Capcom's action RPG Dragon's Dogma was a surprise hit when it released for consoles in 2012, and while there's been plenty of hustling for a PC port, it hasn't (and probably won't) happen. Instead, PC will get a taste of the series in the form of Dragon's Dogma Online, announced this week in Japanese games mag Famitsu. The free-to-play game is due to release later this year.
According to Gematsu's translation, Dragon's Dogma Online will inherit a lot of what made the original, single-player game special. You'll be able to climb all over the gigantic beasts you'll do battle with, for example. Four-character parties return, except this time your party will be controlled by human players rather than player constructed pawns. Meanwhile, producer Minae Matsukawa and director Kent Kinoshita insist that micro-transactions shouldn't prevent the game from feeling like a proper Dragon's Dogma adventure to returning players.
The world size will compare to the original's at launch, but the goal is to expand it to three times the size. Classwise, the game will launch with four: a Fighter, Hunter, Priest, and Shield Sage.
While it sounds promising, a cherished single-player game going free-to-play is sure to raise hackles. In the absence of gameplay footage or screenshots (there's a few grabs from the mag over here) we'll have to keep our fingers crossed.
