Emboldened by the critical acclaim and sales success of ambitious openworld role-player Dragon's Dogma, Capcom has announced plans to support the title with a major expansion in 2013 and free enhancements.
Dark Arisen is the name of the expansion, which will arrive next year for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. "Into the depths of an unknown darkness," proclaims a short but spooky teaser trailer, "An epitaph speaks of another's demise." There are skeletons and a bony dragon, and lots of fighting, while screenshots show gloomy caverns and an eerie moonlit fort.
In the more immediate future, Capcom has also revealed it plans to add some freebies to the existing game. A new Hard mode will be available to download, for those whose battle-tempered resolve has grown too strong for the original difficulty settings, while a Speedrun option will provide cool perks for players who beat the game under various time limits.
If you haven't given Dragon's Dogma a try, you're missing a treat. It's from the creator of Resident Evil 4 and mashes up the epic scope of Skyrim with the gritty tactical combat of Capcom's own Monster Hunter saga. Add in a rather clever "pawn" system that lets you train up NPC companions and then rent them to other players, and you've got one of 2012's best titles - and it sounds like it's only going to get better.
Dragon's Dogma is out now for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Published: 21/09/2012
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