Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 222 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 176 out of 222
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 222
  3. Negative: 19 out of 222
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  1. Filip1992
    Aug 17, 2023
    8
    This game is fun combat is so fun ...you can customize armor or how you want to look...I have blast with this game ...definitely underated
  2. SplitMind
    Aug 2, 2023
    5
    The Hipsters' Skyrim. So many baffling and bad game design choices. The save file issue alone is laughable.
  3. ThiefBrRj
    May 30, 2023
    10
    This game really catch me! I started playing this game without faith because I never heard anything about it before, but this game is surprisingly complex and "alive". I've done dumb things like throwing a rock at an ally and the ally caught it in the air and threw it back like a game!!! This is just one example, but the variety of details in this game is astonishing. I attest that this isThis game really catch me! I started playing this game without faith because I never heard anything about it before, but this game is surprisingly complex and "alive". I've done dumb things like throwing a rock at an ally and the ally caught it in the air and threw it back like a game!!! This is just one example, but the variety of details in this game is astonishing. I attest that this is a must play game for anyone who likes any type of RPG.… Expand
  4. Uncl3s4mbr
    May 24, 2023
    10
    Mandatory game for the ones like Fantasy RPG. This game has one of the best combat systems I ever seen and became one of my favorite games of all time.
  5. frederik1478
    Nov 2, 2022
    7
    Dragon's Dogma is a really interesting game, but sadly it doesn't have the enemy variety to keep it interesting all the way through.

    The gameplay is fun if a bit shallow, it doesn't compare to Dark Souls but it does have its own player in creating your own pond and character style is fun in the Quest funny some of them and interesting. My biggest problem is there is a lot of walking    Dragon's Dogma is a really interesting game, but sadly it doesn't have the enemy variety to keep it interesting all the way through.

    The gameplay is fun if a bit shallow, it doesn't compare to Dark Souls but it does have its own player in creating your own pond and character style is fun in the Quest funny some of them and interesting.

    My biggest problem is there is a lot of walking about and there's not really so many interesting things to see in the way the world feels MC and it is fun to fight but after wild it is gonna become too repetitive. I enjoyed it. I have completed this game 2 times before but now I'm playing it for a third time and it does not stick to me.    … Expand
  6. Empyrea
    Aug 28, 2022
    8
    I beat this game 3 times: first time 60 hours searching almost everywhere; second time 30 hours (it would have been 20 but I went deep into the Bitterblack Isle until I found what's laying there. Yes, you'll see but be really prepared with as many items as you can). I played a third time because at the end of the game you'll see a couple of scenes with your "beloved" but to my surprise, inI beat this game 3 times: first time 60 hours searching almost everywhere; second time 30 hours (it would have been 20 but I went deep into the Bitterblack Isle until I found what's laying there. Yes, you'll see but be really prepared with as many items as you can). I played a third time because at the end of the game you'll see a couple of scenes with your "beloved" but to my surprise, in the second scene in my second game I found the beard man blaksmith (make sure to speak and give things to your beloved before going to the final ending) so I decided to play a third time very fast (15 hours) to watch the proper scene and also to try different kinds of gameplay. I also started a 4th game for 4 hours just to raise my character one more level and achieve the level 100 and get a trophy. This time I created a female main character and a twin for the pawn but yeah, it suits better a male character. What to say about this game? Let's say it's not perfect but because there are difficult enemies and there are many kinds of vocations to try it's the game with much replayability that I've ever played and I'm not really into replay games, but this game got me. I mean, it's been made with love and care, all the npc speak with voices, soundtrack is quite good (there are better songs than others but overall are quite good really) especially some epic songs at the end of the game. But remember, there are like two games: Dragon's dogma (the main) and Dark arisen (Bitterblack isle). The only thing I can say is that the more I played the more I enjoyed it. I really recommend a second playthrough because it'll be easier and also you'll have the chance to do important sidequests (mainly regarding Aelinor and Selene). You can use a guide so you don't miss this sidequests. I also enjoyed creating the looks of my characters and pawns. P.S: remember that you can jump up to your enemies (jump and push R2). I didn't know that till the end of my playthrough but probably because I didn't need it because of the vocations I used. I can't wait to play the second part!… Expand
  7. Bulwai
    Aug 26, 2022
    8
    Dragon's Dogma shines with an addicting combat system and gameplay overall. It's fun and complex enough to earn a title in the RPG genre. It's snappy, responsive and tight af!
    Besides that, DD has a convincing artstyle that's not too japanese for fans of the genre to enjoy it as a medieval fantasy rpg. Soundtrack is great as well.
    What makes DD great are the little things, that really    Dragon's Dogma shines with an addicting combat system and gameplay overall. It's fun and complex enough to earn a title in the RPG genre. It's snappy, responsive and tight af!
    Besides that, DD has a convincing artstyle that's not too japanese for fans of the genre to enjoy it as a medieval fantasy rpg. Soundtrack is great as well.
    What makes DD great are the little things, that really tighten the immersion like great lighting in dark and night, many details to quests and NPCs and so much more.
    The Pawn system allows for a feel of community if you're willing to reach out to a few people and could lead to a proper coop feature in the announced sequel.
    The open world is a bit complex. Since enemies become stronger at night and you barely come accross anything/anyone friendly, the world really feels like a place you have to survive in and care for preparation. As well as the limit of what your character and pawns can carry.
    Still, i think a FEW more interesting encounters could've helped the game to get the recognition it deserved.
    Only the DLC "Dark Arisen" tried to be something Dragon's Dogma never was and although i liked many of the ideas and designs in the DLC, i still think it tried way too hard to be Dark Souls.

