Drakengard

Drakengard Drag-On Dragoon
Original Japanese cover art
Developer(s)	Cavia Square Enix
Publisher(s)	JP Square Enix NA Square Enix PAL Gathering
Distributor(s)	PAL Take-Two Interactive
Series	Drakengard
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 Mobile phone
Release date(s)	JP September 11, 2003[1] NA March 2, 2004 PAL May 21, 2004
Genre(s)	Action role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	1 x DVD-ROM

Drakengard, known in Japan as Drag-On Dragoon (ドラッグ オン ドラグーン, Doraggu on doragūn), is a PlayStation 2 action role-playing game developed and published by Cavia and Square Enix, and the first installment of the Drakengard series.^[2] It was released on September 11, 2003 in Japan, on March 2, 2004 in North America - and on May 21, 2004 in PAL territories by Gathering.

The game was originally developed by Cavia in the Enix name. Drakengard was scored by Takayuki Aihara and Nobuyoshi Sano.

The game had received a sequel: Drakengard 2, a spin-off Nier, and an upcoming prequel Drakengard 3.

Gameplay

Drakengard features three basic gameplay types: ground missions, aerial missions, and Free Expedition Mode. The ground missions, where the player and their party run on foot attacking enemies, have often been compared to the hack and slash gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors series.^[3] In the less-common^[4] aerial missions the player flies on the back of a dragon destroying enemy fortresses in mid-air, which was repeatedly compared to Panzer Dragoon Orta by reviewers.^[5] In Free Expedition Mode the player can jump on and off the dragon for a combination of both playing styles. It also has two difficulty modes, Easy and Normal. In Drakengard the dragon gains greater attack power as it gains experience and levels up. At certain points of the story the dragon evolves into a different, more powerful form, which enhances the dragons attack powers, magical attacks and allows to lock on to more enemies.

Drakengard is divided into chapters and subdivided into verses. Missions numbered with Roman numerals lead to endings other than the one merited in Chapter 8, and can only be played if the player meets certain requirements. Because the player can to go back to an earlier chapter or verse at almost any point in the game, the player does not need to erase the game and start over to try and achieve a specific ending. The game has four additional alternate endings. Each of these endings, along with the canonical ending, are achieved by certain events in the game.

Plot

Setting

Drakengard takes place in an unnamed medieval world, where two factions—the Union and the Empire—are waging war.

Every playable character makes a pact with a powerful beast, and pays a "price" for it. In the process of forging such a pact, humans are branded with a mark called a "pact emblem", which appears on a part of their body associated with the price they pay. They can either lose a physical attribute (e.g. Caim's price is his voice), or they can lose "intangible" attributes (e.g. Seere's price was the ability to age). Pacts tie a human's life with their respective beast's life; if one dies, the other may follow.

Characters

Playable

• Caim (カイム, Kaimu): the 24-year-old son of an unnamed royal family (in the Japanese version, it is named Caerleon (カールレオン, Kārureon)), Caim was forced to witness the brutal murder of his parents by an Imperial black dragon. Since then, he swore vengeance on the Empire and dragons, fighting as a soldier in the army of the Union. Mortally wounded at the beginning of the game, he encountered the dying red dragon Angelus. Though he hates dragons, Caim demanded Angelus to accept his offer of a pact that would save both of them. As the price, Caim lost his voice in the exchange, marked on his tongue. In Ending A, this makes him the only human Angelus revealed her name to, out of their new-found respect for each other to before becoming the new seal. Age 24. He is voiced in Japanese by Shinnosuke Ikehata and in English by Charles Rubendall.^[6]

• Angelus (known as Angel (アンヘル, Anheru) in the Japanese version): A 10,000-year-old red dragon. Finding her cruelly fettered to the ground, Caim gives her a choice—make a pact with this human to live, or die by his blade. Understanding their mutual need to live, she reluctantly accepts. Being of a kind revered by others as masters of the natural world, Angelus comes off as arrogant, seeing humans as inferior, careless and defiant. But in time, Angelus made an exception in Caim, whom she revealed her name to. She is voiced in Japanese by Shinnosuke Ikehata and in English by Mona Marshall.^[6]

