Summary
Dragon’s Dogma 2does a lot to stand out from other fantasy RPGs, creating an immersive world for players to explore and mechanics that can keep players on their toes with unexpected scenarios. The pawn system ofDragon’s Dogma 2creates a sense of real party-building as pawns act independently of the player and the randomness of monster attacks during the party’s journey helps with the game’s emergent gameplay. However, one of the most immersive details withinDragon’s Dogma 2is the use of real footage of food during cooking segments, but this detail only works because it is used sparingly.
Capcom games are somewhat famous for their inclusion of delicious-looking in-game food, with theMonster Huntergames being the most notable series to pay special attention to this detail. As such, it’s not surprising to seeCapcom put an effort into bringingDragon’s Dogma 2’s food to lifewith footage of real meat being grilled during cooking scenes. However, as fun as this gimmick is in Dragon’s Dogma 2, Capcom did a good job of limiting it to just the cooking segments so as not to spoil the novelty of having too many live-action scenes within the game.
Cooking is a fairly straightforward but hugely helpful part ofDragon’s Dogma 2that can often make or break combat, meaning it’s a great idea for players to cook a meal when they have the chance since one never knows when they will be attacked by a Griffin while on their journey. To cook inDragon’s Dogma 2, players simply need to rest at a campsite using a camping kit and select the option to cook while standing by the fire. Cooking ingredients like Beast-Steak and Scrag of Beast give theArisen and their pawnsstat buffs that go into effect when they awaken after resting at the camp.
The cutscene that plays while cooking differs slightly depending on which type of meat is being cooked, but both display real scenes of meat sizzling on the grill. WhileDragon’s Dogma 2isn’t necessarily what one would call a “cozy” game, there is something special about seeing the mouth-watering food cooking while taking a breather at camp. However, this special moment of respite would be much less impactful if the use of live-action cinematics was more common in the game, showing howCapcomsuccessfully takes a balanced approach to their use of live-action inDragon’s Dogma 2.
How Dragon’s Dogma 2 Strikes the Right Balance with its Use of Live-Action
WhileDragon’s Dogma 2effectively uses live-action cooking scenes to add ambiance to breaks at camp, there are plenty of other instances where the game could have used live-action cutscenes but didn’t. Other moments of rest such as passing the time at a tavern or skipping the traveling part of anoxcart journey inDragon’s Dogma 2could have used live-action for their transitional cutscenes. However, Capcom makes the wise choice to limit the use of live-action scenes inDragon’s Dogma 2so as not to wear out their novelty.
The decision to use live-action cinematics in a modern AAA game is a risky one to be sure, as most often live-action segments serve purely as a gimmick. However, by limiting these scenes to cooking while at camp,Dragon’s Dogma 2doesn’t overwhelm the player with tonal or stylistic shifts and instead adds to the ambiance of the game. It was also a good move to choose a simple task likeDragon’s Dogma 2’s cookingfor these live-action scenes as the detailed shots of the meat are far less immersion-breaking than other scenes could have been, given how easy it would be for live-action to clash with the game’s art style.
