The United States' Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has released its verdict on Dragon's Dogma 2, detailing its sexual content among other things.
As reported by Push Square, the Dragon's Dogma 2 listing details a handful of different instances of sexual content in the game but makes clear it doesn't get particularly explicit. Unlike 2012's Dragon's Dogma, however, the sequel has received the Sexual Themes tag, likely because players are able to interact with sex workers.
"Players' character can interact with sex workers, exchanging currency for services," the explanation for the Mature rating reads. "A brief sequence depicts the player sitting on a bed with a prostitute (both wearing underwear) before the camera fades to black. One cutscene briefly depicts characters kissing and rolling around in bed (no nudity). Two monsters are shown with bare breasts, though with no discernible details (i.e., no nipples)."
Dragon's Dogma 2 also received the less surprising Blood and Gore, Language, and Violence tags. One cutscene in the game, and spoiler warning for those looking to go in completely fresh, depicts "a dragon pulling out a human character's heart", while another shows "a monster decapitated in slow-motion".
The presence of romance in Dragon's Dogma 2 was already revealed by publisher Capcom, of course, and as IGN revealed in January, NPCs may even fight each other for the player's affection. This comes as a larger upgrade to the relationships between NPCs, as explained by creator Hideaki Itsuno.
"For example, if you find a pair of friends, hitting one will cause the other to get mad at you too," he said. "Or if you do something nice for a child, the parent might thank you and like you more as well. That's what I mean by relationships between NPCs.
"A character who grows close to you might come over to your house to play, but if they meet another character there who's done the same thing, a fight might break out. Personally, we just made the system because we wanted to be able to say, 'Stop, don't fight over me!' It might be best if your readers play through the game while trying to avoid that kind of outcome."
Available on March 22, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam, Dragon's Dogma 2 takes place in a parallel universe which "mirrors the world setting of the original game". Players can explore the human kingdom of Vermund and the beastren kingdom of Battahl as a fully customisable character and ultimately take on a big evil dragon.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