• Arioch (アリオーシュ, Ariōshu): Arioch was a loving elf mother and wife until she was driven mad by the murder of her family at the hands of the Empire. Since then, she has become an insatiable murderer, only a pure joy as her young prey fall victim to her insanity. Formed a pact with Undine and Salamander in exchange for her fertility, marked on her waist. As an ally, Arioch is a threat to herself and others. In the Japanese version, it was implied that she murdered and cannibalized children as a result of her trauma. Age 24. She is voiced in Japanese by Megumi Hayashibara and in English by Michelle Ruff.^[6]

• Seere (セエレ, Sēre): Manah's twin brother, he felt it was his fault Manah was neglected/abused by their mother who loved him. Though he shares his sister's magical abilities, he possessed the gift of prophecy. After his village was destroyed, Seere formed a pact with his newfound "friend", Golem, in exchange for his "time" (the ability to age), marked all over his body, thus can never grow up. He joins Caim's party to search for his lost sister, only to feel more guilt seeing what became of her. Age 6. He is voiced in Japanese by Sota Murakami and in English by Mona Marshall.^[6]

• Leonard (レオナール, Reonāru): A kind-hearted man who distastes the horrors of war. He was constantly tormented by the knowledge of his faults and past mistakes; blaming himself for the deaths of his brothers enough to attempt suicide upon seeing them dead, but couldn't do it. By then, Faerie appeared and took advantage of Leonard's instability at the time to force a pact upon him, robbing him of his sight that is marked on his eyes. He befriended Seere, who seemed to remind him of his brothers. Age 32. He is voiced in Japanese by Koichi Yamadera and in English by Paul St. Peter.^[6]

Non-playable

• Furiae (フリアエ, Furiae): Caim's younger sister. Raised as a royal princess, she struggled to come to terms with her appointed role as the goddess at the time of her parents' death. As her cursed fate unfolded, Furiae began to despair. Living in her brother's castle, sitting quietly and offer silent prayers. She was abducted by Inuart, as she is the Final Seal that keeps the Grotesqueries from appearing in their world. Furiae harbored feelings toward Caim, and he rejecting her is a grand cause towards one of the endings. Age 19.She is voiced in Japanese by Eriko Hatsune and in English by Kari Wahlgren.^[6]

• Hierarch Verdelet (ヴェルドレ, Verudore): The hierarch whose duty allows him to speak directly with the goddess, Verdelet is a pious man who is always careful of his words and of doing the right thing, but places himself first should the situation becomes dire. When young, he made a pact with a dragon that is now in a petrified state that left a mark on his head, losing his hair and ability to grow more in exchange. In the end of the game, Verdelet performed the sealing ceremony over Angelus. Age 72. He is voiced in Japanese by Iemasa Kayumi and in English by William Frederick Knight.^[6]

• Inuart (イウヴァルト, Iuvaruto): Caim's former friend and son of a noble of the kingdom once ruled by Caim's family. Inuart possessed a beautiful singing voice and master of the harp. Though sincere and honest, his heart is weak and relies on his former betrothed, Furiae. But Inuart was taken by the Empire and tortured by them until he swore allegiance to them. He then made a pact with the very Imperial dragon that killed Caim's parents, sacrificing his talent for singing to cement the pact with a mark on his neck. He did this to fulfill his desire to protect Furiae instead of Caim, who was the object of Inuart's envy. He battles his former friend, taking Furiae to the Empire, where he believed she will be safe. Age 20. He is voiced in Japanese by Toshiaki Karasawa and in English by Charles Rubendall.^[6]

• Manah (マナ, Mana): A mysterious 6-year-old girl who commands the empire as High Priestess of the Cult of Watchers. In reality, Manah was possessed by godlike entities that she refers to as "the Watchers", who use her as a means to direct the Empire to remove the seals that prevent chaos from ensuing. Prior to it, Manah suffered abuse from her mother, which led to her current state of mind. She is voiced in Japanese by Natsuki Yamashita and in English by Sherry Lynn. Her possessed form is voiced in Japanese by Daisuke Gori and in English by Daran Norris.^[6]

• The "Grotesqueries": A mysterious otherworldly race related to Manah's possession, only appearing once the seals are destroyed. Most Grotesqueries resemble giant human infants with stony skin and sharp teeth. They are in turn led by an adult-like Queen Grotesquerie. They only accomplish their goal in two alternate endings. Their true identity is revealed in Drakengard 2.

