Yoko Taro is a self proclaimed "broken man". And this reflects GREATLY in the Drakengard series, at least 1 and 3. However by Nier Automata i feel like Yoko Taro has gotten a better sense of self appreciation and a need for hope in his storytelling. I can only hope as Yoko Taro continues he can still continue to tell stories of how even in broken worlds we can find things worth living for.
Based on what I read on the wiki, it almost seems like Drakengard was designed to deconstruct Final Fantasy. He set out to create a "dark fantasy" alternative to FF. Final Fantasy stories usually assert that you can transcend your trauma, and find psychological integration within yourself by going on a journey. Drakengard though...it seems like the characters are products of human nature and the chaos of the world around them. They seem far more reactive to the darker environment, and they do not make much psychological progress by the end of the story. Even broken FF characters like Cloud make the effort to change, but Drakengard characters don't seem to care much. Sure, Caim and Zero do help save the world, but not much changes within them...not to mention the fact that their actions almost always have negative consequences. Even if they do succeed in saving the world. You make a good point. Automata seems like a middle ground of sorts. Not quite as hopeful as Final Fantasy, but not quite as dark as Drakengard. It seems to classify as soft science-fiction. Asking hard questions about human nature and the future, but providing possible solutions.
Now that was an incredibly thought out analysis between the 2 series. Wonderful work! However...I wish Yoko Taro continued making more intense depraved ultra nihilistic nightmarish worlds. Since Drakengard 1 is just so well crafted in that regard. After playing though all his works. Nier & Nier Automata IMO disappoints me because it's just sadness and melancholy and missing his excellent sense of ptsd dread that I revere so much from Drakengard 1. Basically I thirst for more truly nightmarish worlds that give you extreme aversion from ever wanting to live there BUT can't shake the sense of fascination all while having great writing too. Extreme Horror Fantasy & Extreme Horror Sci-fi (Dead Space esque type).
@@sebastiantravis9406 I can see why you want Taro to return to a Drakengard 1 style. I'm also very curious about seeing a Drakengard 4. I tend to be a big Lovecraft fan, so seeing existential horror in Taro's games is also a huge plus for me. I feel like both series have their place. Both seem to dip into human failings...but perhaps in different ways? These are just my personal interpretations but; Drakengard shows us what a complete fuckup looks like. The gods want humanity dead, and the humans are foolish enough to allow the circumstances that lead to potential ruin. Whether by worshipping the severely flawed Intoner sisters, or by worshipping the very Watchers that will bring destruction to man, humans are basically inviting their own demise...whether they intend to or not. I almost feel like Drakengard needs to be insanely dark in order to get this across. And similar to your point...it does seem like Drakengard 1 is still the peak of that kind of horrific experience. And I think whether my interpretation is correct or not, Drakengard should still strive to maintain a horror fantasy vibe in order to distinguish itself from Nier and other JRPGs. Nier might be intended to be more hopeful, as the OP implies. It shows us the failings of humanity's(and by extension, robots) search for survival and meaning. And how those very attachments lead to existential dread once those things get stripped away. Not to mention, entire swaths of humanity and robots are killed off due to these attachments. But it does offer that bit of hope at the end of Automata...and thats probably the major thing that separates Drakengard and Nier.
@@awakenow7147 Also just so it's out there: I love 2 types of Storytelling: Extremely Disturbing Dark Subject Matter to where it is impossible for it to be mainstream OR Mundane Slice of Life found in Arthouse/Indie Films and those too cannot be popular due to it being too boring or too real for many folks. Basically if Yoko Taro did either more Drakengard 1 insanity OR he did a down to earth slice of life about everyday stories I would love it...probably lmao. NIER......is just too Meh for me. Like forgettable and the only redeeming factor is that both Nier Games are decently well written.
