I'll open this by establishing my thoughts on Drakengard 1 since this game heavily builds upon it and it's impossible to talk about one without the other.
I don't like Drakengard 1 that much. The gameplay becomes semi bearable once you put a lot of time into it but it's still fundamentally pretty shitty. It has presentation issues and the writing is the equivalent of being violently assaulted by wet noddles with a ton of unintentional humor. Most of the characters don't work, the themes range from not existing to being so stupid that the game about how miserable and bad the world is becomes a disturbing comedy.
Basically I don't think Drakengard 1 is this artsy masterpiece many claim it is even if I do admire a lot of its qualities. So much sounds interesting on paper but the execution is somewhat questionable, style over substance one could say.
With that in mind, hearing Drakengard 2 is not even liked by the people who actually get a lot out of the original had me curious. I fully expected to try it, find it unplayable and badly written, then move on.
Well, as you can see by the rating, here we are.
I loved it, it is actually so shockingly superior to Drakengard 1 in every conceivable level. It's the anti-Drakengard 1 in more ways than one.
Drakengard 2 adds so many interesting ideas and players to the already very intriguing world of the first game.
The themes of love, duality, sacrifice, repetition... It's all so fascinatingly executed. It's tamer and less unhinged than DOD1 on the surface but the ways it explores the aftermath of that game, the different ways Nowe views this visceral world and how his idealized reality slowly crumbles around him, the way Manah and Caim strived in search of their own forms of atonement to dispell their grief... It's all excelent.
It retroactively makes the world of Drakengard 1 seem so much grander and adds so much meat to the big players of the original cast who weren't bad but all severely lacked a bigger impact beyond their iconic personality quirks and characterizations.
Honestly it is insane to me how far this game goes to make everything I either disliked or thought were an absolute waste of potential in 1 (Inuart's conflict with Caim) become something that I can actually explore and have good old shower thoughts on.
I wish we got more Seere by the end but his stuff was also really good and I love the impact his ideals had on the status quo. Angelus was beautiful (THE ROLE REVERSAL AND THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE RED AND BLACK DRAGONS BECOMING THIS MYTHOLOGICAL FATE IS SO FUCKING SICK THEY MADE INUART'S LOSER ASS HAVE A COOL THEME BEHIND IT THIS GAME IS NOT FAIR).
The new cast is all good as well.
I think Nowe is a bit too passive and reaction triggered alongside having a pretty tame personality that could've shined more with a few tweaks but I absolutely adore his purpose in this story. He works brilliantly as this story's MC and his conflict with Legna is absolutely fantastic.
Speaking of, Legna also a banger, really really like him.
URUCK IS THE GOAT I WISH HE STICKED AROUND FOR A BIT MORE BUT HE WAS A BANGER THROUGH AND THROUGH.
Eris is great, she's hot as fuck so that's already a sell but her presence in the story is very striking and her Novella is incredible, expanding and giving some much appreciated finality to the story of this game.
The generals were cool one off antagonists and they fit their purpose as the gimmicky bosses (I enjoy the way the pacts are used with these characters a LOT).
THE GAMEPLAY HOLY SHIT
THIS GAME IS ACTUALLY PLAYABLE
I CAN DO OK COMBOS
ITS FAST
THERES A BUDDY SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY HAS A PURPOSE AND FUCKING WORKS
THE BOSSES HAVE ACTUAL COMBAT DESIGN
THE LEVELS DONT GO ON FOREVER
MANAH DOES A FUCKING BREAK DANCE
I CAN MOVE THE FUCKING CAMERAAAA
All in all, fantastic game. I hope Taro goes fuck himself because I'm gonna fuck his wife.
I don't like Drakengard 1 that much. The gameplay becomes semi bearable once you put a lot of time into it but it's still fundamentally pretty shitty. It has presentation issues and the writing is the equivalent of being violently assaulted by wet noddles with a ton of unintentional humor. Most of the characters don't work, the themes range from not existing to being so stupid that the game about how miserable and bad the world is becomes a disturbing comedy.
Basically I don't think Drakengard 1 is this artsy masterpiece many claim it is even if I do admire a lot of its qualities. So much sounds interesting on paper but the execution is somewhat questionable, style over substance one could say.
With that in mind, hearing Drakengard 2 is not even liked by the people who actually get a lot out of the original had me curious. I fully expected to try it, find it unplayable and badly written, then move on.
Well, as you can see by the rating, here we are.
I loved it, it is actually so shockingly superior to Drakengard 1 in every conceivable level. It's the anti-Drakengard 1 in more ways than one.
Drakengard 2 adds so many interesting ideas and players to the already very intriguing world of the first game.
The themes of love, duality, sacrifice, repetition... It's all so fascinatingly executed. It's tamer and less unhinged than DOD1 on the surface but the ways it explores the aftermath of that game, the different ways Nowe views this visceral world and how his idealized reality slowly crumbles around him, the way Manah and Caim strived in search of their own forms of atonement to dispell their grief... It's all excelent.
It retroactively makes the world of Drakengard 1 seem so much grander and adds so much meat to the big players of the original cast who weren't bad but all severely lacked a bigger impact beyond their iconic personality quirks and characterizations.
Honestly it is insane to me how far this game goes to make everything I either disliked or thought were an absolute waste of potential in 1 (Inuart's conflict with Caim) become something that I can actually explore and have good old shower thoughts on.
I wish we got more Seere by the end but his stuff was also really good and I love the impact his ideals had on the status quo. Angelus was beautiful (THE ROLE REVERSAL AND THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE RED AND BLACK DRAGONS BECOMING THIS MYTHOLOGICAL FATE IS SO FUCKING SICK THEY MADE INUART'S LOSER ASS HAVE A COOL THEME BEHIND IT THIS GAME IS NOT FAIR).
The new cast is all good as well.
I think Nowe is a bit too passive and reaction triggered alongside having a pretty tame personality that could've shined more with a few tweaks but I absolutely adore his purpose in this story. He works brilliantly as this story's MC and his conflict with Legna is absolutely fantastic.
Speaking of, Legna also a banger, really really like him.
URUCK IS THE GOAT I WISH HE STICKED AROUND FOR A BIT MORE BUT HE WAS A BANGER THROUGH AND THROUGH.
Eris is great, she's hot as fuck so that's already a sell but her presence in the story is very striking and her Novella is incredible, expanding and giving some much appreciated finality to the story of this game.
The generals were cool one off antagonists and they fit their purpose as the gimmicky bosses (I enjoy the way the pacts are used with these characters a LOT).
THE GAMEPLAY HOLY SHIT
THIS GAME IS ACTUALLY PLAYABLE
I CAN DO OK COMBOS
ITS FAST
THERES A BUDDY SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY HAS A PURPOSE AND FUCKING WORKS
THE BOSSES HAVE ACTUAL COMBAT DESIGN
THE LEVELS DONT GO ON FOREVER
MANAH DOES A FUCKING BREAK DANCE
I CAN MOVE THE FUCKING CAMERAAAA
All in all, fantastic game. I hope Taro goes fuck himself because I'm gonna fuck his wife.