Story

The game begins with Caim and the Union fighting a battle against the Empire. During the battle, Caim is mortally wounded, but comes across a red dragon, chained to the ground by Imperial forces. Although neither Caim nor the dragon are fond of each other, Caim proposes that they make a pact to save both their lives, as they share a mutual need to live on.^[7][8] As a result of the pact, Caim loses his voice, rendering him mute and causing a pact emblem to appear on his tongue.^[9] Caim and his pact partner soar into the sky with newfound power, obliterating the Empire's air force and disposing of the rest of their infantry.

Caim and the dragon regroup with his sister Furiae, the Goddess of the Seals; and Inuart, Caim's childhood friend and talented musician. Inuart proposes that they seek asylum in the elf village near the Seal of the Forest. Without protests or delay, they head off, only to find the village invaded and the seal destroyed.^[9] Hierarch Verdelet, Guardian of the Seals, speaks through the dragon, pleading with the group to bring the Goddess to the temple that holds the Seal of the Desert. Caim learns from a dying elf, that hostages have been taken by cultists to the Shrine of the Watchers. Caim sets off to rescue them, as Inuart takes Furiae to the desert temple.

Caim fights through the shrine, only to find that the kidnapped elves have been taken elsewhere. Later, within the Valley of the Faeries, Caim meets Leonard, who joins him as an ally. The dragon reveals that Inuart and Verdelet have been captured, so the group quickly set off to the Seal of the Desert. Arriving at the desert, Caim finds Furiae safe, though realises it was too late for Inuart and Verdelet. Caim heads to the Imperial Prison to rescue them, succeeding only in finding Verdelet, learning that Inuart has been taken someplace else.^[9]

They return to the desert, only to find the seal broken. The group then finds Arioch, an elf driven to insanity after witnessing the death of her family by the Empire who sealed a pact with Undine and Salamander, her pact price being her ability to conceive. After Arioch joins the party, Inuart appears, having sealed a pact with a black dragon—the same one that murdered Caim's parents in the past.^[9] Inuart demands that Caim allow him to free Furiae by bringing her to the Empire. Instead, Caim engages Inuart in a brief fight, where Inuart defeats Caim and kidnaps Furiae. Caim, realising his duty, delays the rescue of his sister to reach the Seal of the Ocean, only to find the seal destroyed.^[9]

Verdelet explains that destroying all seals will scatter "Seeds of Destruction" throughout the world, capable of creating a legion of murderous monsters from one human corpse.^[9] The party arrive at the Imperial Lands and find a young orphan boy by the name of Seere, who explains that his sister was taken by the Empire and pleads to join the group. It is then revealed that he also sealed a pact, a pact with a golem in sacrifice for his "time" or ability to age. The entire group join the final battle between the Union and the Empire, resulting in the latter's defeat. Celebrations are short-lived, however, as the sky turns black and an unsettling evil arises.^[9]

Endings

• Ending A: In the canonical ending that leads to Dragengard 2, fire rains from the sky and the corpses of the Imperial Army are reanimated. A fortress appears in the sky and so does Inuart, who challenges Caim. Caim is victorious and Inuart returns to the fortress, having learned he has been possessed, he discovers that his kidnapping Furiae was what resulted in her death.^[9] Caim and the dragon succeed in stopping Manah, High Priestess of the Watchers and Seere's sister, and sealing her powers. Manah begs Caim and Verdelet to kill her, but they coldly push her aside, the red dragon stating that Manah must suffer for the crimes she has committed. The dragon volunteers to become the new seal, shocking Caim and Verdelet. As Verdelet performs the rite, the dragon sees Caim cry for the first time. She tells him her name—Angelus—before bidding farewell and disappearing.^[10]
• Ending B: after Furiae's suicide, Inuart takes Furiae and tries to resurrect her with the Seed of Destruction. She comes back to life as a monster with god-like powers and wings. She kills Inuart and engages Caim in battle. After a long and grueling aerial fight, Caim succeeds in defeating his reborn sister. Standing atop a destroyed building, carrying Furiae's remains, Caim gazes upon the landscape as a myriad of monsters rise from the seeds—a myriad of the same monster he holds in his arms.^[9]

