Descend into insanity, immensely carried by experimentality and bravery of it, but actual substance is painfully overrated mess that is barely worth experiencing, mainly due to horrid(serviceable, but horrid) gameplay that might overshadow interesting story, that is nowhere near as good as people describe it and starts getting interesting only in last 1/10th of the game.
Stockholm syndrome might make you pretend that you didn't waste your time, but it didn't last long for me.
Don't expect anything nowhere near Drakengard 3, Nier Replicant and Automata. Just a weird pseudo-arthouse experience with few good ideas here and there.
(this is the 4th log lmfao, this game just can't leave my mind and it certainly makes Drakengard remarkable for that)
Stockholm syndrome might make you pretend that you didn't waste your time, but it didn't last long for me.
Don't expect anything nowhere near Drakengard 3, Nier Replicant and Automata. Just a weird pseudo-arthouse experience with few good ideas here and there.
(this is the 4th log lmfao, this game just can't leave my mind and it certainly makes Drakengard remarkable for that)
The most 2/10 game ever made that didn't become 10/10 because it told me life is worth living, no no no instead it told me to kill myself.
It doesn't matter what your ethnicity is, where you come from, what your political views are, who you are as a person or human being, what your gender is or what social status you have you MUST experience this game at least once in your life before death.
It doesn't matter what your ethnicity is, where you come from, what your political views are, who you are as a person or human being, what your gender is or what social status you have you MUST experience this game at least once in your life before death.
I haven't played this in about 15 years, so looking it up recently I was surprised to find that it had carved a badge of infamy for itself. I was obsessed with this as an impressionable, un-diagnosed ADHD teen who liked hacky/slashy combat and hadn't been exposed to much dark fantasy, and so the certifiably bananas Yoko Taro insanity this visually and narratively gives way to seared itself into my brain. The ending that eventually birthed Nier blew my mind. I've got a big giant soft spot for this game, and I'm so glad Taro went on to become a big weirdo game creator.
The Stockhold syndrome is real, the more you think about this game after beating it the more you begin to like it.
An angry and brutal deconstruction of rpg and action game tropes, but like a punk song it quickly reveals itself to be little more then a simple 3 note ditty with a lot of rage. Once you get past the shock of how awful each character is and the beauty of the surreal imagery, you are left with a barely functional, esoterically padded action game populated by one note characters in a frustratingly unexplored world.
Years earlier Moon: Remix RPG Adventure tackled many of the same concepts with a lighter touch and more nuance. Years later many more games (including those by Yoko Taro) would explore many of the same ideas in more depth) yet there is something to be said about how bleak and direct this game is. The music and visuals have a very avant garde and ethereal quality which is lacking from Taro's future work on Nier which visually is a snooze fest in comparison to the boldness on display here. Drakengard said what it needed to in the time it came out and paved the way for many future games, but I'll be damned if I touch it again any time soon.
Years earlier Moon: Remix RPG Adventure tackled many of the same concepts with a lighter touch and more nuance. Years later many more games (including those by Yoko Taro) would explore many of the same ideas in more depth) yet there is something to be said about how bleak and direct this game is. The music and visuals have a very avant garde and ethereal quality which is lacking from Taro's future work on Nier which visually is a snooze fest in comparison to the boldness on display here. Drakengard said what it needed to in the time it came out and paved the way for many future games, but I'll be damned if I touch it again any time soon.
I don't know where to start with this game. The gameplay is bad, yes, but the overall package is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It has those visuals, those story moments, and especially some of those songs that will just stick with you after playing. If you can't stand the gameplay I get it, but I'd say watching the scenes isn't the same experience. I highly recommend emulation for it's save-stating and fast-fowarding however.
I'll also say I sincerely hope this game doesn't get a remake if it comes at the cost of trimming the edges from certain subject matters in the story or watering down the unique music. If they don't do that then I also genuinely believe the game WONT be remade.
I just hope the game gets some form of recognition as these memories will stick with me- be it the frustration, boredom, captivation, or honest sadness/emptiness when the journey was over.
I'll also say I sincerely hope this game doesn't get a remake if it comes at the cost of trimming the edges from certain subject matters in the story or watering down the unique music. If they don't do that then I also genuinely believe the game WONT be remade.
I just hope the game gets some form of recognition as these memories will stick with me- be it the frustration, boredom, captivation, or honest sadness/emptiness when the journey was over.
My rating is based off the gameplay alone.
I can't in good conscience recommend this as a game, because the gameplay is just godawful. It's a 3D beat 'em up and the game is mission-based, separated into two-types of missions. The ground missions are musou but worse, and the aerial missions, while serviceable, are very boring. There are two really good boss fights, out of several, and that's all you get. I fell into Stockholm syndrome, and eventually just got used to it, but it's not good. If you're insane enough to go through it anyway, you'll be greeted with an interesting meta-narrative that escalates extremely well until the final cutscene. It's full of "this is just okay enough that we won't get sued"-style Berserk references, which as a Berserk fan, kept me engaged enough to continue. The narrative only begins to pick up after you get a couple of endings. However, the narrative gets so wild beyond that, that I think it's very worth experiencing. If you're willing to put up with a lot of shit, you'll get rewarded by the end. Make sure to get every ending.
I can't in good conscience recommend this as a game, because the gameplay is just godawful. It's a 3D beat 'em up and the game is mission-based, separated into two-types of missions. The ground missions are musou but worse, and the aerial missions, while serviceable, are very boring. There are two really good boss fights, out of several, and that's all you get. I fell into Stockholm syndrome, and eventually just got used to it, but it's not good. If you're insane enough to go through it anyway, you'll be greeted with an interesting meta-narrative that escalates extremely well until the final cutscene. It's full of "this is just okay enough that we won't get sued"-style Berserk references, which as a Berserk fan, kept me engaged enough to continue. The narrative only begins to pick up after you get a couple of endings. However, the narrative gets so wild beyond that, that I think it's very worth experiencing. If you're willing to put up with a lot of shit, you'll get rewarded by the end. Make sure to get every ending.
"This game is pretty cool" - Guy that hates video games.
The gameplay for Drakengard isn't good, it's engaging. What you're left with is a game that simply spills the blood of your victims, never allowing that element to be muted or sped through. It's pure in presentation, and I love it for that.