Hack & slash & Dragons & a lot lot of action. What does it equal? Same old really...
Gameplay:
Drakengard is several different games in one. You begin on foot, using your weaponry to smash through the hordes of Empire goons who threaten the goddess, your sister. This style of gameplay is akin to Koei's Dynasty Warriors series of games, in which your main character runs through a battlefield littered with enemies and is forced to engage in hack and slash combat. However, the similarity ends there. Yes, you'll be doing your fare share of hacking and slashing, that much is for sure, but where Dynasty Warriors offers up a number of different attack buttons and unique combos, Drakengard offers but one. That's right; you'll take advantage of ONE attack button as Caim is forced to destroy the rampaging hordes before him. Your square button will really get a workout, as it is the button used to initiate all melee attacks, though the triangle button will be used at times in order to deliver a magical attack or finishing blow. This attack doesn't work in and of itself, as the finisher can only be executed at the end of a combo and magical attacks may only be used if you deliver countless blows to your enemy's skulls. Worse yet, the magical attacks are sullied at a later point in the game by enemies who can easily counter this paranormal assault. Caim also has the ability to roll out of harms way, but you'll rarely perform this move. The foot missions tend to drag on because of the lack of variety, both in attack combinations and enemy units, which makes for some truly lackluster gameplay. It simply lacks the depth that you'd expect from this genre of game and thusly creates an experience that is wholly redundant and rather dull. However, the monotony you'll face on foot is broken up by your alliance with your dragon, as you take to the skies in one of two ways.
The first way is during the foot missions, though this doesn't happen sequentially in the game. I'm simply bringing it up first because it is actually a part of the foot missions and makes for an easy segue. If you are caught in the midst of an enemy beating and require immediate assistance, you can tap the select button to call in your dragon. She'll fly low enough for you to hop on her back and you'll be off into the big blue billowing forth flaming orange death from heights most soldiers cannot reach! These strafing runs allow you to simply fly overhead and take pot shots at the enemy below. It is an effective means for taking out large throngs of Empire scum, but again becomes incredibly redundant. Use the square button to unleash some red hot dragonfire love or hold the square button down to lock onto to multiple enemies in an effort to share your burning desire! As with Caim, you'll be able to use a magical attack which is available to you as you turn your foes into ash! This attack is incredibly effective in terms of burnination (as Strongbad might say), but again only offers up a secondary action which limits the total number of available attacks. I'll be the first to admit that you'll enjoy setting your enemies on fire, but the fun soon wears off as some levels will have you doing this for 20-30 minutes or longer. Again, it's a simple lack of variety and it really, really rears its ugly head.
The third mode you'll engage in is Aerial combat, actually taking to the skies on the back of a dragon. I said earlier that this mode seemed to look a lot like Panzer Dragoon in nature, but once you actually play the game, you'll see that this impression was incredibly wrong. I knew ahead of time that this portion of the game was hardly of the rail shooter variety and that you'd be flying through the air as if you were playing Air Force Delta Strike, taking on vicious flying adversaries in a number of aerial battles. You'll use the same commands you did during strafe missions, so there's nothing new here in terms of actual gameplay, which leaves you with battles that do nothing more than let you down in terms of actual gameplay. You can perform some aerial acrobatics, such as rolling left and right and accelerating, but you really won't use these maneuvers often enough to make them a worthwhile addition to the gameplay. Taking command of the skies has never been so dull.
Graphics:
The cut scenes are simply incredible and tell the story in a way that is both exciting and mesmerizing. These cut scenes are vibrant and colorful, detailed and well animated, as well as liberally peppered throughout the game. These scenes were what made the game enduring and are well worth the overall experience (though I think I would have rather seen the game as a movie, rather than an interactive experience).
The in-game graphics seem to suffer, however, which is rather odd considering the amount of care that apparently went into the cut scenes. Animation is quite good during battles, but the rest of Caim's movements are stiff and rather unrealistic. He runs towards a group of enemies with as much furor and hatefulness as a person whose hat has blown off their head (which is to say "very little"). The level of character detail is low as well, giving Caim a rather blah look when compared to his cut scene persona. Enemies are equally bland and feature the same repetitious attacks time and time again. They say variety is the spice of life — but in this case, variety is nowhere to be found.
Background details are muddy as well, with some rather unimpressive and droning terrain to help emphasize the lackluster gameplay. The color brown deserves mention here, because it is perhaps the one color you'll identify the most. In terms of background ambience, there are occasional objects, plants and items tossed in sporadically, but the levels are rather spartan and you'll simply find yourself running across one dull landscape to a uniform group of enemies to another dull landscape which is riddled with more uniform groups of enemies.
Sound:
Forget about Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. Drakengard provides dissonance in buckets. This isn't a bad thing, however, and I honestly have to say that the music in the game is fantastic. It isn't upbeat or easy going, it doesn't provide a normal musical background in any respect... it is the anti-thesis of a regular score. The use of orchestral instruments is wonderful, but they provide a piercing portrait of intensity that will make your hairs stand on end. It is at once beautiful and nerve-wracking, a product that would fit perfectly with the stories of Poe or Lovecraft. It may not be aurally pleasant, but it really, really works.
There is a fair amount of voice acting as well, though Caim does lose his voice relatively early on (due to the pact with the dragon). Characters are portrayed well, with one exception — the dragon. You'll either love her or hate her, as her voice takes a little while to get used to. Don't expect a booming, towering voice which is filled with inner strength, as this dragon is far more reserved and quiet, almost in a protective and caring way. I thought it was an interesting choice and a good one at that.
Sound effects are a mixed bad overall, as there are a number of interesting sound effects to be found within the game. The dragon sounds are of particular note. The rest of the sound effects are pretty standard fare, but in overall terms of quality, the soundtrack is easily the games highest point.
Overall:
Drakengard is a game that could have been so much more, a title that had potential written all over it but managed to live up to none of it. Though the storyline is unique and satisfying and the musical score is nothing short of brilliant, the overall gameplay elements that make up Drakengard are tedious and irksome, leaving you with a game that you may never actually finish. If there had been more to do attack wise or perhaps some slightly more unique missions to enter into, the game might have worked, but what we're left with in the end is game that never manages to be anything short of mediocre in more ways than one, which is a shame given the quality of the story. It was a valiant attempt, but a failed one to say the least.
Thank you for reading another of my reviews & be sure to check out the others....^_^
~DR