I love this game to pieces, for everything that it is. It feels more like an insanity simulator than an actual game, there are so many parts of this game that seem antithetical to what "good" game design is and the devs are perfectly aware of it. Your mind grows numb to the monotonous platforming and single-digit frame drops as you slay countless soldiers while Zero casually discusses her sex life until you realize you've become just as numb to the massacre as Zero has, creating a dissociative effect between what is actually happening on-screen and what is being perceived by the player.

I think Drakengard 3 is fascinating as a commentary on gender politics in dark fantasy stories by inverting the common patriarchal society found in them. Like, yeah, the usual reasoning is to reflect antiquated sexist views towards women, but are they always something worth including? In D3's case, there is no sorrow cast for the unfortunate men whose ownership are transferred from one girlboss to another like tools and not people. They're humiliated and pitied, existing as fodder for misery and never agents of their own accord. When they do open their mouths during missions, they often quickly evoke the ire of Zero with some of the most insane dialogue ever written in a video game script. I've always read it to be ridiculously sharp satire.

There is a heart to D3, and I would probably be far less charitable to it without this crucial component: Zero and Mikhail's relationship. Yes, she can be very harsh with him, but there's a subtle sensitivity in the way she addresses him that she doesn't spare to the Intoners or Disciples, our first inkling that she isn't a remorseless sociopath. It's a small seed that blossoms beautifully as you progress through each branch and understand just who Mikhail is to Zero, with each ending testing the limits of their relationship. Zero cemented herself as one of my favorite video game protagonists ever with the many reveals made about her in the final branch, and I don't think the game could have sold me on her as a character without Mikhail to bounce off of.

Maybe I'll revisit this and say more, but I struggle with words to verbalize just how I feel about this game. I think it's an experience I've never felt replicated in any other game I've ever played, it had become the new standard of audaciousness for game narratives when I played this some years ago. There is truly nothing like it.