Drakengard 3

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 331 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 248 out of 331
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 331
  3. Negative: 44 out of 331
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  1. Sylveria
    May 25, 2014
    7
    It's alright.

    It's a middling-ish character action game. It's not as sophisticated as Bayonetta or Wonderful 101, but it's not quite as simplistic as a Warriors game or Killer is dead. It found a nice comfortable spot in the middle of that spectrum. It has graphical issues, considering it's an Unreal Engine game, that shouldn't surprise anyone. Slow down is a problem when your    It's alright.

    It's a middling-ish character action game. It's not as sophisticated as Bayonetta or Wonderful 101, but it's not quite as simplistic as a Warriors game or Killer is dead. It found a nice comfortable spot in the middle of that spectrum.

    It has graphical issues, considering it's an Unreal Engine game, that shouldn't surprise anyone. Slow down is a problem when your dragon is bombing areas and there's a lot of pop-in when the stage loads up.

    The camera also leads something to be desired, especially when you're dealing with the large enemies and can lead you to getting blind-sided.

    There's a lot of content depending on how set you are on being a completionist. To get everything, grinding is required.

    The story is presented in an unusual fashion that requires you to kinda put the pieces together on your own. The characters aren't especially complex, but the dialogue and banter between them is hilarious.

    My major concern is the quality of DLC that seems to be on the horizon. There's trophy segments for all 5 of the other sisters locked away with that DLC + icon. Hopefully they aren't be too over-priced.    … Expand
  2. Alteration
    May 23, 2014
    5
    Unlike most people, I have the unpopular opinion that this game doesn't deserve a 10/10 rating.

    Essentially, what i'd been hoping for over the past 9 years was a successor to the original Drakengard, instead it was more like Drakengard 2. The design of the characters is nice and the main characters personality was a refreshing change for me, but when you compare it to Drakengard 1 it    Unlike most people, I have the unpopular opinion that this game doesn't deserve a 10/10 rating.

    Essentially, what i'd been hoping for over the past 9 years was a successor to the original Drakengard, instead it was more like Drakengard 2.

    The design of the characters is nice and the main characters personality was a refreshing change for me, but when you compare it to Drakengard 1 it is fairly lacking.

    Where Drakengard 1 had massive maps and the ability to call your dragon at any point Drakengard 3 is a linear corridor game, the closest comparison that comes to mind is Ninety-Nine Nights, but even that had massive amounts of units on the fields.

    The weapon level system is not like Drakengard 1 and instead uses a much less interesting method.
    The game suffers from constant frame-drop despite the small amount of action occurring on screen.

    This is - at best - a decent game.    … Expand
  3. aspentitan
    Dec 29, 2014
    6
    I decided to check out this game because Drakengard was one of my original ps2 games and I was curious what this game would be like. Drakengard had pretty lame gameplay to be honest but for some reason was still fun. I guess its just a time filling hack and slash that just moves forward with a nice story. Drakengard 3 to me is an updated next generation console version of the orginal. II decided to check out this game because Drakengard was one of my original ps2 games and I was curious what this game would be like. Drakengard had pretty lame gameplay to be honest but for some reason was still fun. I guess its just a time filling hack and slash that just moves forward with a nice story. Drakengard 3 to me is an updated next generation console version of the orginal. I found the gameplay equally repetitive and the looting similar. What was noticably improved by far were the graphics to me they are really nice. The atmosphere is much different I felt the original game was rather midevil in nature where this new one is more j-rpg graphically. I have to admit this is where my interest in this game was lost just one short hour in. First of all 45 minutes to install then what really got to me was the voicing. The dragon is portrayed about as similar to spongebob squarepants and I found it really super annoying. I certainly don't understand what the developers were going for this game is riddled with heavy potty mouth and very mature themes it didn't make sense to have the dragon so friggin annoying and childish. All in all I could tolerate the gameplay and the visuals but I could not tolerate the development of the game not deciding on a particular crowd for this game. Is it for kids as the dragon suggests? Is for for adults as the vixenous characters and potty language suggest or is it for anime fans. This total disconnect put the image in my head this game is not worth the effort. I only played an hour as i said i liked a lot of the next generation nature of this remake but in the end i have to say i might as well play games that don't turn me off instead. I usually don't mind quirky games but i found this one unnecessaryily so.… Expand
  4. ryuzaki57
    May 25, 2014
    7
    The story goes straight to the point : Zero, one of the singing maidens supposed to bring peace and prosperity, wants to kill. No one knows why, but she's firmly decided to decimate all her sisters in the most brutal possible manner. She will be helped by her faithful Dragon Mikael in her wicked plan.

