Dragon's Dogma 2 is too big a game to play just once

After more than 60 hours with Dragon's Dogma 2I thought I knew pretty much what the game was about, including completing the mind-blowing endgame. I had made my way through Vermund as a thief, attacked my enemies as a Mystic Spearhand, and was on par with scaly dragons as a fighter. But after beating the game, I knew I wanted to go back and try out the professions I hadn't used yet. Then I slipped on a comfortable magician's robe and realized it was a tackle Dragon's Dogma 2 Being a magic user makes for a completely different game, and it's all thanks to one of his simplest abilities.

Like in the original the dragon's beliefMagician in Dragon's Dogma 2 You have access to Levitate – an ability that allows you to levitate a short distance to cross gaps or avoid damage from falls. The first game allows you to float a considerable distance like a stick-wielding Mary Poppins. For the sequel, it's been reworked to lift you slightly higher into the air before you begin your descent. It's this small change that opens up the world of Dragon's Dogma 2 for me on my second playthrough.

After I played the first one the dragon's belief Several times I expected to find a whole series of secrets when I returned Dragon's Dogma 2. With several editions of the dragon's belief Behind me, I discover new things every time I play, and playing the sequel made it clear that it hides even more in its winding forests and dark caves. I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly or so often.

You don't start with Levitate. You need to gain some experience in your chosen profession and acquire it like other skills. For the first hour and for a change, my playthrough of Mage was a bit disappointing. Sure, I could shoot fire from my hands, but as the most vulnerable member of my party, I spent more time running from enemies than setting them on fire. My vassals probably didn't like how often I let them die in battle, either because I was too busy dodging the goblins that were charging at me or because I simply forgot. But once I arrived in the capital city of Vernworth, I could afford to buy Levitate, and the game opened up in ways I wasn't yet prepared for.

One thing you quickly learn about farmers: Dragon's Dogma 2 is that they absolutely love ladders. I don't know why, I just know that they can't resist pointing out every ladder we come across with the joy of a child staring at a pile of birthday presents. Since my mission in this playthrough is to find as much of what I missed the first time as possible, I listened once and climbed the ladder to the roof of a building on the edge of Vernworth's trading district. It was then that I realized I had stumbled upon a treasure trove.

A series of planks and walkways criss-cross the rooftops of Vernworth, creating a hidden world all their own. You could probably reach most of them with the Thief's double jump or the Mystic Spearhand's teleportation strike, but as a mage, floating from ledge to ledge feels as natural as walking. Plus, there's just something satisfying and magical about floating between rooftops like a leaf.

I spent almost the next hour exploring this secret second city. Most of the time I floated around the city, then landed on a sloping roof and slid right off, but along the way I discovered treasure chests hidden on balconies and in towers that I'd passed dozens of times before. Far more valuable than the loot I had stuffed my pockets with was the knowledge that this was even possible, and the likelihood that Vernworth wasn't the only place brimming with secrets to someone capable of flight.

From this point, Dragon's Dogma 2 has completely changed for me. As much as it's about combat and discovery, now it's also about jumping. Every boulder I can't see the top of, every abyss too deep to survive a fall, every gap too wide to jump over – that's what I'm trying to conquer now. A few hours after purchasing Levitate, I grabbed a treasure chest that I discovered on my first playthrough but was never able to reach. I opened paths that I suspected were there based on the map, but couldn't find a way. Even the combat has changed, partly because I find it hilarious to lazily float away from goblins swinging their swords wildly at you, and partly because being able to jump where no one can hit you is a fantastic way to win a fight can reach to rain lightning down on their heads.

The sense of discovery is one of them Dragon's Dogma 2's greatest strengths. Every journey feels like an adventure and every step can lead to something completely unexpected. I was worried that a second playthrough would lack some of that magic, but thanks to my magician's supernatural leaps, it feels like a very different game than the one I played the first time, and I can't wait to see , what other discoveries I can make my way in.