Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Expansion Earns Mostly Strong Reviews

A Nintendo Life round-up shows critics mostly rate Capcom's new expansion highly, with scores running from 3.5/5 up to 95/100.

The expansion is out on all platforms this week. Nintendo Life reports it is bundled into the Switch 2 version of the game, which that outlet's own review finds to be in excellent shape. The Switch 2 release is due on October 9.

The highest scores

RPGFan gave Dark Arisen 95/100. Its reviewer says players who loved the first Dragon's Dogma but found the sequel a lesser copy, or too samey, will probably find plenty to like in the DLC's improvements.

For anyone who already adored the base game, the verdict is to start playing straight away.

Push Square scored it 9/10 and called it often Capcom's open-world RPG at its absolute peak. It praised a surprisingly involved story, joyful exploration and compelling combat, and labelled the expansion a transformative piece of DLC.

IGN landed on 8/10. Its review points to interesting new characters, colourful enemies and the ruins of a lost civilisation as the highlights.

Where reviewers hold back

But Why Tho also gave Dark Arisen 8/10, describing it as a fantastic expansion that improves the base game in many ways. Some of the base game's weakest parts still weigh on the experience, it says, though not enough to overshadow the strong material.

RPGamer was the coolest of the group at 3.5/5. Its reviewer says fans of Dragon's Dogma 2 will find plenty to enjoy, but players who never clicked with the earlier game may not find enough here to change their minds.

That split is the clearest takeaway from the scores. The expansion is aimed squarely at people already invested in the game.

What the name means

Dark Arisen is also the name of the 2013 expansion for the first Dragon's Dogma, which makes searching for it confusing. Tech Insider points out that this release is a new expansion for the 2024 sequel, not a re-release of that older add-on.

Capcom has used the same name for both.

Nintendo Life's reminder is simple for Switch 2 buyers. The expansion comes with the game, so there is nothing extra to hunt down.

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