    Overall one of the best rpgs i've ever played and you have to dig into it to understand the greatness behind it.    … Expand
  8. tadnid
    Jun 9, 2022
    10
    One of the best games I played on PS4. Had to delete it in the end to make sure I stop playing and check other games. I probably passed the 200 hours mark. You always have 1-3 companions helping you in your journey, and this is the best game to accomplish this, the companions really turn the table. The endgame dungeon Bitterblack Isle is absolutely huge. Difficulty is just right. Buy this,One of the best games I played on PS4. Had to delete it in the end to make sure I stop playing and check other games. I probably passed the 200 hours mark. You always have 1-3 companions helping you in your journey, and this is the best game to accomplish this, the companions really turn the table. The endgame dungeon Bitterblack Isle is absolutely huge. Difficulty is just right. Buy this, you won't regret it.… Expand
  9. nksquall
    Jan 18, 2022
    1
    Absolutely boring game that is not worth invested time. Combat is inconsistent, some fights are boringly easy and then all of the sudden a foe that looks exactly the same oneshots you. Quest design is quite tedious, you can spend up to couple hours collecting herbs or 45 wolf tails. The way of telling the story is not immersive at all.
    Better play something else.
  10. DevilSurvivor
    Nov 19, 2021
    10
    A masterpiece. All that it leaves me thinking is what could have been if they had had more time and a bigger budget. No game comes close to this one in having so many good mechanics all at once yet making them all work. And the class system is by far the best one I've ever seen in a video game. A must-buy, must play, full of charm and you'll never forget it, and the story only gets betterA masterpiece. All that it leaves me thinking is what could have been if they had had more time and a bigger budget. No game comes close to this one in having so many good mechanics all at once yet making them all work. And the class system is by far the best one I've ever seen in a video game. A must-buy, must play, full of charm and you'll never forget it, and the story only gets better the more you go.… Expand
  11. DiegoCP
    Nov 15, 2021
    10
    O melhor RPG de todos os tempos é lamentável não ter uma sequência (╯︵╰,)
  12. Xvatch
    Oct 16, 2021
    6
    Amazing concept, RPG, and replayablity ideas, but the AI let's the pawn system down so hard while it is such a key part of the game. I've spent a lot of time looking into how the AI works through Reddit etc and you are either always the last person standing in an important fight or the AI team just takes a run and jump off cliffs a lot of the time glitchily.. Dragon's Dogma 2 needs to beAmazing concept, RPG, and replayablity ideas, but the AI let's the pawn system down so hard while it is such a key part of the game. I've spent a lot of time looking into how the AI works through Reddit etc and you are either always the last person standing in an important fight or the AI team just takes a run and jump off cliffs a lot of the time glitchily.. Dragon's Dogma 2 needs to be much improved in this or the audience is going to be so nieche that it hardly presents itself. Only 2-4 knowledge chair inclinations actually have working AI, there is nothing really acceptable about that… Expand
  13. Regnierbrik
    Sep 3, 2021
    10
    para mí Dragon's Dogma es un muy buen juego tal ves sus gráficos no sean los mejores ni dada de eso pero no están mal la verdad no creo que sea una copia de dark souls yo que e jugados los dos juegos no noto nada de uno a otro los dos son grades juegos pero me divertí mas con Dragon's Dogma es un juego muy bueno talvez sus controles estén a veces torpes pero no como los de dark souls 1 talpara mí Dragon's Dogma es un muy buen juego tal ves sus gráficos no sean los mejores ni dada de eso pero no están mal la verdad no creo que sea una copia de dark souls yo que e jugados los dos juegos no noto nada de uno a otro los dos son grades juegos pero me divertí mas con Dragon's Dogma es un juego