As is usually the case with open-world RPGs, Dragon's Dogma 2 fosters a less-than-harmonious relationship with your environment. Put more bluntly: you kill many of the seemingly infinite creatures you encounter. Amid the carnage, however, are plenty of peaceful animals who just want to frolic in the game’s gorgeous natural environments, and if you leave them to observe from a distance, you’d be surprised what they get up to.
So that's exactly what we asked our community of Dragon’s Dogma 2 players to do - and, in the style of the great Sir David Attenborough, to film the results. We received three of our favourite-ever bounty submissions: three splendid pieces of digital documentary filmmaking. Read on and enjoy three nature documentaries he'd be proud of, trading the Amazonian rainforest for the fictional lands of Vermund and Battahl.
Third place: Dave
First up we have Dave, who opted to tell a tale of how humans have entered the land of Dragon's Dogma 2 and brought nothing but war and destruction with them. He describes it as "a story of nature trying to survive in an environment damaged and destroyed by human behaviour". While his is an exploration of the ultimate reason why the game is so focused on violence, I’m sure you don’t have to stretch your mind too far to find some kind of parallel with our impact on our own planet.
Dave’s documentary begins with melodic, inspirational music and sombre narration, before the focus switches to the action with a heroic soundtrack and plenty of combat clips, including a huge minotaur attacking the town square in Vernworth. A short but tremendous documentary that asks, as Dave puts it, "who are the real bad guys in this game?"
Second place: FrostySomething
Much like Dave's documentary, FrostySomething's entry begins with a mellow, relaxing soundtrack and a calm voiceover that wouldn't be out of place on National Geographic. Rather than focusing on the chaos humans brought to the land however, this time we're looking at one single creature that most players probably didn't even realise existed in Dragon's Dogma 2: the Mountain Butterfly.
This two-and-a-half minute long documentary is akin to the short, detailed segments of Attenborough’s work, diving deep into the behaviour of the Mountain Butterfly, from how it flocks to the "perilous mountain range" and works with others of its kind to be "nature's ultimate team players". A wonderful example of how a little detail goes a long way with an animal that is in the game purely to set the scene and give life to the rolling mountains and hills.
First place: Konquest
Finally, Konquest took the Attenborough-inspired brief and ran away with it, somehow supplying a voiceover that could well have come from the legend himself. He manages to perfect the blend between observing the peaceful creatures in Dragon's Dogma 2 while also injecting humour when digital animals display digital quirks, such as a deer repeatedly bashing its head against a wall and a moonwalking goat.
The hostile foes found throughout feature too, as the second half of the video focuses on goblins, wolves, harpies, and even bosses such as the griffins. Konquest manages to capture a variety of shots for every encounter, including being thrown from the back of a griffin while high in the sky, and blends it all together with seamless editing.
Congratulations to our three winners, and keep your eyes peeled on Just About Dragon's Dogma for more video bounties like this one in the future.
Created at . Page last updated at .
