Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

 Xbox 360
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77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 186 Ratings

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  • Summary: A mysterious island known as Bitterblack Isle appears off the coast of Gransys. Its depths have claimed the lives of many Arisen; their voices still haunt the labyrinth that lies deep beneath its surface--a labyrinth ripe with secrets waiting to be discovered. The time to take up arms hasA mysterious island known as Bitterblack Isle appears off the coast of Gransys. Its depths have claimed the lives of many Arisen; their voices still haunt the labyrinth that lies deep beneath its surface--a labyrinth ripe with secrets waiting to be discovered. The time to take up arms has come once again. Delve into the isle's depths and uncover its dark secret.… Expand
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TGS 2011: Dragon's Dogma Official Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. GamingTrend
    May 3, 2013
    93
    Still, original owners clearly weren’t the primary target of Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, hence it being released as a stand-alone title. The real target, for better or for worse, are brand new players who haven’t been introduced to Capcom’s newest fantasy property.
  2. GameTrailers
    Apr 25, 2013
    88
    It will take a capable character about a dozen hours to make it to the bottom of this mega-dungeon, and once you do, the dungeon locks up its doors once more and fortifies its defenses with even more fearsome guardians to match your inflated level and newly-acquired loot.
  3. Game Informer
    Apr 22, 2013
    85
    If you’ve beaten the game and moved on, there’s enough new stuff to explore that it warrants another playthrough. And for those who are looking for a quirky RPG with epic moments (and pig-throwing hijinks), here it is in one neat bundle.
  4. SpazioGames
    Apr 22, 2013
    80
    One of the best gdr of the last year became even better. New weapons, new enemies and more than 10 hours of pure fights await you on the Bitterblack Island.
  5. 3DJuegos
    Apr 22, 2013
    77
    Capcom adds new hours of interesting gameplay to one of their best new IPs of this generation.
  6. Games.cz
    Jul 14, 2013
    70
    Bitterblack Island is a truly solid challenge bringing fun and atmosphere that is, however, suffering from the game's monotonous setting, limited space manoeuvring, and the game's linearity. Still, if you've never played Dragon's Dogma, you'll get the original heavy title along with this expansion pack.
  7. Polygon
    Apr 23, 2013
    50
    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.

See all 33 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 37
  3. Negative: 5 out of 37
  1. 2ksnipefest
    Aug 6, 2016
    10
    One of the greatest games I ever played. If you have a Xbox 360 PS3 or PC I recommend this highly. The map is massive and controls,One of the greatest games I ever played. If you have a Xbox 360 PS3 or PC I recommend this highly. The map is massive and controls, exploration and the boss fights are a blast. You are not stuck in one vocation you can change it at will by going to an inn. This game is challenging and is a game you will want to play through more than once. It is very addicting. The atmosphere and ambience is well polished too.… Expand
  2. Madracah
    Apr 26, 2013
    10
    Dark Arisen Ads more challange to the original game and polishes it. Still cant get over the fact that this game is so relatively unknown. TheDark Arisen Ads more challange to the original game and polishes it. Still cant get over the fact that this game is so relatively unknown. The Game has Great Combat mechanics many great designer choices. One of the Best RPG's out there.… Expand
  4. Exilionus
    Apr 24, 2013
    10
    If you have not chained your controller to your arms yet please do so before playing. A game deserves a 10 if it meets three of my categories.If you have not chained your controller to your arms yet please do so before playing. A game deserves a 10 if it meets three of my categories.

    1. Does it keep you entertained? YES
    2. Are there moments to learn? YES
    3. Does the game have nostalgic qualities? YES

    Let me first start of by saying that I am level 75 and I am at NG++ (New Game Plus Plus) Average players may reach level 50 before completing the main story line. Skilled players will seem to be at this current time 150+ This likely able to be said since the original Dragons Dogma was released in 2012 giving players the opportunity to reach level 200 casually though you can reach that level in a month. However not the case for me since I like to spend my time exploring and figuring out what secrets I need to uncover. Sure enough there are so many that every new game I play I find something intriguing and have my "aha." moments.

    The addition of adding Black Bitter Isle will give you the creeps, just as night fall in the original dragon dogma did. I find myself sending out my pawns in first as some of the corridors are just plain eerie. The zombies when they talk will make your skin crawl especially when they rush towards you and you are screaming at your main character to hurry up and cast that spell before you become a snack.

    "Dark Arisen is not a DLC it is rather an overhaul of a game that rewards veteran players and tries to allure new gamers by adding several additions such as smoother options, Japanese VO and updated textures."

    NOTE* Xbox users you will see 2 discs and PS3 players one... The second disc is the texture back for Xbox players while the single disc for PS3 has it already implemented since bluray discs have a higher capacity than that of DVDs'.

    It is recommended for players to be level 60+ but I find myself using pawns that are level 30 that have the right inclinations and abyssinal gear. (http://dragonsdogma.wikia.com/wiki/Abyssinal_Armor_Set) I enjoy using personalities or rather inclinations such as Scather/Mediator for my pawns as well.

    The game has some extremely beautiful lighting effects, some that may even rival Skyrim... Actually I feel the fighting system outshines Skyrim in all aspectsn as well... but enough of that back to the game. You are introduced to a small story line and you meet an npc character that takes you to the island.

    After her introduction you are off to explore the under ground labyrinth... I have yet to find new armor but, such is a game with randomization that once you do find a piece it is a great feeling.

