Drakengard - The Forgotten Game

[Ikkarus]

There are a few games that get left out of the limelight, either because their very unconventional plot that does not quite appeal to an average adolescent or child, or likewise, the unconventional gameplay. Sometimes both. One of those games is Drakengard. I am not too sure what happened in Drakengard's case - maybe it was ill-advertised, because I have met only a few people who have actually played it or even heard of it. Because I am sure that if it had reached the more mature video gamers in an effective way, it would have gained far more of a fan base, because of its very dark and intriguing plot. It at least managed to spawn a sequel that tied up lose ends and gave absolution to the most tragic couple in video game history, but the use of less graphics in the sequel seemed to speak the creators scraped out the bottom of their pockets to create it.

 

Basically, Drakengard is a very twisted world of European pagan myth and some middle-age Christianity. When I say very twisted, I mean it; everything from the plot, to the music that mixes classical pieces together in a grueling fashion reminds you of a divine dream gone extremely crooked. Though both European and U.S. versions were censored, leaving only a bare minimum in (not so surprising), the Japanese version emphasized some very taboo psychological themes, like child molestation, child abuse, incestuous urges (between the main character and his sister), gods of a malevolent nature, and cannibalism. I was surprised they did not try to hide the suicide as well. The story has 5 different endings, and...all of them were very depressing, as in not the happy or triumphant ending a person wants out of a story. That, however, added to its original flair, and provoked thought, as despair usually does to a person. Now, the gameplay might have been a little boring to some; it was one of those famous hack and slash your way through hundreds and thousands of enemies on a giant map, while using your dragon to help kill if you could, and some sky missions that at times were a bit tedious, but I think the plot really allows at least a toleration of it, if not mild enjoyment, if a person can really appreciate it. The sequel was not nearly as dark as the first one, but the game play was slightly more entertaining. I do not want to say more, to be a spoiler, but if you like the avant gardes of the video game world, and you have Playstation 2 sitting around or the Playstation 3s that can play the PS2 games, I would highly recommend you go search for the Drakengard series and give it a try.

 

On another note, I have made a Drakengard video just recently, using clips from the first and second, so if you would like to get a very rough idea of what the game looks like, you can find it here:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9KGDLT7rSY//

There are no slashes on the end - I just did not want the actual video to show up in here because I do not know if that is against the rules.

[Ikkarus]

Well, seeing as how a lot of other people throw videos on here, I guess I am okay. Here is the actual video.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9KGDLT7rSY

[Krakalakachkn]

It looks like FInal Fantasy meets Dragon Age.

 

Those babies are creeeeeepy

[Ikkarus]

It is made by Square Enix, so that is why the graphics look familiar. I have never played Dragon Age ? What is it about ?

 

They really are not babies. They are supposed to be the gods, which humans were crafted from - it is explained in the second one.

[Krakalakachkn]

Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise.

 

Set in the mythical kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the player assumes the role of a warrior, mage or rogue who must unite the kingdom to fight an impending invasion by demonic forces. BioWare describes Dragon Age: Origins as a "dark heroic fantasy set in a unique world", and a spiritual successor to their Baldur's Gate series of games, which was based on the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.

 

It was pretty fun, despite some glaring defects: mainly the lack of free roaming ability that made games like Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion so much fun. The story was entertaining and fighting was fun and the characters were interesting. I would definitely recommend it to you. The PC version got better reviews than the console versions, but I played it on 360 and really enjoyed it.

[Ikkarus]

Oh yes ! Now I remember. I saw commercials for it, and I read the back of the box on Origins...but I did not like it since it just seemed like another game that only gives you superficial plot and headache graphics. Maybe I should give it a chance, though - perhaps it will be slightly like the shadow of a Drakengard 3 that just could not be made...and the box did not tell you much anyways, so maybe it was a poor judge.

[Krakalakachkn]

Here's the link to the thread, if you're interested in seeing what others here had to say about it.

 

 

Dragon Age Thread

[Ikkarus]

Okay, well, it is not like Drakengard, but it sounds worth playing. I will try to get a hold of it sometime. Thanks for the information.