How do I begin to talk about the videogame Dragon’s Dogma? I’ve owned this game on every platform possible. Currently I play it on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a beloved property with a unique storyline. Even though I’ve gamed through it more times than I can count, I want to share it here. I’d love to check, also, what kind of Story Enneagram it might have.
I’ve decided to start a brand new playthrough. New toon, new beginning. Rather than remember certain aspects, I need to approach the story fresh, at level one. This means I must delete an existing character. DD only has one save slot. Down the line you’ll understand why I agonized a little bit over this decision.
Start-up.
A title screen says something about “in another life . . .” and we’re given a character for the tutorial. We have some kind of companion who cues us about things like How To Equip a Lantern.
Immediately we see the dragon as it breathes fire at us. Hold left bumper to block!
A flat-faced rock with swirls on it is a Riftstone. And here they come. Now we know that our companion, and these two new people, are Pawns. They help fight, of course, but their only concern is our comfort and safety. It is quite disconcerting at first.
Because we’re immediately fighting with three other people, we see a variety of skills. Healing, weapon enchanting, aggro taunts. We’re overwhelmed with information, but we get a sense of what’s possible. These tutorial characters are a higher level, which is pretty typical. We’ll be a level one noob soon enough.
Here’s the important point, though, and why this game is so magnificent. The tutorial end battle is against a chimera: lion head and body, goat head on its back, snake tail. It’s larger than us, and we can grab it, climb on it, and beat the piss out of it with our weapon while we cling. Music swells, buttons are mashed, and I am wailing on a ferocious magical creature. It’s glorious.
Countless lifetimes come to pass, and another dragon emerges from the aether.
Now it’s time to build our toon. Within reason, we get a lot of body and face choices. The character build is different from other games’ systems, but it’s flexible.
And then we’re out in the world, a peaceful fishing village in a medieval era. I get a good look at the beautiful face I designed before the dragon destroys part of the docks, kills some humans, and lands on the shore. We pick up a discarded sword and attack.
Wonderfully, we’re about the size of the dragon’s toe (doink doink with the sword) and the beast knocks us out. When we come to, it pierces our chest with its nail, pulls out our heart still beating, and swallows it.
Bold. Gross.
After a fade, we’re found by our friend Quina. When we awaken in bed, we notice the glowing scar on our sternum and a voice says, “Face me, Arisen.” Time to begin the long leveling up process.
Choose a build: Fighter, Strider, or Mage. I go for the rogue-ish Strider. It’s one of my favorite build options for this game, with daggers and bow.
One last cut scene: Quina talking to her father, the village Chief. The Arisen’s heart is silent. What could it possibly mean? Quina looks pensive. I sense an important, plot-driving character.
Now we’re free! Wander the village, pick up everything (EVERYTHING!) we possibly can. Go into the inn and store our inventory. Do a little shopping to increase our outfit. A Tip: buy stuff that can be worn by most or all build types, and choose items that have extra resistances.
I look fabulous. I head toward the front gate, ready to move on. I’ll return to the village later to pick up the local quests.