Dragon’s Dogma 2 director says he doesn’t like fast travel because it can mean a game is boring

The director of Dragon’s Dogma 2 has said he wants players to properly travel through the game’s world instead of using fast travel.

In an interview with IGN, Hideaki Itsuno explained that if players choose to use fast travel instead in a game, it’s usually a sign that the game itself isn’t fun to play.

Instead, Itusno said the onus is on developers to make normal travel interesting for the player so they don’t feel tempted to skip it.

“Just give it a try,” he said. “Travel is boring? That’s not true. It’s only an issue because your game is boring. All you have to do is make travel fun.

“That’s why you place things in the right location for players to discover, or come up with enemy appearance methods that create different experiences each time, or force players into blind situtions where they don’t know whether it’s safe or not ten meters in front of them.”

Although Dragon’s Dogma 2 will have two fast travel options, they will both come with caveats to make the player less reliant on them.

Players can teleport to Port Crystals located around the land, but have to use rare Ferrystone items to do so. There are also Oxcarts which fast travel along certain routes, but can be ambushed by enemies along the way.

Giving an example of a situation that can arise from this, Itusno explained: “While riding [an oxcart], you might find the path blocked by goblins and have no choice but to get off and join the battle.

“Then as you do, a Griffin might swoop in and destroy the entire cart with one blow, forcing you to walk the rest of the way while cursing its name.”

Dragon’s Dogma 2 will be released on March 22, and will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

In a hands-on Dragon’s Dogma 2 preview, VGC said the sequel “feels a lot like the first game, and that’s a good thing”.

“So far, Dragon’s Dogma 2 certainly feels a lot like the game that has come before it, though we have to bear in mind it’s still the first playable build at a relatively early part of the game,” our writer said.

“As long as it remains weird for all the reasons its most hardcore fans have championed it all these years, that’s no bad thing at all.”