In Dragon's Dogma 2, the bosses are so big that you have to climb them

(Image credit: Capcom)

Action RPG Dragon's Dogma 2 encourages you to think big, inviting you to scale the game's massive bosses as you struggle to lay them low.

As part of the Tokyo Game Show 2023, we got our hands on an early build of Capcom's dark fantasy adventure. Taking up a sword and shield, we did our best to take the fight to one of the game's earliest bosses: a towering Cyclops with arms like tree trunks. As you might expect, we struggled to block its attacks, so climbing became the best option. Frantically scrambling towards the monster's neck as it thrashed and fought back made for one heck of a set piece, allowing us to deal massive damage and come out on top.

Fortunately, Capcom has also released a deep dive preview video, which will allow you to see the thrilling boss fight for yourself.

The deep dive trailer also shows off the game's four starting Vocations (the game's classes): Fighter, Mage, Thief, and Archer. Each of these offers a distinctive playstyle, giving you wildly different tools for your adventuring arsenal.

We also get a good look at the Cyclops boss fight, seeing the monster-climbing mechanics in action. On top of this, the trailer showed off how environments in Dragon's Dogma 2 can be used to your advantage: mid-way through the video, we see the player blow up a dam, hitting the Cyclops with a torrent of water.

The preview also reveals a range of areas throughout the game, including the verdant human kingdom of Vermund and the arid canyons of Battahl. We're also shown two advanced classes: the Mystic Spearhand and the Magick Archer. The former is "a good all-rounder" capable of using magic to block enemy movement. The latter, by contrast, specializes in long-range attacks alongside support spells.

We don't yet know when Dragon's Dogma 2 will be launching, but, if this trailer and our hands-on time with the game are anything to go by, Capcom's fantasy action RPG may be a breath of fresh air for the genre.

Want something to play while you wait? Check out our lists of the best RPGs as well as the best JRPGs.

Cat Bussell is a Staff Writer at TechRadar Gaming. Hailing from the crooked spires of London, Cat is an experienced writer and journalist. As seen on Wargamer.com, TheGamer.com, and Superjumpmagazine.com, Cat is here to bring you coverage from all corners of the video game world. An inveterate RPG maven and strategy game enjoyer, Cat is known for her love of rich narratives; both story-driven and emergent.

Before migrating to the green pastures of games journalism, Cat worked as a political advisor and academic. She has three degrees and has studied and worked at Cambridge University, University College London, and Queen Mary University of London. She's also been an art gallery curator, an ice cream maker, and a cocktail mixologist. This crash course in NPC lifestyles uniquely qualifies her to pick apart only the juiciest video games for your reading pleasure.

Cat cut her teeth on MMOs in the heyday of World of Warcraft before giving in to her love of JRPGs and becoming embedded in Final Fantasy XIV. When she's not doing that, you might find her running a tabletop RPG or two, perhaps even voluntarily.