8Bit/Digi

Hideaki Itsuno Shares What Players Could Expect

With the imminent launch of Dragon’s Dogma II, I had the opportunity to delve deeper into the game with insights from its director, Hideaki Itsuno. This presented a valuable opportunity to gain further understanding of the game along with what to expect, as articulated by not only its director but also an industry icon.

Hideaki Itsuno is a video game director and designer with a robust history in the industry while working on numerous iconic titles. He is best known for his work on Dragon’s Dogma and every mainline Devil May Cry title starting with the second game. He is also known for his work on Street Fighter Alpha, the Rival Schools, and the Power Stone series.

Lessons from Dragon’s Dogma 

What were some of the lessons learned from the first game that you were quick to implement in Dragon’s Dogma II? 

We considered the feedback from players, which was overall positive. One of the sticking points from the feedback was that they felt the world was a bit small. So we considered that and I wanted to make it bigger in Dragon’s Dogma II. 

However, it’s a personal policy that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean good. Especially if it’s a big but empty space where you only traverse and there’s nothing in between. So one of the goals that we had for this game was how big can we make the world while populating it with a lot of content. 

Wanting to make the world bigger but not empty had to be a major challenge. How were you able to create these worlds that are vast but not empty?  

The first thing we did was investigate different terrains. We wanted to see in reality how many different terrains you could find where the goal/destination was visible, yet the route to get there was not always visible. We want to see how many terrains we could find that fit these characteristics. 

If you can see your destination and also the path is visible, then that is not necessarily fun because you know what to expect. But if you can see where you’re going but you’re not sure, what route will get you there, then that gives you a sense of adventure. It’s not necessarily about the distance, but giving you a sense of what is going on and what’s going to happen. Then once you get to your destination, make the next destination visible so you have something to look for next. 

The focus was not only on making the map bigger but also on making it fun and getting you excited about going on your adventure. 

Were the design of these worlds inspired by real world locations or the worlds from other works of fantasy?

When we started making this game, one of the first things we did was to put together a lot of interesting landscapes from all over the world. We wanted to see what kind of weird but existing landscapes we could find. I didn’t want to do something too crazy, I wanted to do something along the lines of “If this fantasy world existed in reality somewhere in time, then it would look like this.”

In that regard, we started based on real landscapes that would look eccentric but actually existed. I didn’t want to go too much over the top on that.

New Challenges 

What were some of the other challenges of creating a lively world?

In the games I’ve created when you have a specific quest, it’s usually made in a pre-recorded act. You fulfill certain conditions and then this pre-recorded act would play. 

For this game, what we try to create is certain conditions that need to be fulfilled. Then the AI will react and trigger a specific series of dynamic events that changes according to different circumstances. This way, what we achieved is that if the player triggers similar conditions under different circumstances, the AI would react and adapt to the events accordingly. The outcome is that the event scenes are more dynamic, more reactive to what is going on in real time, and allow much more freedom to the player.

Implementing this resulted in a tremendous amount of tests trying different circumstances and conditions. It was a lot of work, but by doing so, I believe that we achieved giving more freedom to the player. 

Just to clarify, what you’re saying is if a player does certain things in a different order to trigger a quest or an event, the AI is going to have a different reaction based on how the player went about it?

Let me give some examples. If one of these events is triggering and the player is like “I don’t care about this” and pulls out their weapon and starts attacking someone else, then the NPCs will act accordingly. Or, for example, if an event is triggered and the quest is being given to the player but they just decide to not pay attention and just walk away midway, then the AI will react and may chase you. So this way, the settings are more flexible to whatever the player wants to do 

What to Expect in Dragon’s Dogma II

Is there a moment in Dragon’s Dogma II that is your favorite or your most proud of? 

The Sphinx and the riddles it gives are something I really like. Many people may not even meet the Sphinx throughout their gameplay. It’s quite challenging to find the Sphinx itself. But after finding the Sphinx, it also gives you some things that are quite difficult to achieve. I believe that with the Sphinx, we did a lot of things that you can’t find in other RPGs. 

So if people go through the game and still remember after they’re done with it about the Sphinx, then hopefully they will look for it. Find it and post online directions, and I’ll be keeping an eye on that. 

What advice would you give to fans and new players going in for the first time? 

That’s one I wanted to answer. This game at the beginning may feel difficult for some players. We made it in a way for you to become the Arisen (the main chracter). So when you play this game, my advice would be to feel like you’re going into this world and role-play as the actual characters. The game is much more enjoyable that way. 

A New Adventure Awaits

Dragon’s Dogma II is the follow-up to the acclaimed RPG and will once again follow the journey of an Arisen who must slay the Dragon to prevent the end of the world. The game is set to launch for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and the PC on March 22nd, 2024. 

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.