muy bueno talvez sus controles estén a veces torpes pero no como los de dark souls 1 tal ves la historia de Dragon's Dogma no este muy elaborada pero algunos jugadores solo vienen a jugar un juego divertido y yo como jugador reconozco qué Dragon's Dogma es un gran juego la verdad es de que a ti lector jugador te puede dar igual una reseña tu decides si un juego te gusta mas que otro te puede gustar un juego de 5 de calificación o uno de 9 de calificación pero la verdad Dragon's Dogma es un gran juego si digo lo que me parece si tiene sus cosas como los grafico o los controles pero tiene buenas mecánicas su historia tal ves no sea la mejor pero da igual pero tu que si llegas a ver mi crítica te digo que lo juegues es muy bueno y supo envejecer paso inadvertido por los jugadores pero es un gran juego pero que bien te puede gustar o no eso es tu decisión yo solo doy la mia pero la verdad e leído otrs reseñas de éste juego y pienso que quiénes las escriben so lo jugaron 20 o 30 minutos la verdad yo e jugado por más de 60 horas y si tal ves al principio da poco de hueva si le das tiempo veras que es un buen juego gracias por leer mi opinión
    yo solo soy un jugador mas asi que te lo recomendĂł mucho que le des una oportunidad a este juego :)    … Expand
  14. Fridg3
    May 8, 2021
    10
    Did you ever play Skyrim and think "why can't I ride any dragon?" Well now you can give it a shot. Really though this game is huge, the gameplay a blast and climbing on large monsters just makes my day. Admittedly the story is confusing at 1st but the twists really pay off if you're able to catch the foreshadowing. Otherwise it makes for an eye opening 2nd playthrough.
  15. Steyraus
    Sep 29, 2020
    10
    I nearly passed on this game a second time when it was released on Ps4. So glad I didn't, what a masterpieces, with so much originality. People this is why you get games that all feel the same cause you don't support origin al games like this.
  16. GOAT52
    Sep 16, 2020
    9
    Best depiction of a dragon in any game. This is game is must play for any anime or fantasy lover.
  17. orig_frostbyt
    Jun 19, 2020
    10
    My fav RPG of all time. Played on PS3 and never finished...picked up on PS4 and played through the whole story. Such a great game and love the idea of the pawns.
  18. Persona5GOAT
    Apr 9, 2020
    7
    I love the controls and combat but I would have like a more in-depth story, and the side quests are basically fetch, escort, or kill x amount of this type of monster. Not really great in that department. If there's a sequel I'd snatch it up and I hope it will be more polished. Some people have complained about the limited fast travel options but only in the very beginning did it kind ofI love the controls and combat but I would have like a more in-depth story, and the side quests are basically fetch, escort, or kill x amount of this type of monster. Not really great in that department. If there's a sequel I'd snatch it up and I hope it will be more polished. Some people have complained about the limited fast travel options but only in the very beginning did it kind of irk me. the map isn't as big as other open world games so it's not too hard to put up with footing it everywhere for a little bit. I like being able to customize Pawns' AI but at the same time it was not explained very well and is also "dynamic" meaning you can set their AI and find out a few hours later that it's changed somehow. Thankfully some old dude sells potions to rectify this, but again it's not really explained. Overall good, enjoyable, but feels like it falls short of what could have been.… Expand
  19. Memsido
    Feb 10, 2020
    10
    A gift that keeps on giving! This game gets just better and better. It took me about 6h to get into it, but it was all worth it.
  20. Zeratex
    Dec 30, 2019
    3
    Dragon's Dogma gets a lot of praise for its Combat, however despite that praise I find the game to still be below average in terms of overall quality, the Combat is good sure, but its not very impressive and doesnt help push through a very generic and dull writing.

