This review is irrelevant… like this game!
HIGH The moment early in the game where the main character must turn on his allies is almost perfect.
LOW The rest of the game is just downhill from there.
WTF Super Saiyans? In MY Drakengard?!
The original Drakengard was not a good game. Not by a long shot. Aside from a serviceable flight mode, it was essentially a Dynasty Warriors clone with a smaller moveset, only one playable character, no customization of stats, dumber enemy AI (amazingly, yes, dumber than hordes of Chinese soldiers running into the pointy end of your spear), and no objective more complicated than "kill mans." Having been released after fully FOUR Dynasty Warriors games, it's hard to imagine what the folks at Cavia were thinking when they created this game, and even more what Square Enix was thinking when they decided to publish it. Now, given the gravity of the confession I'm about to make, I should probably be telling it to a priest rather than including it in a review on the Internet, but it is what it is: I loved Drakengard.
For all of its failings, Drakengard had one saving grace. It had the most tangible atmosphere in any game I have ever played. The world of Drakengard is a world of futility and disappointment, and the music, cut-scenes, and yes, even the gameplay all seemed to be striving in unison to convey this thematically. For such a critically flawed game, it had an impressive harmony of design that I have rarely witnessed before or since.
Now the fact that I've spent more time waxing poetic about its predecessor than talking about the game I'm supposed to be reviewing probably indicates how I feel about the sequel, but just so there's no confusion, I'll be clear. Drakengard 2 is not a good game…though the reasons for this differ from the first.
It seems the folks at Cavia were informed somewhere along the way that their Dynasty Warriors clone was garbage, perhaps by actually playing it themselves, and sought to remedy this issue. To an extent, they succeeded. The gameplay in Drakengard 2 is a smoother experience than in the first installment, and actually approaches something akin to fun from time to time. The new blood, Nowe, hacks apart hordes of no-name goons with as much gusto as Caim did, only this time he brought playable friends. In addition to having a different fighting style, each character excels against specific types of enemies, giving the player some incentive to switch things up during missions.
Missions themselves have been improved too. In the original, the objective rarely, if ever, deviated from kill these (hundreds of) specific braindead targets. Here, there are time limits on completing certain tasks and minor puzzle solving from time to time. It's nothing exciting, but it adds a little something to keep your eyes from glazing over.
Herein lies Drakengard 2's principal gameplay flaw. It seems content to do just enough to keep you from falling asleep in your chair, and nothing more. A perfect example of this is the flight missions, which are virtually identical to those in the original. I suppose the fact that they were already kind of all right meant that Cavia couldn't be bothered to improve on it at all. The minor gameplay enhancements in the ground mode of the game do make the game less painful, but "less painful" and "actually enjoyable" aren't synonymous.
I'd be lying if I said I ever expected much of Drakengard 2, though. Something about the absolutely abortive gameplay of the original told me I'd only be setting myself up for disappointment if I had. What I did expect was another heaping helping of the dismal, depressing and oh so delicious atmosphere of the first. It is in this aspect that Drakengard 2 commits its most grievous sin.
It's hard to imagine someone who has played the first game looking forward to playing the sequel because they loved the gameplay. It's less hard, but still pretty difficult, to imagine someone buying Drakengard 2 without having ever played the first, given that it garnered a lukewarm critical reception at the time of it's release. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and posit that the majority of people interested in the sequel were looking forward to a reprisal of the of thematic elements of the original.
Drakengard 2 tosses all of this out of the window with a banal story about a young boy with superpowers leaving and later opposing a secretly evil order of knights who basically rule the world. If it left it at that, it would have merely been bad, but the way in which they squander opportunities for greater depth of story borders on offensive. The game is surprisingly timid about stepping into the gray areas that were so commonplace in the original. The resurfacing of a main villain, this time as an ally, and the story of Nowe's birth and upbringing are both situations that could have resulted in some interesting conflicts. However, the game essentially presents these facts and then leaves them alone, as if they create depth just by being present.
The rest of the story content is fluff about righteousness, destiny, fanservice-y character cameos, love blossoming on the battlefield, and the dangers of evil techno dragons who live in a borg cube, all of it torn straight from the pages of the generic anime playbook.
It may seem petty to criticize a game so heavily for failing to replicate the feel of the original, but Drakengard is a game where the only thing it had going for it was its feel. The gameplay of Drakengard 2, while slightly better than its predecessor, is still leagues behind competitors in the genre, and the only chance it had of setting itself apart from the other games languishing alongside it in bargain bin hell was a casualty of these minor improvements.
—by Trent Fingland
Disclosures: This game was obtained via purchase and reviewed on the PS2. Approximately 30 hours of play were spent on the game, and it was completed one time.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game contains blood and violence.When they said blood, they weren't kidding. The game has tons of it. On the other hand, it contains no mature themes to speak of, so depending on one's stance on exposing teen to violent games, it could go either way. Parents will probably want to keep younger kids away regardless.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing: While the ground missions are fine for anyone to play, I noticed that while sound wasn't explicitly necessary for the flight missions, I found myself relying on it almost exclusively for reacting to certain types of enemies. These missions ARE mandatory, so unless they are willing to put up with a not-insignificant amount of frustration, those with hearing issues are advised to avoid the game. Besides, it's terrible anyway!
- Western developers need religion - July 28, 2011
- A Boy and His Game: Papo & Yo and Vander Caballero - July 13, 2011
- E3 2011: Day the Third - June 13, 2011
I found some screens. They look about right.
Eidos was publishing the game in the US, but it looks like either it didn’t do much marketing or few outlets cared that this sequel existed.
Well color me surprised. And by Brad no less. I must’ve been in a coma then.
I did a search also, and it’s kind of weird how most of the pictures ARE from the original.
I found one for an example.
I don’t know if you can use that one, but at least it shows the differences for you. The biggest giveaway is the (shittier) HUD, but Drakengard 2 also has a brighter palette.
I wanted to email you instead of publicly commenting, but according to your staff profile you’re not currently accepting them.
[quote=Boy]A couple of things though. It’s classed as a Second Opinion, but as I recall there was never a First Opinion for Drakengard 2.[/quote]Yeah there was. Behold.
[quote]Secondly, all of the screenshots are from the first game, and not actually Drakengard 2.[/quote]Really? When I did a search for Drakengard 2 images, these are what popped up. I don’t know what the game looked like so I’ll have to take your word for it.
Wow, I didn’t expect this one to actually be published. Not that I’m complaining.
A couple of things though. It’s classed as a Second Opinion, but as I recall there was never a First Opinion for Drakengard 2.
Secondly, all of the screenshots are from the first game, and not actually Drakengard 2.
Otherwise, nice headline.