Drakengard 3

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1

I’m freakin’ loving this game right now. Warts n all. In fact, a lot of the game’s flaws are part of its charm.

Currently on Chapter 3: Verse 2, at the beginning of the land of forests. At this point, the dialog of Decadus has me grinning from ear to ear.

Also, I appear to be the only one whom doesn’t have a problem with controlling Mikhal (the Dragon) during his free-roam moments. I really do wish they were longer. The battle at the castle whilst having mounted him has been one of the main highlights so far.

As so many others have mentioned, the story is curiously gripping. It deliberately plays with the player’s heart. Watching the first boss beg for her life was genuinely quite chilling.

The hack n slash moments really remind me of Berserk / Sword of Berserk for the Sega Dreamcast, along with the follow-up Berserk game for the PS2 (these land of forests looks almost identical to the final stages of the PS2 game).

With the constant frame-rate dips in this game, it’s hard to take the fighting too seriously. So far, it hasn’t been an issue, but I suspect when things get really difficult later on in the game, it could very well be.

I’m really glad I invested in this game. It’s worth the fairly high pricetag I paid for it. Even when I know I should give the game a rest, I want to keep on playing to see the next part of the story. And considering you don’t get to fully understand the story until you’ve completed your 4th playthrough, I’m hoping this game keeps me occupied for quite some time.

2

Did you end up finishing it? I actually bought the game but I’ve yet to continue playing it. I can’t say I had the same opinion on the first boss, her dying was (intentionally) turned into a comical scene, which kind of ruins any emotional impact it would have had. Furthermore, Zero doesn’t give the impression of having any problem killing her sisters. It’s obvious she’s hiding the real reason for her actions, but it doesn’t seem like she feels any remorse over it.

It’s an odd game. I’m not sure what to make of it, and I doubt even playing through the entire game would help me form an opinion over it.

3

Not only have I completed it, but I’ve sunk a heck of a lot of hours, bought and played through the DLC, and gone into reading the novellas and manga side stories also.

The game will likely continue to polarise you, if you don’t end up outright hating it, by the sounds of things.

Indeed, she has no remorse for murder, and there’s a strong point to this, but you’re going to have to play through the whole thing (all 4 endings) in order to figure out why.

Actually, it gets even deeper than that. There’s a shit load of questions that remain unexplained, and I’m having a great time discussing them on a Drakengard 3 dedicated forum.

drakengard-3.com/board/index.php

Drakengard 3 is, without doubt, the most enjoyable storytelling experience I’ve had this generation, along with the spinoff ‘Nier’. Much of the enjoyment comes from the complexity of the story (which initially comes out as feeling incomplete and a mess, until you realise that the story has been made deliberately inconsistent and obscure, and relies on the the gamer’s interpretation to fill in blank spots in the story).

But, make no mistake, this is a game that demands your effort in order to appreciate to it’s fullest. Sadly, not included in the main game, but on the internet there is a bunch of novellas that explain the stories of each important character prior to the events of the game. These are actually essential reading if you want to understand the motives of each character.

They’ve been uploaded to the Drakengard Wiki. Another website (and a REALLY fucking awesome one at that!) called ‘Kid Fenris’, also gives a rather deep analysis of the 2nd boss, Four, on his website (best to read after you’ve defeated her)–

kidfenris.blogspot.jp/2014/06/dr … -four.html

– going to show that there’s much more to the characters and story than what meets the eye.

D3 has something else in common with Panzer Dragoon in that there is greater depth and detail to the story, when you take the time into observing it’s world, than when first approached.
Most people think Panzer Dragoon is nothing more than a bunch of shallow rail shooters, and an RPG, with a weak and super-streamlined story, but we all know that in actuality, a lot of thought and effort has been put into it if you observe and read between the lines.
The Drakengard games are exactly like that, but actually even deeper than the PD series has ever been. They strange, fascinating, and very different from just about any other game in the industry, and whilst very flawed, they have gained a cult following for their differences, warts n all.

Much of the fun with Drakengard 3 comes from reflecting upon the seeming strange and inconsistent decisions made from how they present the story, trying to figure out how much of it was intentional, or flaws due to budget constraints and other disadvantages.

Like I said, it sounds like the game hasn’t grabbed much of a grip on you (although I’ve read reviews that have said that the game actually gets a hold on people much later in the playthrough). But I think, or hope, that you will at least appreciate how this game is fascinatingly different from anything else out there.

4

I think you’ve convinced me to continue playing the game :slight_smile: I do know there’s much more to the story than one would initially be led to believe. If anything that’s the kind of storyline I prefer (kinda obvious, there’s a reason I’m posting here after all).

It’ll be interesting to see if this game can rival Gravity Rush’s storyline, which so far is my favorite game of the past generation. Really odd, seeing how I really wasn’t thinking much of that game halfway through, only for the latter part of the game to completely change my opinion. Let’s see if the same happens for Drakengard 3.

5

For me, it was the other way round for Gravity Rush. I realised the story was going no-where (and I’d read during my gameplay from others that important questions are never answered).

As for Drakengard 3, there’s a forum and fan website dedicated to the franchise, particularly the 3rd one, with the manga series’ translated, and they give greater insight into the characters and setting. It’s well worth a look.

drakengard-3.com/board/

6

I actually got around to playing the game again, just ended chapter 3. Still not sure what to think about the game. So far not a whole lot has actually happened. I can see how you really have to get information outside of the game to know what exactly is going on, which is really unfortunate. I’m guessing I’d have to get all the endings and play the DLC to really judge whether or not the story is actually good or not.

7

Definitely. Which is why a lot of reviewers didn’t rate this game - as they clearly didn’t play until the very end. The story will definitely divide people, and there’s a 50% chance it doesn’t click with you. But hopefully you will at least appreciate a title that attempts to tell a completely different story to that we’re used to seeing in gaming these days (usually derivative stories).

8

I just ordered the game and will be playing it within the next couple of weeks! From what I’ve seen, it seems pretty unique. My only concerns are how they’ve said, the framerate is pretty bad, and 50% of the levels feel unpolished…

But, I like the Neir series and want to see what this one is all about.