    Visuals wise the game is dull looking and boring, most of the landscape more of the same and its bland, the animations are    Dragon's Dogma gets a lot of praise for its Combat, however despite that praise I find the game to still be below average in terms of overall quality, the Combat is good sure, but its not very impressive and doesnt help push through a very generic and dull writing.

    Visuals wise the game is dull looking and boring, most of the landscape more of the same and its bland, the animations are fine but they get repititve quickly.
    Sounds wise, the pawns keep repeating the same lines which makes playing the game more annoying. Soundtracks are minimal and they are mediocre.
    The game has the major flaws in its writing, its Quests are fetch quests generic, Characters are bland one dimensional and uninteresting. Worldbuilding is shallow and lacks a lot of aspects.
    Another major flaw is the Pawn A.I how it behaves how it keeps saying the same lines.
    One more major flaw is no fast travel and you have to WALK all the time with stamina bar which makes traveling more boring.
    One last major flaw is that enemies keep respawning quickly and they are damage spoonges which makes a good combat boring, so overall even the strongest point about this game still manages to become boring

    As an RPG it needs some quality writing to keep me playing, it does not.

    Weak game.
    3.5/10    … Expand
  21. ty92
    Dec 29, 2019
    8
    Amazing game even now in almost 2020. Graphics are dated but the gameplay is amazing. It's a mix between Skyrim, Monster Hunter World, Final Fantasy and ESO. This game need's to be remastered or just make a Dragon's Dogma 2. The pawns make this game feel like you're playing a online game at times with other people. I like that you can use other players pawns. The entire pawn system reallyAmazing game even now in almost 2020. Graphics are dated but the gameplay is amazing. It's a mix between Skyrim, Monster Hunter World, Final Fantasy and ESO. This game need's to be remastered or just make a Dragon's Dogma 2. The pawns make this game feel like you're playing a online game at times with other people. I like that you can use other players pawns. The entire pawn system really elevates this game. I also like the day and night cycle. It makes the game more immersive since more enemies come out at night.… Expand
  22. JFalcon
    Nov 4, 2019
    9
    This game has one of the best fighting mechanism or the best it is difficult to decide.
    Physics, setting, and environment are spectacular. I wish story depth was more than we have since the story is amazing, and interaction with other character had more option.s
  23. brachypelma44
    Jul 4, 2019
    10
    This is one of my absolute favorite games of all time, going back to the late 1970s. I have purchased it 4 times: PS3, PS3 (Dark Arisen,) PC, and now on the PS4. The PC version is the best of them all, running at a silky smooth 60fps, but the PS4 version is still good. The original game ran like mud on the PS3, at 30 fps with some dips, and with black bars around the edges (I think theThis is one of my absolute favorite games of all time, going back to the late 1970s. I have purchased it 4 times: PS3, PS3 (Dark Arisen,) PC, and now on the PS4. The PC version is the best of them all, running at a silky smooth 60fps, but the PS4 version is still good. The original game ran like mud on the PS3, at 30 fps with some dips, and with black bars around the edges (I think the actual resolution was like 600p or something.) On the PS4, you get 1080p locked at 30 fps, which is very playable.

