The more I play, the more I love how simultaneously familiar and alien this game is. It's understandable that some things about it can rub people the wrong way, but I love it. I love preparing for a long journey, finishing a quest, and simply standing there after it's done. "Well...that's that. I guess it's time to travel back now. How are we on items?" So many games are missing this! Yes, it's not very mindful of a player's time, making them take this extra step before beginning the next, but I love it. I absolutely love it. The game is not distilled; it's about existing in the world. It's about everything that happens between points A and B. Taking away things like easy fast travel makes everything mean so much more. Along with the physicality of interacting with your surroundings, there's this overwhelming feeling of permanence that people have grown to love in games like Demon's and Dark Souls. It brings me back to my first experiences with Morrowind. Little things like items slowly expiring over time are deceptively big.
It just struck me when I was trying to kill a third golem for that notice board quest. As a sorcerer, I can't do much against them, and my party isn't that optimized for killing them. The only feasible way to kill them within a reasonable amount of time is channeling an Exequy while munching on stamina items. I made the day-long trek over to the only place I've found one so far. The battle begun, and I suddenly noticed I wasn't prepared. I realized it right then and there: Dragon's Dogma is fruitlessly jumping onto said golem, looking your main pawn in the eye, and telling him that you forgot to bring mushrooms.
I agree that some things could've been handled better and made more accessible to those who don't have time or willpower to properly invest in this sort of experience. Whatever.
Haha, yeah, it's awful in the best way. I haven't been this glued to the TV since the great Skyrim weekend of '11. DD is a dreadfully addictive game. Let me level up one more time. Let me upgrade one more weapon. Let me survive one more night in the wild. You'll start at 8:00 PM and before you know it it's 3 in the morning. Fuck.
I'm sure the addictive quality has something to do with how well the game moderates your rewards. I feel like I can get what I want with a little work, but something I want more is always just slightly out of reach. And when I can finally get it, something even cooler appears.