@@sebastiantravis9406 Nah I get what you mean man. To each their own. I can see how you'd feel that Nier isn't as appealing as Drakengard 1. I feel like that type of dark fantasy is very niche. Have you played the American Mcgee's Alice games by any chance? If you haven't, I'd recommend them to ya. Basically they are two very twisted sequels to the Alice in Wonderland books. I'm kinda weird in that my two favorite genres are: 1. dark and disturbing or 2. Jungian/Campbell Hero's Journey(ie Star Wars and Final Fantasy). I love that stark contrast of raw darkness and bright light. haha
My favourite bit of Drakengard is the irony of your party members being a) a child f**ker b) a child eater c) an immortal child It's like he's laughing at me for providing this 1 + 1 equals 2 situation.
In regards to the first one. Was it stated what gender he prefered or was he just into all of them. Because the latter puts a horrible spin on him living in the woods with his 3 brothers.
@@FromBeyondTheGrave1 I'll have to watch the game again. I don't remember/might have blocked it out. I was not ready for the themes this game was covering it when I first played it.
They censored it sooo muuuuch in the U.S release, but it's easy to read the subtexts. Arioch: 'lost her child and went mad'. Leonard: 'his brothers died, so he went crazy'
15:45 "Undo their characters for the sake of drama" ? Dude, Cain is literally the same character he ever was, he just no longer the protagonist Thats it, thats the difference.
Caim will always want murder and death now that we are not playing him we see the true monster that he is- a monster who only loves on being and that’s the dragon he made a pact with
Depending by which ending then yeah. It could drastically alter where Caim ends up mentally. By the events of Drakengard 2, virtually all of Caim's lighter side has gone, replaced by his dark persona and lust for combat. He also retains a deep hatred of Manah due to her role in the loss of his sister and Angelus. His feelings for Angelus remain unchanged: indeed, they have grown to the point that he is willing to condemn the world to chaos to end her suffering. In the end, he accepts his death in order to be with her again. But calling it a character undoing isn’t correct. It was only built upon a specific ending route.
I remember hearing that one of the developer’s said Berserk and Evangelion were huge inspirations for the series so I knew it was going to be disturbing and insane as hell before going into it lmao.
Because of course evangelion is an inspiration. Evangelion is always an inspiration. It’s tiring honestly, don’t see it not happening anytime soon though.
@@malum9478 yeah I never really read it’s plot until couple months ago (it’s just so famous I never bothered watching it) and it’s honestly disappointing just how much everything is a cheap derivative of this series. I mean almost EVERYTHING. Down to the tropes lol. The rose colored glasses had to come off at some point eh? My face is permanently like this now 😑 lol
@@BobBob-pr4eh Every work of fiction takes inspiration from something else. Better to take inspiration from something good than something shit. Besides, 99% of western fantasy is inspired by Lord of the Rings, so I really don't see your point.
I remember someone tried to call me stupid for saying NieR: Automata bore similarities to Berserk. I hope they choke on all their meals because it's like, undeniably true.
From the 1st game's supposed joke ending of all endings too lol Even though I wonder, is there's any semblance of Watchers' influences on Nier Automata even with the demise humanity in that game's timeline?
@@ohamatchhams N2 are in a way replicating the behaviour of the watcher they are clearly inspired by Manah or are supposed to make a refence to her. Adam and Eve were born in a similar way the intorner sisters were too
@@ohamatchhams Yes, the watchers spread “Red eye” in Drakengarde which is a disease that causes normal people to go insane and start killing anyone not a red eye. In NieR this disease same disease is present after Angelus (the dragon) gets killed and releases the Devil element Maso into the world allowing the watchers to present the humans of Nier with a pact turning them into either Red eyes or “pillars of salt” which both spread the disease directly into the atmosphere (White chlorination syndrome). In NieR automata the machines are made by aliens which are plant like beings (The flower in Zero’s eye) and have plant cell type machine cores, all networked machines can be identified by their Red Eyes implying hostility. The same angelic script is used in all the games as well. There’s a ton of little things that connect all of them!
