It seems opinions are most polarized when it comes to some of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s unique gameplay “obstacles.” According to Oyama, players in Japan and Asia tend to be quite vocal about what they perceive as “inconveniences,” while players in Europe and North America are more likely to view these same game elements as “friction” and welcome them. While the developers don’t cite any specific examples, they do describe travelling by foot and Dragonsplague as some of the “inconveniences” the game throws at players earlier in the interview.
The friction in DD2 is exactly why I loved the game. It didn’t hold the hand. You had to pay attention to the world and actually immerse yourself in it.
It made it feel as if you weren’t just playing a game but were roleplaying a character.