Drakengard 3

Drakengard 3
Japanese boxart
Developer(s)	Access Games[1]
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Director(s)	Yoko Taro[2]
Producer(s)	Takamasa Shiba[2]
Designer(s)	Kimihiko Fujisaka[2]
Programmer(s)	Yoshiki Kashitani[2]
Writer(s)	Yoko Taro[2]
Composer(s)	Keiichi Okabe[3]
Engine	Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3[2]
Release date(s)	JP December 19, 2013[4] NA May 20, 2014[5] EU May 21, 2014[6]
Genre(s)	Action role-playing game[2]
Mode(s)	Single-player[7]
Distribution	1 x Blu-ray Disc Digital download

Drakengard 3, originally released in Japan as Drag-On Dragoon 3 (ドラッグ オン ドラグーン3), is an action role-playing game developed by Access Games and published by Square Enix exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in December 2013 in Japan^[4] and will be released in May 2014 in North America and Europe.^[5][6] It is the third game in the Drakengard series, and a prequel to the original game.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Drakengard 3 is typical of the series, featuring hack-and-slash gameplay and aerial combat on dragons. As Zero levels up, weapons grow more powerful and she is able to perform more complicated and damaging attacks. In standard combat on the ground, Zero performs multiple attacks on various enemies, including sweeping moves, ranged attacks, and upward slashes. These can be combined into combos, which fill up Zero's Tension Gauge. As she kills enemies, she becomes soaked in their blood, which activates first an "Excited Mode", and then "Utautai Mode", the latter giving Zero a decided edge in battle for a limited time. The Tension gauge is linked to the two Modes: it fills up as Zero performs successful combos and enables her to enter Excited and Utautai modes quicker.^[8] Zero has access to multiple weapon types and each of them, when equipped, produce a different set of attacking moves. Unlike previous titles in the series, the player does not have to pause the games to switch weapons, instead being able to do it on the fly. Each weapon provides different perks for combat: while swords are a balanced weapon for close-ranged attacks and good for combos, spears enable ranged attacks and are more useful against heavily armored enemies.^[8] Zero can also complete sidequests as the player progresses through the game: these sidequests place limitations on the player's abilities, and the player's performance during them earns special items, and the number of items you earn increases the more enemies are killed.^[9]

For aerial combat, Zero mounts her dragon Mikhail. Mikhail has a wide range of attacks at his disposal: while on the ground, after Zero has mounted, the dragon can perform a sweeping attack using his wings and snap at them.^[10] During combat in the air, Mikhail can breathe fire down onto the ground and at airborne enemies. Mikhail is fully controllable while in the air, flying through the environment and being able to evade enemy fire. Mikhail's main attack, breathing fire, features a lock-on feature which can take in multiple enemies.^[11] Mikhail can also enter Utautai Mode while Zero is mounted, which magnifies the amount of damage his fire attack inflicts.^[10]

Story

Setting and characters

Drakengard 3 is a prequel to the first game, and also has an unrevealed connection to the spin-off game Nier.^[12] In earlier times, the land was ravaged by conflict between warlords. At the height of the carnage, five mysterious figures called "Intoners" descended from the heavens and, using their ability to utilize magic through song, defeated the warlords and ended the conflict. They were worshipped by the people and became rulers of various regions of the land. An unspecified time later, in the game's present, the strongest Intoner, One, wishes to unite the five once again and bring a lasting peace to the land.^[13][14]

The player controls Zero (ゼロ, Zero, Voiced by Maaya Uchida and english dubbed by Tara Platt), the main protagonist and anti-hero. The oldest and most powerful of the Intoners, Zero is on a quest to kill her five sisters, although her reasons are currently unknown; and is thus considered a traitor by the Intoners.^[15] Aiding her on her quest is the dragon Mikhail (ミハイル, Mihairu, Voiced by Nao Tōyama), a pacifist who sometimes clashes with Zero's agenda, but still aids her and is her mount in aerial battle.^[16] The other five Intoners are: One (ワン, Wan, Voiced by Rie Tanaka and english dubbed by Michelle Ruff), the most compassionate of the six and the second most powerful Utautai;^[17] Two (トウ, Tou, Voiced by Chiwa Saitō), the more cheerful member of the group and ruler of the Country of Sand;^[18] Three (スリイ, Surii, Voiced by Mamiko Noto), ruler of the Country of Forest and an obsessive who helped Zero rise to her current position;^[19] Four (フォウ, Fou, Voiced by Ayana Taketatsu), ruler of the Country of Mountain and the only virgin of the group;^[20] and Five (ファイブ, Faibu, Voiced by Shizuka Itō), ruler of the Country of Sea and a woman consumed by greed for everything.^[21]

Travelling with Zero on her quest are the Apostles, a group who accompany Zero to satisfy her sexual wants, and have various motivations and quirks that are explored in the story.^[22] Each Apostle is originally tied to one of the Intoners (save for One and Zero), who use them to summon powerful monsters in an attempt to stop Zero.^{[citation needed]} They include: Cent (セント, Sento, Voiced by Ryōtarō Okiayu and english dubbed by Quinton Flynn), an overconfident man and the lover of the Intoner Two;^[23] Octa (オクタ, Okuta, Voiced by Chafūrin and english dubbed by Wally Wingert), an old, cunning man who once knew the Intoner Three;^[24] Decad (デカート, Decāto, Voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue and english dubbed by Jamieson Price) a gentlemanly warrior with a masochistic streak he strives to keep secret;^[25] and Dito (ディト, Dito, Voiced by Mitsuki Saiga and english dubbed by Yuri Lowenthal), a youth with a sadistic personality.^[26]

