Drakengard (Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)

I love the majority of games that Square has put out there, and it is very refreshing to see them do something totally new and different from their usual RPG/Adventure/Strategy games. Drakengard is essentially a straight-forward hack n slash game, with some typical Square complexity thrown in.
The gameplay itself is very fun. I personally found the ground missions to be much more fun than the sky missions, but it's still nice to have the variety. I heard that this game had really bland environments, and that the world it took place in wasn't very interesting. However, I found there to be quite a large variety of places to go, from castles to forests to canyon lands and even floating sky and ocean palaces. You also have total freedom over where to go, and you can replay any level at any time, which I thought really added a feel of freedom to the game despite the rather linear storyline. The story itself is very good, and the game is stuffed full of beautiful Square quality CG scenes. Playing as the blood thirsty Caim was very fun as well. He was a very violent, bloodthirsty, and fun protagonist to play, in contrast to many of Squares main characters, which are often kind of weak and feminine. The inclusion of experience is excellent in this game, and keeps up your desire to slaughter hundreds of more soldiers. Everything in this game can level up...you, your dragon, and even your weapons. The weapons are probably my favorite part of the game. There are 65 total, most of which are hidden cleverly throughout the game. Each one has a unique look, feel, name, and magic. The magic powers up as the weapon levels up. Each weapon can go up to level 4 (the maximum), and the appearance of the weapon even changes as it becomes more powerful, which is really cool. As icing on the cake, you unlock a story of the weapons history as you level it up, which is really fun and interesting. It serves no real purpose in the game...it's just one of those great details that Square includes just for the sake of it. Overall, I really enjoyed this game. I had a little over 40 hours into it when I beat it, though I suppose if you wanted to you could whip through it much faster. It all depends on how you play. Furthermore, I look forward to picking it up again, maybe in a couple months, to play through it again and continue powering up my weapons. It has definite replay value and is highly recommended to fans of action/adventure games.

When I initially played this game I thought it was just ok, but not something I would ever bother to play again. But years later I had the urge to replay it and hunted it down on ebay. While it will never be the greatest game of all time, it will keep you entertained. GAMEPLAY: Some levels are aerial combat, kind of like Star Fox, some restrict you to fighting as Caim, which is your basic hack and slash style, but most let you fight on the ground or in the air as you choose. There are a ton of unique weapons to collect, and they all have a different magic spell, attack speed, range, and strenght. No matter your fighting style, you'll find a weapon that best suits it. The weapons also level up as you use them, making them stronger and revealiing the weapon's past. It's nothing essential, but it's kind of fun to get those little tidbits. The fighting may seem repetitive to some, but there's something satisfying about killing every single enemy, especially when one fireball from your dragon can wipe out a whole squad. My biggest complaint is the camera while on the ground: you can move it how you like, but it doesn't really stay there. Too often I'm hacking at an enemy I can't really see because he's standing between Caim and the Camera. Bit annoyinG. STORY: The plot of this game is very dark and gritty. To me, this is the real reason the game is rated M, not the blood. It's also what makes this game different from most others. The only other game I've played that had a similar feel is Nier for the PS3. Although this game has five endings, none of them are a happily ever after. Caim is not your idealistic goody goody main character. He is very vengeful, hates most of the world, and loves killing. Much of what the dragon says to Caim is criticizing his bloodlust, and it's all well deserved. The game will touch on many unpleasant themes such as vengence, child abuse, insanity, and even some hints at incest. If you don't like dark and creepy, give this a pass. But if you do, this is one of the few RPG's you'll get it from. The voice acting isn't bad, but it's nothing special. Unfortunately, like many games for it's time, the event scenes are filled with awkward movements from the characters which makes it hard to get into. You want to tell the characters, "stand still, and stop waving your sword around like an idiot!" Don't expect a phenomenal story or game, but it's rather solid and fun, and you'll be hard pressed to find a game quite like it. It's not a game you'll ever forget, and seems to demand that you complete every aspect of it. Especially if you're a fan of Nier, I recommend that you give this a try.

This game is great. It has the feel of dynasty warriors, but with a darker final fantasy feel to it. Fun game with a crazy story. I mean CRAZY story. If you want a dark morbid game where you pretty much spend each chapter hackin' and slashin' row after row of enemies either on the ground or in the air while riding a dragon, then this is the game for you.

The real strong point of this game is the story though. Have I mentioned it's crazy? It starts off simple enough, but as you progress through the story it just keeps getting more and more weird and strange and creepy and at times, just plain wrong and shocking. The endings are just utterly crazy.

The game starts off a little slow too. The first chapter is basically a long "learn to kill and fly" tutorial, but after that, the game picks up and continues to do so progressively. Each cut scene drags you further and further into the story. Just keep at the game and you won't be disappointed.

I mostly enjoy sitting back and spending a good 30 minutes just mindlessly killing the enemy soldiers. Kinda relaxing and helps with stress, hahaha.

But anyways, this is a fun game and well worth the little bit it costs to get. It's not a well known game, but I honestly think it's a great Square Enix gem that often gets overlooked.

This game is awesome because it mixes elements of the medieval days with awesome weapons and magnificent dragons. Tons of things to do with this game before you beat it ! Dark but not too dark. Recommended for ages 17+ but I didn't find any elements that were any different than games rated teen. You can turn the blood off if you do not like the gore. Same as any other hack and slash game...find the monsters/enemies and kill til there are none left. I've found more offensive material in games rated teen. Love the graphics and the story line.

drakengard this series is from the making of final fantasy series it great game it about hero who on quest to avenger his homeland from a evil empire that in slave his people from death to going against the odd in his quest to untied people from land fer and wield to defend there home from the the evil dragon lord