    There is only one problem I have with this game and it still plagues this one, the ability to find a snugg corner away from bosses while you safely pew pew them away as you pawns do the rest for you. However there are those occasional bosses that it is impossible to do so. This is rather more easily accomplished by range players than melee.

    The Boss AI are there to literally kill you, range characters that can not find a place to hide away to cast spells will literally be obliterated. The AI knows when you are about to cast a spell so be forewarned... The same can not be said for the pawn AI, since you have to really pay attention to what they are doing.

    "Trying to give the retreat comman is useless if your pawns are in the middle of casting a spell."

    Does this mean the Pawn AI is useless... no. In fact the Pawn AI will make you giggle, frustrate you and eventually want to make you grab them and throw them off a high cliff (which you can do) out of pure anger. The Pawn AI is smart, they know when to cast but it is your job to make sure you are distracting the boss and have a bit of faith in them as it took me a while to understand this. I wanted the easy way to win and depend on my pawns but in a sense lost what make dragon dogmas so great the ability to be able to grab on a monster for dear life and bash them away 300 feet in the air.

    The game is not with out it flaws but what game does not? The addition to this game was well worth the wait. Death stalks you, your pawns have calmed down their chit chat but still annoying sometimes...

    The game is addictive there is not way around it, and now that there are more armors to choose from you just want to get the best gear for you pawn.

    "A well geared and good looking pawn has a better chance of being hired by other players so you can get those delicious rift crystals."

    This game is a huge bargain for new players and somewhat of a mediocre addition to veterans but still keeps you coming for more. I still have to yet to achieve that golden idol and have yet to convince Madelene to open her shop to purchase the armor that I need.

    The game has unlimited replay value meaning when you beat the game REMEMBER to choose load game as you can go to New Game and start from the begining with all the gear you acqured from the previous play through.

    The year was well worth the wait...    … Expand
  5. ZXSth
    Mar 30, 2019
    9
    This game screams 'cult classic.' It isn't perfect, but if you really fall for the game the way I did, the flaws might enhance your experienceThis game screams 'cult classic.' It isn't perfect, but if you really fall for the game the way I did, the flaws might enhance your experience more than they hamper it.

    To get some of the perceived negatives out of the way: This game's fast travel system requires you to explore an area, then (if you have one) place a specific object wherever you wish to be able to teleport to, then have a consumable item ready in order to be able to teleport to said location. This forces exploration, and that can make for a hit-or-miss experience, as the landscape is rather vast. Beyond the lack of a more accessible fast travel system, your companions never shut up - while you can get rid of them (and while it can eventually benefit you to do so, depending on your chosen class and skills), this constant chatter (with campy, olde-timey British accents in full force) wavered between being annoying and endearing. One other flaw I can say this game suffers from is that the learning curve can seem quite steep initially, and it can be frustrating to have chosen a class based on its skills only to discover that your class choice also influences your stats as you level - therefore, if you want to min/max, it is hard to do so in your first playthrough without any assistance form the internet.

    It is hard for me to speak poorly of this game, because it seemed to get more and more enjoyable as I played through it. I must have played through the game 20 times before the joy started to wane. The combat is quite enjoyable, taking down larger monsters provides a visceral sense of accomplishment, and the open world is fun as hell to explore. Furthermore, Bitterblack Isle (the DLC portion of the game) provides a phenomenal challenge to those who have grown tired of the main campaign. As an added bonus, the character creator is incredibly nuanced - it provides players with the opportunity to create almost any sort of humanoid they wish, and does not force them to play as a cliché muscle-man or comically well-endowed Barbie.

    All in all, this is a challenging, thoroughly engaging and fairly hardcore (per se) action RPG with a ton of heart and charisma. The story is secondary, and the dialogue and accents are comical, but this game hits so many of the right notes. Easily one of the best action RPGs released within the past decade.    … Expand
  6. HiddenGhul
    Apr 25, 2013
    8
    This game is great, only held back by little problems and bugs, but trust me the combat in this game is amazing and much improved on theThis game is great, only held back by little problems and bugs, but trust me the combat in this game is amazing and much improved on the already marvelous system from the first! Totally not worth a zero.… Expand
  7. KENXAVI
    Dec 9, 2014
    8
    A challenging game. Dragon's Dogma has a very detailed world, but I've never considered it to be memorable like other places I've visited likeA challenging game. Dragon's Dogma has a very detailed world, but I've never considered it to be memorable like other places I've visited like Skyrim or Hyrule. The graphics were also very muddy, some textures looked okay, but some of them just looked unfinished. The boss fights, however, were very well made. It makes Skyrim's dragon battles look pretty easy. From dragons to giant orcs to three headed serpents, the boss fights were a treat. The lack of fast travel was a good/bad decision because it gives this sense of realism and a true journey because you're not allowed to just all of a sudden pop up in the place you want to go, but the constant backtracking gets annoying and repetitive..... fast.

    Dragon's Dogma is a very challenging game and there's hundreds of things to do and places to explore but it's constant backtracking and lack of autosave will definitely frustrate many gamers.    … Expand
  8. sedoi
    Apr 25, 2013
    0
    I give it 0. it's not worth money paid for it and generally just another Capcom screwing. It should have been 15$ DLC instead it turned intoI give it 0. it's not worth money paid for it and generally just another Capcom screwing. It should have been 15$ DLC instead it turned into another rerelease, DR2 style. As being Dark Souls clone DD lacks individuality and screwing customers won't help this cause.… Expand

See all 37 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2013
44
#44 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2013
40
#40 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013