    The combat is damn good, regardless of which class you play. The pawn system really keeps the game feeling fresh and it's fun to see other player's creations. I really like the music as well. The Bitterblack Isle expansion is a huge interconnected dungeon that adds a lot of challenge after you finish the main game. The level cap is 200, so you can play this a really long time if you enjoy it, and make your character very powerful. I give this my highest recommendation if you want an ARPG to sink your teeth into.    … Expand
  24. HugeyBear
    Feb 16, 2019
    10
    If this game had online multiplayer or coop, It would be my favourite PS4 game I imagine. The combat is fantastic and the exploration and character models are superb. A great game. Looking for an action adventure to sink your teeth into? Look no further. Controversial but I enjoyed this more than The Witcher.
  25. oknsnl
    Jan 29, 2019
    9
    Gameplay : 9 (I like classes, pawns and combat.)
    Story : 8 (Classical fantasy game with chosen one)
    Enemies : 10 ( I really like to slay dragons :))
  26. CoreGamer1408
    Jan 28, 2019
    6
    The generic swords and sorcery story, plot and characters are so undeveloped I don't even care what is going on. Visually this was bad on the 360 back in the day. Now it looks like it is from the ark of gaming on the PS4. So all that is left is the gameplay to fall back on, right? The exploration is underwhelming. Trash mobs A.I. is basic to awful. Well when they fail to even reactThe generic swords and sorcery story, plot and characters are so undeveloped I don't even care what is going on. Visually this was bad on the 360 back in the day. Now it looks like it is from the ark of gaming on the PS4. So all that is left is the gameplay to fall back on, right? The exploration is underwhelming. Trash mobs A.I. is basic to awful. Well when they fail to even react comrades getting attacked. Boss fights I will get into that later.

    Problem with this game it is a party combat system that needs actual really human players (or a ME1 style combat system). Not three pointless A.I. morons that you are stuck with all the time. The pawn system is a gimmick and not a good one at that.

    Bosses are so boringly predictable. Get the Boss on the last health bar and unless the player health is at Max the Boss will try to one shot/hit with a rage/jump attack. Sometimes I just stood back and let the Pawns do all the work on the last Boss health bar round. Well the pawns can't die outright like the player and can be only KO. They just wait on slow death timer until recovery by the player. Nice in game exploit for sure stand back and not even play. Wow great game design developers the game plays itself.

    Travelling is annoying until I found enough of the limited port crystals aka the fast travel system to place strategically around the map. Lots of cookie cutter MMO style side quest missions to pad out game. Wasting many a time back travelling to the quest boards dotted around the land was annoying. As in coming back from another quest and/or free roaming to see that the quest board now wanted so many creatures dead I just killed in that other quest/area cleared I just finished, argh!

    Passable, but dated ARPG which is more focused on cookie cutter quests and flashy combat. No real interesting exploration or depth of story narrative. No New game+, no free roam. Only one auto save for one character only. While the ending feels like a slap in the face if you do things right.    … Expand
  27. itchipod
    Dec 27, 2018
    10
    10/10 for the gameplay and combat alone, which makes up for the bland narrative.
  28. Ryskim
    Oct 9, 2018
    8
    It's great game. The spellcasting animations are really impressive, the world, the people, the story, the lore, it's all so good and immersive. It needed more variety, maybe mounts and more classes. But other than that this game is really good. It will not disappoint you. It's a game from the previous generation, but with the graphics update for the PS4 it really stands on its own. Enjoy it!
  29. SOLIDSNAKEN64
    Aug 30, 2018
    8
    DD is a fun, deep action rpg that does many things right! There is tons of content in dark arisen, even after you finish the main story. Speaking of story, it seems to be one of the weaker points of the game. That being said gameplay alone will keep you interested. Even though its not exactly a open world game you have to back track about which makes it seem bigger then it really is.DD is a fun, deep action rpg that does many things right! There is tons of content in dark arisen, even after you finish the main story. Speaking of story, it seems to be one of the weaker points of the game. That being said gameplay alone will keep you interested. Even though its not exactly a open world game you have to back track about which makes it seem bigger then it really is. There is lots of fun boso fights and plenty of loot to find along the way. Leveling up is fun and changing vocations when you want to try a different style of playing is easy and rewarding. The pawn system is different and enjoyable because you can really customize your party to your liking. I really enjoyed my time with DD and hopefully capcom decides to give it a sequel.… Expand
  30. Nidd
    Aug 3, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. TL;DR: Dragon's Dogma is an absolutely amazing game that has some serious, obvious flaws, but it doesn't try to hide them. Instead, it embraces them as part of its unique identity and charm and asks players to dive into the game on its terms and then gives them all the freedom in the world once they accept them. If you love games like Dark Souls, Dragon Age, The Witcher, Skyrim, and even Shadow of the Colossus, then you should try this game. The amount of content for the price and the quality of the gameplay is something you just shouldn't pass up.