Development

Development of what might have been the game began shortly after the release of Drakengard 2, with the core idea behind its design being a wish to create something for passionate gamers. The decision to make the game for the PlayStation 3 was fueled by the recent release of the console and the belief that releasing the game on the PlayStation 2 would put the game at a disadvantage. However, the original ideas were reworked, and eventually the project became the spin-off Nier, which, in the mind of Taro Yoko, was the true Drakengard 3.^[27] After Nier was released and the company that made it, Cavia, was disbanded, Takamasa Shiba, a creative mind behind the original game, tried unsuccessfully to resurrect the franchise with AQ Interactive: he blamed the company's reluctance on a trend of creating player-friendly, light-toned games.^[28] Later, after coming back together, Shiba and Yoko resurrected plans to create a proper next entry in the series. As part of the brainstorming process, the company used fan questionnaires, from which the team learned that many wanted a dark story similar to Nier for the next entry in the series.^[27] Speaking about the creation of the game, Shiba said that Drakengard 3 was made partly because the company was making fewer single-player RPG console games, and he wished to capture the atmosphere of earlier days. Alongside that was Shiba's ambition to show that the RPG fanbase was now a mainstream community that wanted a more hardcore gaming experience.^[29]

In creating the story, Shiba made "a good balance of darkness and humor" saying in an interview that there was "actually a good bit of the former, in the in-game dialogue for example. We don’t want to turn it into a completely dark story. There are still scenes were you can laugh."^[12] During the story development process, the team decided upon a female protagonist as the game's lead, in contrast to the previous games which had featured male protagonists. Many aspects of Zero's design and abilities were intended to evoke the game's gritty atmosphere, while the flower growing from her eye was almost cut when Shiba thought it would be too much of a risk for the series when coupled with the character's gender.^[27] The game was developed by Access Games, who were noted for the survival horror Deadly Premonition. Shiba noted that the company was "just really good at creating action games", which would enable him to address criticisms laid at the previous games in the series for their poor combat while still being able to craft a story true to the Drakengard series.^[30] A couple of Yoko's ideas that were cut out or rejected during development included a fully contemporary setting with a school-girl protagonist, and calling the entry Drakengard 4, with the story revolving around searching for the missing installment in the series.^[28] Kimihiko Fujisaka, character designer for the previous entries in the series, also reprised his role.^[31] In addition to this, actor Shinnosuke Ikehata, who had voiced key characters in previous games in the series, returned to do voice work.^[32]

The game's music was composed by Keiichi Okabe, who also created the score for Nier. Speaking with Famitsu in July 2013, Okabe commented that he felt he needed to match the work of Nobuyoshi Sano, the main composer for the original two entries, and so "[he] thought at first that there'd be no purpose to rehashing Sano's work, but there were times when I thought that was what I should do instead, even though I knew it'd just be an inferior copy. So I wanted to avoid that, but I wanted to avoid repeating what I did in Nier as well." He also commented that the musical creation had been "a tough production, but for this game, there's part of it I'm doing that I've never experienced before.^[3] One of the game's theme songs, "Black Song", was sung by Eir Aoi, a singer native to Hokkaido who was a self-confessed fan of the Drakengard series.^[3][33] The game's other main theme song "This Silence Is Mine", used in the game's Tokyo Game Show trailer, was specially written and sung by Onitsuka Chihiro.^[34][35]

By that time the game was unveiled in early 2013, the game was 60% complete, and Yoko commented "It’s not Drakengard or Nier. If you’re expecting that, you’ll be disappointed."^[1] It received few gameplay previews and was promoted in the form of novellas: this was because Shiba wished for the game's story to be a mystery for players.^[29] The game was originally meant to be released in October 2013 in Japan,^[36] but was pushed back to December due to Square Enix wanting to improve the overall quality of the game and ensure it met fan expectation.^[37] It was also localized into Chinese with the assistance of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia, in an attempt to actively tap into the Chinese-speaking market.^[38] The game was complemented with multiple DLC packs: they included multiple character outfits for Zero inspired by previous series protagonists, and a new playable story scenario separate from the main game.^[39][40] The collector's edition released in Japan also included an outfit inspired by Kaine, the female protagonist of Nier.^[41]

Reception

Drakengard 3 received a 34/40 from Famitsu, with the four reviewers giving it scores of 9, 9, 8 and 8.^[42] Dengeki PlayStation's review was very positive, calling the story the best in the Drakengard series; as well as praising the gameplay, score and length.^[43] During its first week on sale in Japan, the game sold 114,024 copies, coming fourth in Japanese sale charts.^[44]

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Drakengard

• Official website (English)
• Official website (Japanese)
• Drakengard 3 Fan Site
• Facebook Unofficial Fan Site

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