because Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen still does things that I adore. In a world full of safe games that hand-hold you all the way through the experience, it doesn’t. When it all works, when everything clicks, felling giant monsters feels empowering and liberating. The main problem is that it doesn't — it feels watered down and frustrating when it should feel robust and challenging.


 * Polygon - 5/10
 * Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen could have reached new fans and old alike. It was a chance for Capcom to lock in an audience for this burgeoning franchise. But poor balance and careless design limit its appeal to a tiny group of the most hardcore. The original Dragon's Dogma didn't completely succeed in its attempt to emulate Western, open-world RPGs. Dark Arisen makes a much greater mistake: It fails to recognize or capitalize on its own strengths.

Will you be purchasing Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen? Yes No