As the sun finally started to subside, an amber glow receded behind the looming mountains in the distance. The sunset was short lived, for a chilling darkness approached. Putrid, red goblin corpses were strewn about in bloody disarray across the hillside. Evidence of a recent battle that paled in comparison to the magnitude of what was to come.

My accompanying mage made a point to imbue my weapons with the elemental fortification of fire. A crucial adornment for the task at hand. Suddenly, an echo of powerful beating wings and a resounding shriek in the distance put my whole team on edge. Glinting blue eyes emerged from the darkness from within the trees. A brilliant azure storm of lightning preceded the path of a magnificent charging griffin with Its talons outstretched... Then I finally paused the game.

The scale of the mystical beasts are captured wonderfully.

This was my fifth time playing the “Soaring Shadow of Death” portion of Capcom's Dragon’s Dogma demo. I had spent the last three hours burrowing into the character creation system, playing a segment of a mission leading up to a mini-boss fight with a chimera, and having a good chunk of my afternoon eaten by a mission to slay a pesty griffin. I mean, Jesus Christ, three hours of my life was taken by a f*#kin demo.