    I don't know why, before starting Drakengard 3 I was convinced that it would be an    The story goes straight to the point : Zero, one of the singing maidens supposed to bring peace and prosperity, wants to kill. No one knows why, but she's firmly decided to decimate all her sisters in the most brutal possible manner. She will be helped by her faithful Dragon Mikael in her wicked plan.

    I don't know why, before starting Drakengard 3 I was convinced that it would be an open-world RPG. I quickly realized it was the contrary : most of the stages go straight without junctions, although with treasure chests here and there to make the player search a little. Most of the job is to slay the armies of monsters and bosses that get in your way by chaining combos and dodging in style, all of this in real time. Yes, I just described a BTA. Because Drakengard 3 is much closer to a BTA than a JRPG or even an A-RPG like Kingdom Hearts given that no menu ever show up in battle. That said, it keeps a few elements of that lineage, mainly weapon customization and experience points. Those are still very important, because the difficulty increases gradually during the main story but very quickly in the postgame chapters. You will then have to grind in previous chapters so as to keep up with the adversity. In parallel, it will be crucial to improve your weapons because top gear is required too.

    So if you take it as a BTA, Drakengard 3 ends up fairly good : the gameplay which relies on weapon-switching is pretty hooking, enemies are tough but the difficulty is very progressive as I already said. It's actually up to you to establish your own attack strategy by choosing the weapon you see fit depending on the situation. You have the choice between 4 types of weapons : spears, swords, gauntlets and chakrams. Like in all good BTAs, you'll have to carefully analyze the enemies' moves if you want to survive, and it's quite fast-paced too. Many sequences will have you ride the dragon. Those ones are far from gimmicky as there's a whole gameplay behind it. I can fly and keep onto the ground, in both cases the dragon's attacks vary. Surprisingly, when flying you have to manage your altitude with X. Every boss fight is done on the dragon's back and each one involve a new strategy. You also have a bunch of sidequests that are actually mini-challenges that put you against the clock. Others consist in some series of colosseum fights in which you'll need serious knowledge of the bestiary.

    The general atmosphere of the game is terrific : chapter 0 begins very intensely and the game in general gives adrenaline rushes. Zero and Mikael are constantly making fun of each other, despite the massacre they do. It's purely funny, there is nothing serious in the story. It looks like some long-running manzai in which Zero keeps complaining about everything and everyone while the others make fun of her. Drakengard 3 is equally efficient as an action game than as a comedy. It's still extremely violent, as limbs fly and Zero is drenched in blood. It's precisely after a sea of blood that she can unleash her fury.

    Drakengard 3 has unfortunately two sad drawbacks, that are its technical and sound performance. Level-design is ultra poor the characters' 3D models reminds you of 10 years ago. I almost wondered whether the Access Games re-used the 3D engine of Drakengard 2. I could understand if it was one of the first PS3 games, but it's kinda one of the last... and the framerate sinks horribly on quite some occasions. The OST is good, no doubt. But you actually enjoy it more or less only outside battle because there is zero emphasis during the game in itself.

    A quick word on DLC : those invite you to play as Zero's sisters during one chapter focused on their own story/personality (there's also one on Zero for some reason). There are not very important in regard of the story in general, and the gameplay is the same as Zero's most of the time (only Three has the exclusivity of her scissors and associated skills). However, Two's chapter felt a little more interesting and emotional than the others. Whether you buy these or not depends on your liking of the various characters or if you just can't get enough of the game's bizarre direction. Let's stress that there are quite a few trophies to be earned here.

    Although it's nothing like a Ninja Gaiden or a Bayonetta, Drakengard 3 is a very good third way to enjoy an action game. The irresistible personality that springs from it makes it a fine choice for Japanese games fans.    … Expand
  5. YellowKoala
    May 25, 2014
    7
    Pros: It has a unique story and characters. The aerial battles on a dragon are fun/original. Controls feel pretty responsive. Pull off combos and swap between weapon types on the fly.

    Cons: Graphics (looks like someone coloured outside the lines during cutscenes). Frame-rate problems. Camera angles while playing can make it hard to see what's going on (mostly when there are many enemies    Pros: It has a unique story and characters. The aerial battles on a dragon are fun/original. Controls feel pretty responsive. Pull off combos and swap between weapon types on the fly.

    Cons: Graphics (looks like someone coloured outside the lines during cutscenes). Frame-rate problems. Camera angles while playing can make it hard to see what's going on (mostly when there are many enemies on the field).

