Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

 

Death has always been an integral part of Dragon's Dogma. From the intoxicating notion that it could come at any time while travelling the world of Gransys to the corpses that litter an area once you've torn through it, death permeates the narrative like a foul odor. The punishing difficulty ensures defeat in most cases, making it an absolute certainty that a restart will be necessary at least once. That same frustration, however, is what attracted the droves of players to Capcom's open-world RPG in the first place.

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen ups the ante by introducing Death personified. Your first sighting could end up being your last, though with persistence, even Death itself can be cheated. And that's just one small piece of this sprawling hunk of supplemental content. The austere world of Dark Arisen is a meaty expansion pack that serves up a substantial amount of new material, opening up welcoming arms to veterans and enticing new players with what will inevitably be billed as the definitive Dragon's Dogma experience.

While the option to purchase a digital copy of the expansion exists, players new to the franchise will want to opt for the physical bundle, which includes both an install disc for the Dark Arisen portions of the game and another to launch into the original Dragon's Dogma. At the discounted price of $40, early adopters will find plenty of reasons to repurchase the game (aside from the fact that all previous DLC is now included) in the form of bonuses like 100,000 Rift Crystals, unlimited Ferrystones, and the Gransys Armor Pack.

Dark Arisen is littered with noticeable changes throughout, from the lessened Ferrystone costs to new Portcrystals that offer different options for transportation throughout the world. These will continue to open up after completing a portion of the campaign and include locations such as the Shadow Fort and Witchwood for easier fast travel. Those itching to tear into the new content will want to return to the starting town to take a ferry to Bitterblack Isle, where new areas and new monsters await, including Death itself. 

Though I couldn't wait to tear into Bitterblack Isle, I found myself marveling over improvements such as the optional texture pack install, which lessened graphical anomalies and reduced the game's once frustrating loading times. Additionally, menus felt much more streamlined and quicker to navigate, which was certainly appreciated. There are far fewer screens to sift through in order to accomplish anything. Saving is quick and painless, and making quick edits to equipment and other options feels like much less of a slog after the expansion's facelift.

Often, there's so much going on within Gransys – directing pawns, evading death, and completing quests – that you need to be able to get in and get out of an area quickly, whether that means changing out a piece of equipment and exiting a menu to get back to the carnage, or expediting fast traveling to a new area. With the improvements retrofitted onto the original Dragon's Dogma, I was grateful for even the smallest tune-ups. Additionally, item appraisals and the optional Japanese voice over track are welcome surprises.

Bitterblack Isle is where the party's at though, with ancient evils and 25 new enemies waiting to slaughter you and all your willing pawns. They range from minor annoyances to freakishly huge abominations like the Prisoner Cyclops, a towering beast with spiked armor that damages you as you attempt to grab and hold on. They're nothing particularly exciting, but offer considerable challenge even for higher-level players, thanks to to the specific methods needed to take them down.