I personally believe drakengard’s existence is worth it for Drakengard 3’s boss music and the ending credits theme “This Silence Is Mine” as well as just Zero and Mikhail and their friendship and Zero’s story conceptually being cool with her basically just fighting to die
I played the first game when I was a kid and it blew my mind with all that edge and dread. I mean for God's sake one of your companions f***** kids and the other one ate them and they still thought you were going too far when you went to that village with nothing but child soldiers.
While I never doubted Arioch was the group’s token crazy cannibal I spent forever thinking Leonard was gay and that was why he wasn’t home when his brother’s died ... felt like scrubbing my brain with bleach when I got older and found out the real story 😓😓😓
Wise men choose death before war. Wiser men choose... not to be born It'd been more than a decade since I played the game and I still remember that line
Angelus had some of the best lines, I’ll never forget: “Because you are brother and sister? What manner of excuse is that?!” I played the English version so a lot of stuff got cut, I spent years wondering why the hell Furiae killed herself in that one branch ... I also spent forever thinking Leonard was just gay and not _that_ (I understood Arioch was the group’s token crazy cannibal though) 😓😓😓
@@LadyLeomon Yeah, the English version downplayed a LOT of stuff. I can understand why, but it makes a lot of interactions hard to understand. Also, they had a problem with everything else, but NOT ARIOCH?
Lightning Point funnily enough, given some of the other characters’ backstories, I think Arioch is one of the most normal _by comparison._ Hear me out, look at her team-mates: we have a murderous prince who lost his voice and is single-handedly trying to murder the entire enemy army, there’s a blind p*do who _somehow_ came to the conclusion that teaming up with the single most *annoying* fairy I’d ever heard and swear it’s related to Navi (I only heard Navi’s voice after I played Drakengard), a bald (possibly blind) priest who gave up his hair and is somehow still alive despite his pact partner being petrified (so is his Dragon alive or what? Because its status is listed as “petrified”?) and a singing bard who snaps when he found out his former-waifu wanted to knock boots with her own brother! So _by comparison_ a woman who snapped and went bat-sh*t crazy after seeing her family murdered isn’t all _that_ insane ... c’mon it’s only really the child-eating thing that creeps people out with Arioch! Also Drakengard 2 confused the hell outta me cos Nowe (biggest simp in the game) is _somehow_ Caim’s nephew because he was made when Inuart entered a Seed of a Resurrection with Furiae’s corpse, fused with her (I think) and _somehow_ Inuart’s Black Dragon was involved so the kid is part-Dragon ... honestly Arioch and her crazy made a LOT more sense than this clusterf*ck of a story (plus 2 decided for some weird reason to dedicate a whole scene to Nowe’s thirsty bestie telling him she got her period ... just eww 😖😖😖)
Lightning Point (Sorry I forgot, I read _somewhere_ that Caim apparently knew of Furiae’s feelings because someone else found out so Caim whacked him to protect the royal family’s reputation)
I'm a die hard fan and I probably always will be but your criticisms are grounded and valid and that aside as a long time fan this is honestly my favourite video of yours
I mean I'm pretty sure every fan of Yoko Taro finds the Drakengard series to not be good games and more just interesting and bizarre stories. Nier is an alright game with a great story and Automata is a great game with a great story but Drakengard is the odd heroine addicted cousin on bath salts.
@@GabrielCosta-xt1dv I'm sure they really do like Drakengard. But I'm also sure a grand majority of them think at least Drakengard 1 and 2 are not great games to play at all and would rather just watch the cutscenes instead.
@@DeltafangEX I just don't really see why mentioning being midcore has anything to do with it unless you were trying to say something about its difficulty. If anything, they were easier than Ivalice, which weren't that hard either but the player base is so bad had to get nerfed.