• Ending C: Manah, out of desperation and realization that all is lost, attempts to summon a dragon; instead of obeying her, the dragon consumes her. Angelus, now a Chaos Dragon, breaks the pact between herself and Caim and Angelus. But Angelus, although still having respect and love towards Caim, knows that they must fight for the rising dragons plan on destroying humanity and taking over the world. Caim manages to defeat her, but hears more dragons coming his way. Resolute, Caim runs outside full speed to battle until his final breath.^[11]
• Ending D: after running out of options, Seere's pact partner Golem kills Manah. As a result, the infant-like Grotesqueries descend from the sky, consuming and destroying everything in sight. Arioch becomes obsessed with the image of children and runs towards them as they crush and consume her. Leonard sacrifices himself to blow a path clear for Angelus, Caim and Seere. Soon after, the Queen Grotesqueries (a massive woman with a stone complexion and no hair), rises from the ground. Angelus and Caim desperately weigh out their limited options, finally deciding on what must be done. Seere, with his significant pact sacrifice, has the ability to stop time, at the cost of his life. Caim, Angelus and Seere fly towards the Queen Grotesqueries, dropping Seere onto her. Angelus and Caim, having achieved their final task, are killed by the overwhelming Grotesqueries. Finally, Seere asks his sister to forgive him as he releases bursts of light from his body as black fume surrounds him, covering the Queen Grotesqueries and Grotesqueries, forever frozen in time.
• Ending E: Caim and Angelus travel across a dimensional boundary to fight the Queen Grotesquerie, and in a strange twist end up flying over modern-era Tokyo, Japan. After defeating the Queen Grotesqueries in an unusual battle, Angelus states, "It is done, at last", before the pair are shot down by a pair of fighter jets when finally a radio transmission is heard, "This is Bravo 1, unidentified target has been neutralised. Over and out". The final credits roll silently as the sounds of a typical urban area in Tokyo is heard, the end of which scrolls down to a dead Angelus impaled onto Tokyo Tower.^[12] Although not explicitly stated in this game, this ending leads to the events of the game Nier.

Development

The original idea for Drakengard originated between Takamasa Shiba and Takuya Iwasaki when they were working at Cavia. In an interview, the game's producer, Taro Yoko, stated that Drakengard was conceived as an aerial battle game similar to Ace Combat, a previous game produced by Cavia. As the game progressed, ground-based battles were also incorporated into its design after the success in Japan of Dynasty Warriors 2.^[13] Commenting years later, Shiba said that Cavia was not much experience in creating action games at the time, and as such the games produced by the company were not up to many standards of actions games at the time.^[14] In contrast, at the time, Jun Iwasaki, then-president and chief executive officer of Square Enix USA, described the game as a "perfect hybrid of genres", citing its story and gameplay as reasons why it would be enjoyed by players who wanted a "deeper action game".^[15] The team developing the game went under the moniker "Project Dragonsphere". The setting, mythos and landscape borrow extensively from the lore of Northern Europe, blended with Japanese culture revisionism. Multiple elements of the story were created to be dark, sad and serious in tone, in contrast to the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.^[16] One of the core narrative threads, involving romantic feelings between siblings, was inspired in Yoko's mind by the then-popular anime series Sister Princess.^[13] Another anime that inspired the team was Neon Genesis Evangelion.^[16] The game's fifth ending, which involved a boss battle in modern-day Tokyo, was meant as a joke ending in the same vein as the Silent Hill series. It would later provide the starting point for the creation of Nier.^[17]

Localization

The name of the game Drag-On Dragoon was changed to Dragongard for English speaking territories due to the pronunciation of the original not sounding as "cool" in English.^[16] The Japanese version of the game also featured taboo plot points as incest and pedophilia. However, this was toned down or outright removed from American version.

The Japanese version of the game featured several very adult oriented themes, and many characters had more than questionable sexual orientations and/or perversion. Leonard is actually a pedophile, and Furiae feels sexual desire for her brother. Arioch, who has lost her womb from her pact and gone mad, enjoys killing and eating children. While all of this isn't reflected in the actual game play, it is inside cut scenes and conversations between characters. Most of these were removed in the American version of the game, making certain cut scenes very difficult to understand. For example, when partly possessed by "The Watchers", Furiae chooses to kill herself, rather than reveal her feelings for her brother, but the censorship makes the reasons for her actions very unclear.