    Other (Can be pro or con, depending on your taste): Fast-paced Hack and Slash gameplay. Just a menu where you choose which mission you want to take (not open world, but you can go back and retry missions to level up).

    Bottom line: The humour, gameplay, and story won't be for everyone, but, if you're into hack & slash games and don't mind humour that's a bit on the dark and odd side, this game would definitely be worth checking out at a lower price or if they fix some of the technical problems with an update.    … Expand
  6. kyoycz
    Aug 14, 2014
    5
    Most of the people who claim that this is a great game probably didn't finish it.

    The visuals are PS2-era, technical performance is a crapshoot, and gameplay is extremely repetitive. On top of that, the final boss is a RHYTHM GAME which has no place in a hack-and-slash RPG. Zero and the story are interesting, and the soundtrack is certainly fantastic, but not enough to pull this game    Most of the people who claim that this is a great game probably didn't finish it.

    The visuals are PS2-era, technical performance is a crapshoot, and gameplay is extremely repetitive. On top of that, the final boss is a RHYTHM GAME which has no place in a hack-and-slash RPG. Zero and the story are interesting, and the soundtrack is certainly fantastic, but not enough to pull this game out of mediocrity.    … Expand
  7. chesaro
    Jan 1, 2016
    6
    I haven't finished this one, but it just can't get better. This game made sad, just because it looked really great, and it could have been, but the developer made it look like they don't know what they wanted to make, the next one platinum games is making also looks great, but you already know this genre is where they are good...
  8. XV_
    Aug 5, 2018
    7
    This game introduced me to the excellent writing of Yoko Taro, at first I picked this because of the character design (which is amazing) ignoring that from the moment I see game play videos the combat seemed kind of dull and bad, to my surprise the combat was even worse, repetitive uninteresting combat and that can be said also for the side quests, also is note worthy that the English dubThis game introduced me to the excellent writing of Yoko Taro, at first I picked this because of the character design (which is amazing) ignoring that from the moment I see game play videos the combat seemed kind of dull and bad, to my surprise the combat was even worse, repetitive uninteresting combat and that can be said also for the side quests, also is note worthy that the English dub is terrible but you have the option of buying a pack with Japanese voices (which I strongly recommend if you have the extra bucks). Even tho' it has everything to let this game go, I just couldn't it has a very interesting story to tell and incredible well written characters, the soundtrack is just pretty much amazing. Be wary that you need to do a **** thing to get access to the real final boss (get every weapon and upgrade it to the max), which isn't hard but you need a lot of mindless repetitive grinding, and talking about hardness this game after 7 hours or so of trying the to beat the final boss I just couldn't and I have to quit, to this date is the only boss that I have to give up, a lot of people says that Is a **** boss but even after a I couldn't beat it I disagree, it's just brilliant but incredible hard nevertheless. Anyway I can't recommend this game to everyone because has a lot of bad design choices and maybe is a bad game, but if you're interested in kinda philosophical stories with anime characters and lewd design, maybe this can be for you.… Expand
  9. Leontorres7
    Nov 15, 2018
    7
    A really good game, there are lots of cool things about it and it is a lot of fun to play.
  10. Vzhik
    Sep 12, 2020
    7
    Очарование это игры в потрясающей проработке персонажей, истории, окружения. Просто загляденье как передаются эмоции противостояния сестер.
    Очень круто тема крови обыграна - то весь персонаж в крови, то экран.
    Но почему-то взахлеб не получается играть. Максимум оп граве в день. Очень достойно.    Очарование это игры в потрясающей проработке персонажей, истории, окружения. Просто загляденье как передаются эмоции противостояния сестер.
    Очень круто тема крови обыграна - то весь персонаж в крови, то экран.
    Но почему-то взахлеб не получается играть. Максимум оп граве в день.
    Очень достойно.
  11. zidfrit
    May 31, 2021
    6
    El juego no es malo, tiene una buena historia y el transcurso del juego no te aburre, lo único que llega ser su punto malo y no poder lograr una mejor calificación es su poca variedad de enemigos, su mejora de gráficos y ser muy lineal, pero para probar un genero de Rol no esta mal.
  12. elolugo
    Nov 11, 2021
    5
    Interesting game but the fps drops makes this thing unplayable. The music, voice acting, gameplay are cool though
  13. SnaZzyDotEXE
    Jul 10, 2021
    6
    Irritates me how many people give this game a 10/10. That implies that it's a near flawless game. This is far from it.

    It's story is good, which is to be expected from a Yoko Taro game. But it's sound track is quite underwhelming coming from Nier, with most of the normal battle themes just seeming like generic fantasy setting stuff. Its visuals look really dated, since they go way too    Irritates me how many people give this game a 10/10. That implies that it's a near flawless game. This is far from it.

