Drakengard

by Square Enix

Product Features

• fight on the ground and in the air
• with full range of movement
• over 60 weapons and attacks to exploit

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0001A86EG
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 9, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,729 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #89 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Adventure

Product Description

Game Informer Review

It's good to see RPG master Square Enix take a risk on a completely different type of game, and it's even better to see that its new title is – sort of – a success. Drakengard has been (with good cause) called "Dynasty Warriors with dragons," and that basic concept has yielded interesting, yet flawed, results.

Drakengard is the story of Caim (Kyme in the Japanese version), a Union soldier at war with the evil Empire (which fortunately has no Death Star or Sith Lords). In an effort to save his sister, the Goddess of the Seals, he is fatally wounded and must make a pact with a dragon to survive. As both Caim and the Dragon, the player takes on the nearly endless soldiers of the Empire.

The quest features three different types of gameplay, which switch at fairly regular intervals. The first is melee combat, in which Caim slashes his way through simple, bloody ground combat. These stages are quite familiar to anyone who has played Koei's Dynasty Warrior games, and are incredibly simplistic. Combat solely involves one button, as does magic. This is hack n' slash gameplay at its most basic. It's fun, but lacks any semblance of depth.

The remaining two modes feature the dragon as the central figure. The first is aerial combat, in which the player flies around, breathing fire at anything that moves. These stages are short and simple, but get progressively harder as the story continues. The final, and most dynamic, mode is strafing, in which the dragon flies low over ground troops, raining flaming death down upon them. At any time, Caim can jump down off the dragon to engage in melee combat, which is often necessary to complete the stage. Certain enemies are immune to dragon fire, while others are hard to hit, thanks to the dragon's lack of agility.

All three of the gameplay styles feature fairly detailed graphics, and the cutscenes are of classic Square quality. There could have been a few more enemy types, but the endless hordes of troops still look great. The pop up is pretty terrible, but considering the amount of figures onscreen at most times, it's more or less excusable. The framerate is also mostly constant, slowing during only a few instances of particularly frenzied air combat.

Between the three modes, Drakengard stays fairly fresh, as the action always switches at the right moment. However, none of the three are really that new or exciting on its own. But combined with some sharp graphics and some rudimentary RPG elements, the gameplay offers up enough to recommend this title to fantasy buffs or Square Enix devotees. Yes, it's simple and not terribly original, but it does provide plenty of fast-paced action and some solid visuals. As action games go, you could do much worse.

Concept:
Bust some medieval heads as both a fierce warrior and an even fiercer dragon

Graphics:
Easily the high point of the title, everything is detailed and sharp, although sparse

Sound:
Prepare to be annoyed – there are only a few background tunes and the voice-acting is straight out of a renaissance festival

Playability:
Can you push the square button? Then you can play this

Entertainment:
The combination of flying, strafing, and melee modes still results in a somewhat stale dish

Replay:
Moderately Low

Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Jeremy Zoss
Issue: March 2004

2nd Opinion:
Drakengard is Square Enix's answer to Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. Whether by blade or by your dragon's fiery breath, the blood of hundreds (perhaps thousands) will stain your hands in each mission that you enter. While I did find the hack n' slash element to be satisfactory, this is by no means a solid-playing game. The mission objectives are annoying at best, and the dragon flying mechanics are horribly designed. If you thought Dynasty Warriors had a lot of pop-up, believe me when I say that you haven't seen anything yet. Even with sparsely detailed environments, enemy troops seemingly appear out of nowhere. Square usually excels in the graphical department, but Drakengard's visuals look like big, stinky dragon butt. I'm a sucker for leveling up and gaining new powers, yet even with a healthy dose of these elements, I wanted nothing more than to permanently shelve this game.

Rated: 6 out of 10
Editor: Andrew Reiner


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Product Description

Known as Drag-On Dragoon in Japan, Drakengard is a dragon-themed action game with roleplaying elements. Drakengard tells the story of the soldier Caim as he fights to save his kidnapped sister from the clutches of the evil Empire. He cannot do it alone, however, so he joins his soul with that of a dragon to combine powers and set out on their way to defeat the enemy and solve the mysteries of the dragon. Mixing gameplay from such titles as Panzer Dragoon Saga, Dynasty Warriors, and Final Fantasy, the game allows its players to fight on the ground and in the air -- with full range of movement and over 60 weapons and attacks to exploit.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive, but nonetheless fun, action, March 16, 2004

By 

Damian (Delaware.(It's a state)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drakengard (Video Game)

A big criticism of this game is how repetitive the gameplay is. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the gameplay in all RPG's the same? Don't you basically use the same tactics in every battle? I don't really get the repetitive argument, especially when the actual gameplay itself isn't bad. If the game had been just Caim on the ground killing thousands of enemies(I'm up to 19,000), then the game wouldn't have been nearly as good. If the game had been only Caim on his dragon, flying through aerial missions against other dragons, griffons, and assorted targets, then the game would not have been nearly as good. But the fact that these two aspects of the game were combined into one game makes it well worth the purchase. The story and characters are also unlike most anything you'll find on the videogame market. It's ashame the game isn't more popular, but then again it's premise pretty much guaranteed it to have a niche role, the same as the two games that spawned it; Dynasty Warriors and Panzer Dragoon. The game can simply be described as a no-bull action game that delivers where it counts.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fusion of RPG and Strategy, March 13, 2004

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Drakengard (Video Game)

Drakengard is sort of a fusion of Dynasty Warriors and Final Fantasy with some dragons thrown in for good measure.

From a RPGers point of view, this game has it all. The orphaned hero. The strong, beautiful sister who is kept apart from the man who loves her. The need for revenge, and the hard choice to pair up with a sworn enemy. You build up skills as you go, learning more about your enemy and finding ways to defeat them.

From a strategy point of view, the game is amazing. It's based on the Dynasty Warriors gameplay which is brilliant. The use of maps, of health information, and gathering new weapons and powers is very similar. I've always loved the Dynasty Warriors map, with the way it lays out the enemy locations, your location and your objectives.

The graphics are quite nice - the textured grass, shading on rocks, details on the bodies all draw you into the world you're inhabiting. The sounds are good as well. Even the voices are rather good, making you feel the emotions of the characters.

There's really something to be said for being able to leap on a dragon, fly up into the sky, and then let loose a flame barrage on your enemies!

I highly recommend this if you're into RPGs and strategy gaming - it brings the two worlds together quite nicely!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting game..., March 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Drakengard (Video Game)

I just bought this game today, and at first I wasn't all that impressed with it. But after playing it for a while, I began to see it's potential. Drakengard has a load of gameplay that will be moderately entertaining most of the time. Although the FMV's and character designs are great, the detail in the area's you fight in are done in a very poor fashion. However, Drakengard makes up for it in it with everything else. It's a solid game, and I recommend it to anyone who's a Dynasty Warriors fan.