[Vyse]

I was listening to Growing Wings from the first game and the lyrics and melody sounded really nice. Watching some gameplay and cutscene footage looked fairly interesting too. Reading up on the original game now, as well as the sequels, I get the impression that the Drakengard trilogy might be something of a cult classic going by review scores. It seems most people enjoy Drakengard for its story, characters and music, while not so much the gameplay and graphics. That said, I wonder if the original game would benefit from a remake?

What are your thoughts on the Drakengard series? Do you think it is a good action RPG? As someone who has never played a Yoko Taro game before, I'm not sure if the original Drakengard is worth playing, or perhaps you recommend NieR or NieR: Automata as better experiences?

 

[HE1NZ]

I beat Drakengard 1-2. They were easy to finish, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. You go around big levels and mash buttons to kill tons of enemies while some characters are talking non stop. Sometimes you fly dragons. Story is typical JRPG nonsense. Can't remember a thing about Drakengard 2 tbh, but it was more of the same. These games aren't good but some people go crazy about them.

 

[mcz117chief]

I played 3, it is decent but also super janky. I would recommend these games to people that enjoy niche experiences.

 

[O-N-E]

No, but the soundtrack is worth listening to.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

They're mid tier PS2 games, of which there are at least 100. Only reason why they have any attention now is because of Yoko Taro's name

NieR and NieR Automata are more interesting and fun.

 

[Boss Mog]

Go with Nier Automata and Nier Replicant remaster.

Yoko Taro games have great artistic vision whether it be story, art direction or music. The problem is the execution is often janky as others have put it. Even the original Nier was pretty janky. Nier Automata was very successful because Platinum stepped in to develop and they made a very smooth game with tight controls akin to Bayonetta. The Nier remaster is not as good, combat-wise, but SE did manage to remove the "jank" so I recommend it as well.

 

[CAB_Life]

I actually preferred Drakengard 1/2 and their fantasy aesthetic and story to Automata. Nier was okay, as that was technically a direct sequel if you unlock the right ending and follow the lore. I got bored with Automata after the first ending so I can't say if there were further tie-ins.

 

[JORMBO]

I haven't played 1 or 2. They looked shitty from the clips I watched. 3 looks like it could have a good game in there, but is janky and the framerate drops all the time. If you are going to play it emulate it.

 

[Yawnson]

If you're super engrossed with the lore of Neir/Drakengard, than play 1 and 3, skip 2, the story of 3 especially has hints and connections to Neir.

You could also watch a YouTube video on the lore and connections and save some time.

 

[Erdrick]

Don't waste your time. Better to just read or watch videos on the connections the games have. They're the textbook example of mid-tier PS2 games and are really tedious to play and I found the soundtrack just as monotonous. It kind of feels like the Devs made the game with a grudge against the player.

One of the endings to Drakengard does lead into and cause Nier but like I said, just watch a video and spare yourself.