Dragon’s Dogma 2 gameplay shows even dark fantasy RPGs can have great ragdoll physics

New Dragon's Dogma 2 gameplay just debuted, and aside from still looking excellent, it quietly revealed some fantastic ragdoll physics. 

Just below, you can see 18 minutes of new Dragon's Dogma 2 gameplay, courtesy of IGN. The video kicks off with an Arisen and some Pawns tackling some low-level enemies, complete with a lovely flaming sword and some deft parries with a shield to put enemies on the back foot.

Later, around the eight minute mark, after downing a Cyclops or two, there's a pretty funny moment with a Warrior. The player climbs on the back of a huge brute, but they're thrown off because they aren't gripping on for dear life when the monster attacks. As such, they're catapulted off the monster and down onto the ground in a huge somersault, complete with really funny ragdoll physics. 

It looks like we'll be seeing this happen a lot if we're caught out by some of the bigger monsters in Dragon's Dogma 2. It's not just this instance though - later on there's a clip where the same monster attacks the player with both feet first in a desperate lunge, and this time the player is again sent careening head over heels when they're caught out.

If you don't want a battering, you'll really need to pay attention to monster attacks in Dragon's Dogma 2. It's interesting that Capcom is taking this approach with ragdoll physics after Monster Hunter World and Rise, neither of which featured the sort of comical flips we're seeing here. Maybe a little physical comedy in the bleak land of Dragon's Dogma 2 was needed. 

Dragon's Dogma 2 launches later this year on March 22, 2024, exclusively for PC and new-gen consoles. Read up on our very own Dragon's Dogma 2 preview to see what we made of Capcom's sequel when we went hands-on with it.

You can also check out our new games 2024 guide for a look ahead at all the other big-time releases coming in the next few months and beyond.