    Is Dragon's Dogma perfect? No. But it is a perfect example of taking a number of unoriginal and less-than-perfect elements and putting them together into something unique and wonderful. The story is pretty threadbare, but it has some fantastic lore and ideas and it will really pull the rug out from under the standard ideas about fantasy heroes slaying dragons and challenging the order of the world. The characters are much weaker than the story in my opinion, but there are still some standouts in my opinion, with the Dragon being one of them. The voice acting is quite good, though you will get sick of hearing some lines over and over.

    Where the game truly shines is in its gameplay and the design and execution of the enemies. The combat is simply fantastic and is the best of any action RPG I've ever played. Every class feels unique, fun, and very powerful, and the fact that you can change classes pretty much any time you want is perfect and keeps the game from ever getting stale. Melee combat is hard-hitting and visceral, and it really benefits from the Shadow of the Colossus-like ability to climb atop large enemies to attack their weak points. Archery and magic feel great at range supporting your melee party members, and magic especially feels alive and powerful and punchy like few other games have ever been able to capture. Item and resource management is very important and skews towards the hardcore end of the RPG spectrum for those that like that; remember to always bring your lantern, oil, and some ways to heal and cure status ailments and you'll have a much better time. Another way the game skews towards the hardcore is in its questing mechanics: while the main questline can more or less be done at your leisure, ala Skyrim, many if not most of the sidequests can be missed entirely if you don't check the noticeboards in various cities before progressing too far, talking to the right people when they're in a certain place, or even just waiting too long. And quests often have unwritten time limits that expire if you have them active but take too much time to do them. It's never unfair, as your pawns (AI companions) and other in-game methods will always let you know that you must make haste, but unlike other games that only give lip service to time limits while really letting you take all the time in the world, this one does not.

    And finally, the enemies. This is what made me rate the game a 10. Every single enemy from the weakest goblin to the biggest dragon is just perfect. They all have unique behavior, great AI, tons of abilities and situational differences, and each one is almost always the best designed and especially best-animated version of that type of monster I've ever seen. Watching a hydra slither around and attack your whole party at once with all of its heads moving constantly in a seamless, beautiful writhing, or watching a massive cyclops giant lumber across the room flailing its arms at its face because one of your companions is clinging to it and stabbing in the eye so you can charge a devastating spell to cast, or holding on to a furious direwolf as it tears across the landscape in an effort to separate you from your party before throwing you off are amazing experiences that I've never had replicated in any other games. Combat is tough, too. Even on easy you have to take every encounter seriously and use strategy and team tactics to overcome, because until you greatly out-level your foes even a small pack of wolves can easily party wipe you if aren't careful.

    My final piece of advice: play the game at least twice, and when you fight the final boss, do it with the internet connection off. It's definitely worth it.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Best PS4 Game of 2017
64
#64 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Worth Playing
    Jan 2, 2018
    85
    All in all, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is one of the best action-RPG titles out there, even though it's an upgraded port from the prior console generation.
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  2. ZTGD
    Nov 6, 2017
    70
    Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is a game about moments. Encountering a brand new monster, obtaining a powerful weapon or when a Drake crashes your goblin slaying party with a storm of hellfire- all moments that are memorable and fun to experience. The issue is that getting to those moments are oftentimes an absolute slog of tedious stamina and weight management, battling the same group of wolves and bandits for the thirtieth time.
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  3. 4P.de
    Oct 18, 2017
    78
    Despite all the visual enhancements you can still see that the original is five years old. With that in mind, this is still a good and at times positively rough action role-playing game that is worth exploring.
    Read full review
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