Dragon's Dogma 2's Microtransaction Misstep

June 2024 · 11 minute read

Capcom's ambitious open world action-RPG is out today after receiving some really rave reviews. Built on the back of its beloved but often overlooked Xbox 360/PS3-era predecessor, Dragon's Dogma 2's director, Hideaki Itsuno, recently said the franchise has managed to break out of "cult-hit" status having finally "sold its way and made its way into many gamers' hearts." Now the sequel is already being described as 2024's possible Elden Ring moment thanks to its deep build crafting, dynamic fantasy sandbox, and rewarding exploration. 

Here's how Austin Walker wrote about the game's approach to quests, the lynchpin of most RPGs, over at Remap:

“If there is one thing that game designers are going to talk about in their weekly design team meetings, or that YouTube game critics are going to make videos about, it’s going to be about the, frankly, fearless decision to make so many open ended, unguided quests in this game. It will be like the year Dark Souls hit big, except instead of saying ‘look at how this game trusts the player to tackle difficult combat challenges,’ they will be saying ‘look at how this game trusts the player to engage with its narrative systems.’”

And here's what some other critics are saying:

All of this unflinching commitment to its world and how players creatively experiment within it makes the decision to attach random microtransactions to Dragon's Dogma 2 feel particularly weird. Wakestones that revive characters and pawns, the game's fancy system of NPCs, can be discovered in rare locations or purchased for $1 per five-pack, VGC reports. Another item called Art of Metamorphosis lets players redesign their characters, and can be found in the world or purchased for $2. Other items like Ambivalent Rift Incense (alter a Pawn's behavior) and Portcrystals that let you add fast travel points to the map can also be purchased for a total of 21 individual DLC microtransactions in the game according to its Steam page. 

Despite breaking publisher Capcom's concurrent player record on Steam with nearly 200,000 at launch, the PC version of the game has a rating of Mixed with just 40% positive reviews as players rage about the microtransactions in addition to performance issues. Capcom wrote "we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience" in response to the negative feedback, stating it's looking into improving optimization on PC and noting that the most controversial microtransaction items can all still be found for free in the game just by playing. 

Oli Walsh at Polygon has a good breakdown that contextualizes the player-backlash and questions if it's an overreaction. Review-bombing a game, i.e. lodging hyperbolic criticism about the overall value of a thing to make an unrelated point, is bad. Capital G gamers farming rage bait over something that's on its face so trivial is cynical and always leads someplace bad. And the disproportionate response and spill damage effect has certainly made it easy to dismiss as just another entitled angry gamer backlash elevated into something more important by internet platform dynamics. 

Still I think the microtransactions low-key suck. The mere fact that you could purchase these items to gain an advantage or save time in the game can do real harm to the immersive illusion of playing it in the first place. Read Walker's initial thoughts on everything interesting Dragon's Dogma 2 is doing to try to organically bring players into its world and not reduce every part of its adventure into an Ubisoft-style chore for reward checklist and it makes letting players pay to access shortcuts seem not only out of place but fundamentally at odds with what the rest of the game is working so hard to achieve. 

I don't think it's an accident that Ubisoft open world icon barf has become inherently linked with the French publisher's own attempts to insert microtransactions into single-player narrative experiences. That monetization-influenced design is part of what makes open world games like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Elden Ring feel so refreshing. So it's extremely jarring to see Dragon's Dogma 2, another game that appears to be working toward a less coercive player experience, embrace pay-to-save-time mechanics. And maybe both things can be true: Dragon's Dogma 2's microtransactions aren't overly intrusive but also don't have a reason to exist outside of padding earnings reports and maximize potential returns. 

Last year I tracked how my top 10 list evolved over the year on Twitter, alongside the new releases that seemed like GOTY contenders worth paying attention to. I've kept doing that with the latter but figured this newsletter was a better place to track how my personal list is changing, and what it reflects about my tastes and time, and the perennial struggle to try out most of the best games every year. Here’s the current list:

  • Anomaly Agent

  • Balatro

  • Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

  • Go Mecha Ball

  • Helldivers 2

  • Pacific Drive

  • Persona 3 Reload

  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

  • Solium Infernum

  • Unicorn Overlord

    • I don't normally like to include by-the-book remasters like Persona 3 Reload, but I've just been having a wildly good time with it in ways that even Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royale never quite gripped me. It's been a special late night chillout treat as I slowly grind through its procedural dungeons and try not to get caught cheating on my school exams. What I like most is how much the PS2 charm of the original feels intact but fresh again. 

    Games I'm still trying to make more time for: Tekken 8, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Banishers: Ghosts of Eden. 

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