Then, there are frequent framerate drops, particularly when the camera is zoomed in very close to Zero or she is slicing through a lot of foes all at once. There are a few issues with this part of the game – for one, it is very repetitive, with the characters even joking about this at several points. Basic enemies will have varying weapons, weaknesses, and attack styles, while bosses will all have completely unique movesets. The game focuses mainly on being a hack-and-slash RPG however, there are also aerial dragon combat sections and one anomaly towards the end.įor the most part, the player controls Zero and goes a through a fairly basic hack-and-slash approach. While many of these are directly related to the current events of their adventure, there is also plenty of dark humor and innuendo infused into the conversations – this makes many ordeals far more interesting than they would be otherwise, and takes away from the tedium of constant slashing. When fighting a boss, cutting down minions, or just walking from point A to point B, Zero, Mikhail, and her disciples will talk about things. The greatest thing about the characters is their constant interaction during gameplay. The prequel novella available on the game’s website fills in some of the gaps (most importantly for Zero’s origins), but the absence within the game itself is a critical flaw. The biggest issue with the characters is the lack of backstory within the game. The four disciples are four very strange characters – Dito the sadist, Decadus the masochist, Octa the sex-craved loon, and Cent the idiot all form a strange supporting cast that regularly provides the comedic relief and constant banter that improves the general experience of the game. While he initially appears naive to the world around him and constantly throwing out “Why?” like a young child, his questions also serve to ground Zero’s madness at many times. Mikhail, on the other hand, serves as a foil to Zero, constantly questioning her bloodlust and insistence on slaughtering her enemies. One of the strengths of the game is her story slowly being told even after she has started to take out her enemies. Zero, as the one hell-bent on killing her sisters, is a merciless antihero who stops at nothing to pursue her goals. While the other five Intoners are the main antagonists, they don’t play much of a direct role outside of the battles with them. However, in the three extra branches, Zero is always with all four disciples, even if they were not present at that point in Branch A.įor the most part, the game focuses on six characters – Zero, Mikhail (her dragon), and her four disciples. The four endings branch off from the main story (Branch A) at different points. There is also some inconsistency with character introductions. Unfortunately, there is a lot of necessary backstory omitted from the game. The story has four distinct endings, each of which provide a different look at how things could turn out as a result of Zero’s quest, and each contributes to a better understanding of the “big picture.” As convoluted as it seems at first, the story is the most interesting part of the game – learning about Zero and her ambitions as things unfold may seem inadequate after the first ending, but the next three fill in the blanks while also expanding on the possible conclusions.
In Zero’s case, they fight alongside her in battle, although they offer no substantial assistance.
Zero, the outlier, plots to kill the other Intoners, with her reasoning being revealed as the story unfolds.Īs the plot progresses, Zero fights her sisters and gains “disciples,” people who serve Intoners and facilitate their use of magic. The Intoners are famous across the world for freeing the various realms from tyrannical rulers and bringing peace.
In Drakengard 3, the player takes control of Zero, one of six sisters known as “Intoners” for their manipulation of magic via singing. Drakengard 3 serves as a prequel to the first game, taking place about 100 years beforehand. The first Drakengard game was released on PlayStation 2 in 2002, followed by Drakengard 2 and the spin-off Nier years later. Drakengard 3 is a game where you get to kill a lot of things, ride around on a dragon, and destroy everything in your way.