yoko taro's wild ride, full of bad gameplay, awful graphics, and an uncomfortable amount of sex jokes. and yet it all comes together to create an unforgettable experience.

I'd say the theme of drakengard 3 is contrast. now to be fair, contast was already the theme of taro's previous game, NIER, but this game has a very different spin on it - the contrast this game makes the player experience is beauty and sereneness clashing with grotesqueness. it is a game that has some of the most genuinely touching, human moments in any game I've ever played, while simultaneously making you want to throw it at the nearest wall with absurd difficulty spikes, awful frame rates, and boring, repetitive gameplay. at the same time it tells some of the best jokes in video games right next to some of the worst jokes and that is right next to some extremely dark, mature themes and that again is right next to some DMC style bullshit happening. I doubt aspects like the bad frame rate were an intenional part of the experience, not even yoko taro has enough balls to do that, yet it somehow works so well in unison with everything else that I can't help but appreciate it.

there is nothing else quite like drakengard 3 and I absolutely believe that it is worth trying for yourself, whether you are a hardcore drakennier fanboy or not. oh and play the DLCs - it shows how little square enix thinks of their customers that it is DLC in the first place but the added chapters really go a long way to not just improve the main game, but also stand on their own as some of the most interesting stories told in the gaming sphere.

you know how in super metroid the game barely tells you where to go so you just kinda explore shit at your own discretion? yeah it's like that

on a more serious note the exploration in this game is nearly unrivaled. there is such a legitamate sense of wonder as you enter a new area, deliberately crafted and enhanced by tiny little touches like how, depending on the area, you might get a map super early on or way late. this is my favorite game to just get lost in. the amount of stuff in this little guy is staggering - I never really cared if where I'm going is the way the devs wanted me to go or not because there is just so much stuff to find everywhere you go, whether it be lore, items, money, upgrades, etc. compared to metroid this game has a relatively small amount of upgrades to collect. this is kind of a double edged sword - the small amount of items grants an amazing sense of freedom to the world since progression in metroidvania titles tends to be locked behind certain upgrades. on the other hand there are few things to really spice up the combat. the fundamentals of it are rock solid - every swing feels satisfying and impactful and being able to pogo off of enemies and obstacles is always a good time. that being said, it can feel pretty basic and overly simplistic, especially at the beginning. great enemy and boss movesets rectify this problem to some extent, but I can certainly understand when people tell me that they think the combat is a little boring.

the visuals are needless to say stunning and the music does a great job of setting the tone. special shotouts to the frequent usage of dynamic music