    It's story is good, which is to be expected from a Yoko Taro game. But it's sound track is quite underwhelming coming from Nier, with most of the normal battle themes just seeming like generic fantasy setting stuff. Its visuals look really dated, since they go way too overboard on fog, which makes environments look washed out, repetitive, and indistinct from one another. Which is a shame since the character models aren't half bad. It's combat leaves me with mixed feelings, much like Nier Replicant. Unlike automata it is not nearly as fluid and enjoyable. But much like Replicant, what we get is not bad either. As you unlock more weapon types your combo list and opportunities to rack up insane combos increases, since you can switch weapons after the end of an input to continue attacking. It creates a fairly reasonable progression, which lets you dish out much more damage if you aren't just button mashing. I also feel like the characters are pretty one dimensional. They try to be funny a lot. And like humour in most games, only about 40% of the jokes stick the landing. It's like every character is the embodiment of some kind of fetish. The fact that they make literally everything sex related is somewhat funny at first, but gets annoying real quick. Until you start the later routes, you're left with an unfinished story and a ton of toilet humour. It's hard to recommend this to anyone other than Drakengard 1 or Nier repiicant/gestalt fans specifically. It's story, while more connected to the main story line than Automata, is also not that great as a stand alone experience. Unless you have a somewhat decent understanding of the amazing world that this series has been created, it's unlikely that you will enjoy this game. Overall I feel like it's a step down from the original nier in nierly every way. Which is especially disappointing because it released 4 years later. That being said though, if you are already invested in this series like I am, you probably will find enjoyment in playing this game.    … Expand
  14. Abnegator
    Oct 10, 2021
    6
    After playing Nier Automata, I thought it would be nice to give this one a try. Turns out that I lost my hype about this game for few hours of playing. Though the gameplay is solid, the dialogue between the characters are quite immature and it pains me the most because it eventually gets annoying. The story for me is just not well developed, I only understood what was the true objectiveAfter playing Nier Automata, I thought it would be nice to give this one a try. Turns out that I lost my hype about this game for few hours of playing. Though the gameplay is solid, the dialogue between the characters are quite immature and it pains me the most because it eventually gets annoying. The story for me is just not well developed, I only understood what was the true objective but didn't figured out how does the main character got into the plot.… Expand
  15. MadIsAdopted
    Dec 3, 2022
    7
    The worst best game on my all-time favorites list. I'd rather stay laconic this time:
    Story: 9/10 (Dialogues are hilarious, characters are controversial yet likable for those of free spirits, story is complex and masterfully wrapped)
    Music: 10/10 (Well, it's Taro-sama's game after all) Gameplay: 4/10 (Well, it's Taro-sama's game after all) Technical condition: 4/10 (Looks like    The worst best game on my all-time favorites list. I'd rather stay laconic this time:
    Story: 9/10 (Dialogues are hilarious, characters are controversial yet likable for those of free spirits, story is complex and masterfully wrapped)
    Music: 10/10 (Well, it's Taro-sama's game after all)
    Gameplay: 4/10 (Well, it's Taro-sama's game after all)
    Technical condition: 4/10 (Looks like unpolished **** and provides the average frame rate of 23 with drops to 9 on ps3)
    Enjoyment: 6/10 (God damn it it's so annoying to play because Drakengard punishes you for not investigating the boring ass additional content)

    Why is this one of my favorite games then? Well, plot and score music are the defining factors over there, so... Yeah.

    Don't play it if you're unfamiliar with Yoko Taro or don't have enough nerves to tear through this game    … Expand
  16. FermiAltair
    Aug 31, 2023
    7
    Tipical Yoko game, but unfortunattly, the bad optimisation affects to the game experience, but in general, the games is good, nice music, characters, bosses, try it if you have the opprtunity

Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Best PS3 Game of 2014
7
#7 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2014
8
#8 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 33
  3. Negative: 5 out of 33
  1. CD-Action
    Aug 25, 2014
    40
    The most interesting bad game of this generation and the ugliest I’ve seen on PS3 in last couple of years. Only for Nier and Drakengard fans. [08/2014, p.70]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Aug 4, 2014
    60
    Despite the shonky performance issues and woeful combat, there's still something that compels you forward. [Aug 2014, p.91]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jul 16, 2014
    80
    A technically troubled, budget production that tries to compensate with gore and 'edgy' characters that are ultimately obnoxious. [August 2014, p79]
See all critic reviews »