Audio

Soundtrack

Drag-on Dragoon Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Nobuyoshi Sano & Takayuki Aihara
Released	October 22, 2003 (Vol.1) November 21, 2003 (Vol.2)
Length	1:03:14 (Vol.1) 1:15:50 (Vol.2)
Label	Marvelous Entertainment
Producer	Square Enix
Vol.2

Two soundtracks were released under the name, Drag-on Dragoon Original Soundtrack Vol.1 and Drag-on Dragoon Original Soundtrack Vol.2. They were released on October 22, 2003 and November 21, 2003 respectively.^[18][19] The soundtracks were reissued on April 20, 2011 and released together as a 2-disc album.^[20]

The soundtracks were composed by Nobuyoshi Sano (佐野信義) & Takayuki Aihara (相原隆行). Although each track on the album is credited to one artist only, they were said to have worked together on multiple tracks. The music is usually described by critics as experimental and that it wouldn't please everyone. Most of the tracks present repetitive 2 second sounds/samples, that repeat during the entire song, as would an old scratched vinyl disc. During the course of these tracks, those sounds may vary sightly and/or others may be added or removed. The overall result, while not being praised for its musical quality, was highly appreciated for its integration within the game, and its overall corrupt and broken atmosphere.^[21][22]

A new soundtrack; Drakengard Series Chips Music was released with Drakengard 3's special edition bundle, and also features midi-like remixes of some popular songs from the game. They are reminiscent of the Drakengard cell phone game soundtrack.

Tracklist

The titles to the songs are unusually straightforward, merely being the name of the chapter in which they appear. If a chapter has more than two songs, then they are just referred to as 1 and 2. The game's main theme, which is present on the game's trailers is "Route B Staff Roll 'Exhausted'". It is interpreted by Eriko Hatsune. Vol.2 Features two songs which were not present in game.

Drag-On Dragoon Original Soundtrack Vol.1[21][23][24]
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Mission Selection" (ミッション選択)	Nobuyoshi Sano	0:25
2.	"Weapon Selection" (武器選択)	Takayuki Aihara	1:14
3.	"First Chapter - In the Sky" (第一章上空)	Takayuki Aihara	2:56
4.	"First Chapter - On the Ground" (第一章地上)	Takayuki Aihara	2:24
5.	"First Chapter - Inside the Castle" (第一章城内)	Takayuki Aihara	2:57
6.	"Second Chapter - In the Sky" (第二章上空)	Takayuki Aihara	3:12
7.	"Second Chapter - On the Ground" (第二章地上)	Takayuki Aihara	2:44
8.	"Third Chapter - In the Sky" (第三章上空)	Takayuki Aihara	3:11
9.	"Third Chapter - On the Ground" (第三章地上)	Takayuki Aihara	2:35
10.	"Fourth Chapter - In the Sky" (第四章上空)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:19
11.	"Fourth Chapter - On the Ground" (第四章地上)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:28
12.	"Fifth Chapter - In the Sky 1" (第五章上空、一)	Takayuki Aihara	3:26
13.	"Fifth Chapter - On the Ground 1" (第五章地上、一)	Takayuki Aihara	3:16
14.	"Fifth Chapter - In the Sky 2" (第五章上空、二)	Takayuki Aihara	3:47
15.	"Fifth Chapter - On the Ground 2" (第五章地上、二)	Takayuki Aihara	3:13
16.	"Sixth Chapter - In the Sky" (第六章上空)	Takayuki Aihara	3:15
17.	"Sixth Chapter - On the Ground" (第六章地上)	Takayuki Aihara	2:57
18.	"Seventh Chapter - In the Sky" (第七章上空)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:47
19.	"Eighth Chapter - In the Sky" (第八章上空)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:16
20.	"Eighth Chapter - On the Ground" (第八章地上)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:31
21.	"Eighth Chapter - Closing" (第八章最終)	Nobuyoshi Sano	2:53
22.	"Mission Clear" (ミッションクリア)	Nobuyoshi Sano	0:36
23.	"Game Over ~Continue~" (ゲームオーバー～コンティニュー～)	Nobuyoshi Sano	0:52

