A flower that sings of the end.
Drakengard is a very divisive series. The first game is considered at once one of the most unbearable games ever made as well as an essential experience due to its one-of-a-kind twisted story and atmosphere.
Although I found it perfectly playable, it was largely criticized for its repetitive combat consisting of mowing down endless fields of foes by either land or sky.
Again, I enjoyed it, but I’m largely an outlier here.
Where D1 really stands out on all fronts is the storytelling.
The protagonist, Caim, is largely a reprehensible human being. He’s out for revenge and killing, not necessarily in that order.
In his efforts to avenge his kingdom, he will see children slaughtered, priestesses sacrificed, gigantic world-consuming babies, and a whole lot of dead bodies.
That just scratches the surface of how effed up D1 is.
The second game is considered better on the gameplay front, while foregoing the twisted plot in favor of a paint-by-numbers generic hero plot.
Unsurprisingly, Yoko Taro was not involved.
After the completion of Nier, which would turn out to be Cavia’s final production, the lunatics behind the Drakengard series were dissolved and consumed by Square-Enix.
It was then left to Deadly Premonition’s Access Games and the newly freelance creator of Drakengard, Yoko Taro, to try and make the third game in the series both live up to its predecessors and be somewhat more palatable.
The twisted story of D1 with the gameplay improvements of D2? Sure, why not?
Well, Taro almost succeeds on both fronts. Regardless, I enjoyed it a lot.
Yeah, the MC of Drakengard 3 has issues. The music isn’t up to the masterful par of Nier’s, but it sure has its moments.
The story is certainly twisted. In addition, there’s a lot of brevity and humor which was present in Nier but woefully absent from D1.
Zero isn’t just a ruthless killer. She keeps the men of her slain sisters and adds them to her ever-going harem to fuel her insatiable lusts.
They aren’t above making innuendos and snide remarks about this on a regular basis, although it often results in her threatening to separate their manhood from their bodies.
You sure won’t find AAA graphics on display here. But you will find a delightfully twisted story, passable gameplay, and the most infuriating final boss this side of an Atlus RPG.
iwakura productions 