![]() ![]() ![]() There is also some inconsistency with character introductions. ![]() Unfortunately, there is a lot of necessary backstory omitted from the game. The story has four distinct endings, each of which provide a different look at how things could turn out as a result of Zero’s quest, and each contributes to a better understanding of the “big picture.” As convoluted as it seems at first, the story is the most interesting part of the game – learning about Zero and her ambitions as things unfold may seem inadequate after the first ending, but the next three fill in the blanks while also expanding on the possible conclusions. In Zero’s case, they fight alongside her in battle, although they offer no substantial assistance. Zero, the outlier, plots to kill the other Intoners, with her reasoning being revealed as the story unfolds.Īs the plot progresses, Zero fights her sisters and gains “disciples,” people who serve Intoners and facilitate their use of magic. The Intoners are famous across the world for freeing the various realms from tyrannical rulers and bringing peace. In Drakengard 3, the player takes control of Zero, one of six sisters known as “Intoners” for their manipulation of magic via singing. Drakengard 3 serves as a prequel to the first game, taking place about 100 years beforehand. The first Drakengard game was released on PlayStation 2 in 2002, followed by Drakengard 2 and the spin-off Nier years later. It really ruined my overall enjoyment of the otherwise fun combat system.Drakengard 3 is a game where you get to kill a lot of things, ride around on a dragon, and destroy everything in your way. I’m not sure why the aerial combat is so terribly executed, but whenever I had to fight using Mikhail, I would grit my teeth and curse the developer for the clunky controls and unwieldy camera. I did appreciate the English voice cast’s attempts at making the asinine combat banter somewhat meaningful, at least.īut while controlling Zero is fun, controlling her flying dragon companion Mikhail is not. companions are utterly useless in battle (seriously, they’re dumber than a bag of bricks), but I rarely needed their help anyway. It’s in these brief moments where Zero is invincible that Drakengard 3 really shines. The scream, thrilling music, and accompanying camera spin as she transforms is impressively dramatic. The most exciting combat feature is the Intoner Mode, a special overdrive that makes Zero nearly impervious to damage in battle. I loved being able to dispatch an entire phalanx of enemies with a few quick swipes of a sword, and changing weapons on the fly kept the pace of combat fast and furious. If you really want the full story, you’ll have to go through all four endings (with the last ending only accessible by collecting every weapon).ĭrakengard 3 has one bright spot: Zero’s combat abilities. Again, that’s something that can be done well if the mystery is properly built up, but here it left me feeling directionless. Even Zero’s motivation for her quest to kill her sisters isn’t fully explained until quite late in the tale. ![]() It doesn’t help that Zero and her disciples are poorly written, and no amount of rifling through Drakengard’s database or attempts to engage Zero’s Disciples in conversation reveals much about them. The series’ Rubik’s-cube approach to storytelling doesn’t really work here – Drakengard 3 is too slow to reveal its secrets, and relies heavily on fans remembering what happened in the original Drakengard (which came out 10 years ago) in order to understand what’s going on. “ An entertaining story and interesting characters could’ve made all of that worth suffering through, but Drakengard 3 is devoid of both. Linearity can be a great experience if it’s done well, but outside of the way developer Access Games differentiates each location with a special feature (a dark, creepy forest maze, a desert with drastic weather fluctuations that affect your characters’ health, etc.), any attempts at innovation are ruined by the constant backtracking and limited variety of enemies encountered along the way. It’s all a terrible strain on the eyes.ĭrakengard 3 is an extremely linear game, and areas have very little to see and explore. (Yes, I know, every game in the Drakengard series has suffered from these issues, but repeating a mistake doesn’t make it less of a mistake.) There are jagged edges everywhere, the framerate plummets whenever there’s a lot of activity on the screen, the color palette for the world is bland and uninspired, and textures are so undetailed and boring they look like they belong in the PlayStation 2 era. In the first of the 40 hours I spent with Drakengard 3, I noticed the subpar graphics and framerate. ![]()
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