Drag-On Dragoon Original Soundtrack Vol.2[22][25][26]
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Hungry Leonard - In the Sky" (レオナールの飢、上空)	Takayuki Aihara	3:28
2.	"Hungry Leonard - On the Ground" (レオナールの飢、地上)	Takayuki Aihara	3:17
3.	"Extraordinary Arioch - In the Sky" (アリオーシュの奇、上空)	Takayuki Aihara	3:12
4.	"Extraordinary Arioch - On the Ground" (アリオーシュの奇、地上)	Takayuki Aihara	3:20
5.	"Seere's Prayer - In the Sky" (セエレの祈、上空)	Takayuki Aihara	4:12
6.	"Seere's Prayer - On the Ground" (セエレの祈、地上)	Takayuki Aihara	2:37
7.	"Ninth Chapter - In the Sky 1" (第九章上空、一)	Takayuki Aihara	3:12
8.	""Ninth Chapter - In the Sky 2" (第九章上空、二)	Takayuki Aihara	3:07
9.	"Ninth Chapter - Closing" (第九章最終)	Takayuki Aihara	3:04
10.	"Tenth Chapter - In the Sky" (第十章上空)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:06
11.	"Tenth Chapter - On the Ground" (第十章地上)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:27
12.	"Eleventh Chapter - On the Ground 1" (第十一章地上、一)	Takayuki Aihara	2:59
13.	"Eleventh Chapter - On the Ground 2" (第十一章地上、二)	Takayuki Aihara	3:13
14.	"Twelfth Chapter - In the Sky" (第十二章上空)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:29
15.	"Twelfth Chapter - On the Ground" (第十二章地上)	Nobuyoshi Sano	2:57
16.	"Twelfth Chapter - Closing" (第十二章最終)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:20
17.	"Thirteenth Chapter - Closing" (第十三章最終)	Nobuyoshi Sano	2:31
18.	"Route A Staff Roll" (Ａ路スタッフロール)	Nobuyoshi Sano	2:43
19.	"Route B Staff Roll 'Exhausted'" (Ｂ路スタッフロール「尽きる」)	Takayuki Aihara	4:05
20.	"Route C Staff Roll" (Ｃ路スタッフロール)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:48
21.	"Route D Staff Roll" (Ｄ路スタッフロール)	Nobuyoshi Sano	3:25
22.	"Route E Staff Roll" (Ｅ路スタッフロール)	Takayuki Aihara	3:37
23.	"Eleventh Chapter - In the Sky (Unpublished)" (第十一章上空（未使用）)	Takayuki Aihara	2:49
24.	"Twelfth Chapter - Closing (Unpublished)" (第十二章（未使用）)	Nobuyoshi Sano	0:52

Samples

Besides the original Song "Growing Wings" performed by Kay Jemsen ("Tsukiru" performed by Eriko Hatsune in the Japanese version), Drakengard featured samplings from Antonín Dvořák (Othello, Op. 93; Carnival Overture, Op. 92; Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"), Béla Bartók (The Miraculous Mandarin), Claude Debussy (La Mer), Gustav Mahler (Symphony No. 5), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Le Nozze Di Figaro), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (The Swan Lake; Capriccio Italien; The Nutcracker Suite; 1812 Overture Solennelle; Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture), Ottorino Respighi (Feste Romane), Richard Wagner (Götterdämmerung; Die Walküre; Tannhäuser), Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Capriccio Espagnol) (credited twice, once without "Nicolai"), Modest Mussorgsky (Pictures at an Exhibition) and Gustav Holst (The Planets).

Reception

Drakengard sold more than 122,000 units in its first week of release in Japan, taking Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space's place at the top of the sales charts.^[27] By the end of 2003, the game had sold 241,014 copies in the region.^[28] Western reviewers often praised the game's dark and complex story,^[29] but considered the gameplay to be sub-par when compared to earlier games with similar style,^[30] with G4 TV stating "If you're willing to sacrifice depth of gameplay for depth of story, you may find that Drakengard is a worthwhile purchase."^[31] In 2010, UGO included the game as the #5 in the article The 11 Weirdest Game Endings.^[32] The game received an aggregate score of 63/100 on Metacritic, based on 55 critic reviews.^[33]

Mobile version

A Europe-exclusive mobile phone adaptation of Drakengard was co-developed and co-published by Square Enix and Macrospace. The game is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.^[34] It features four different locations and two battle modes: a side-scrolling ground mode and an aerial dragon-riding mode. Achieving high scores unlocks hints and tips for the PlayStation 2 version of the game.^[35]

See also

• Drakengard 2
• Drakengard 3
• Nier
• List of dragon video games

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Drakengard

• Official website (Japanese)
• Official website (English)

v t e Drakengard series Main series Drakengard 2 3 Characters Spin-offs Nier Music Book • Category