Drakengard and Nier as a series get easier to understand when you know that part of the reason he makes these stories is to explore one question: "Why is conflict constant in the human world?" It's alot to talk about how Drakengard's gameplay is deliberately referential to Dynasty Warriors because DW is a video game adaptation of a romanticized novel version of an account of an event in china where a bunch of people murdered eachother, and how Drakengard's story is actually told through a historical account in a book (which is why the game is structured into chapters and verses, etc.). Like, there's alot to talk about there, namely the commentary on a corrupted disconnect from real, violent history presented in the most consumable way. I think the easier thing to talk about is how Drakengard 1 and 3 are intentionally hostile to the player and in spite of that, if the player continues to play them and finish them, the question of "Why am I doing this when the game clearly hates me" is raised. Hell, Drakengard 1's endings get worse the more of them you unlock. The point is that the player, for their own curiousity or desire for completionism just chooses to go on in spite of that. There's a desire to conquer things in us, is perhaps what Yoko Taro and his writers were trying to get at. Video games are us doing that in microcosm.
Well said. In his infamous handpuppet Drakengard 3 interview he talks about that need to conquer, and the peculiarity of absurdly high kill counts. I also am of the mind that Taro is one of those creators who accomplished what Spec Ops tried to do more effectively. It doesn't OPENLY say you should stop playing, or that you're bad, you really and honestly only have yourself to blame if you keep torturing yourself with it despite the content and context.
I would also add that it's interesting how the Drakengard and NieR series are essentially opposites. Drakengard is technically fantasy, which is a genre that we've romanticized to death, but it's SO. GRIM. It's dark, cynical, awful, violent, sexual, etc. Everything that's meant to embody hope (even flowers, geez) is corrupted. Children, the embodiement of innocence, are often misplaced or even straight up annoying. It's like a fever dream. It's taking people's romanticized fantasy and making it disgusting. My favorite thing is how Watchers are actually called "angels" in the Japanese version and the joke is that they're cherubins. Technically angels. But F you with your romanticized angel bullshit. The closest thing to an angel we have is ending B Furiae, which seems closely inspired by the "real" Biblical angels. On the other hand, NieR is a series with a very grim beginning - literally a "cosmic" event (in the sense that it's just unfathomable for the people of that world) and impending, inescapable doom. And yet, there's hope there. There's connection, love, and purpose, and that's because it's "our" world. The real world. No matter how bad it gets, there's always a weird sliver of hope in the NieR universe, because our world has hope.
I'm pretty sure the point of Drakengard 3's awfulness is because in Taro's mind: Nier (the first game) is Drakengard 3. So when you have that in mind while playing Drakengard 3, its just fucking hilarious seeing him waste Square's money like that while doing it in a fashion that still doesnt betray what makes Drakengard "Drakengard". Like, this game's writing is hysterical. The visual gags and all are just top notch, I haven't ever laughed this hard playing an RPG before. It doesnt necessarily make me want to go back and play the other games in the series (especially since it seems that Nier just has it better in the writing department), but seeing this game next to Automata and Replicant only makes its story that much more funny. Its fucking great, they need to remaster this game sometime soon.
God I adore these games so much. I really feel like a lot of Automata fans struggled to realize just how important these games are to shaping Yoko into the creator he is. His mindset and design philosophy many years ago was so different and nuanced compared to today's but that's what makes every game he creates special imo
Unfortunately, that's what you get with one game in a franchise being super popular compared to the others. Automata has all the typical Taro pieces but in a coat more appealing to a wider audience, which is great. More players mean more money for future projects and things like the NieR Replicant/Gestalt remake. On the other side, you get the loudmouths who love to harp on the stuff the long time Taroverse players already know are expected and are what add some sort of interesting twist to his games.
The third game looks absolutely insane, in a very literal sense of the word. It really seems like every aspect of Nier and Nier:A but.... amplified to the extreme
But it isn't, the story isn't as good as any of those two (in both the dramatic and _insane_ factor), the combat is even more clunky that Og Nier, the dragon sections control worse than Drakengard 1 and it does not help at all the game runs bellow 20fps most of the time. IMO is the worst game of the series.
tbf as yoko taro said, drakengard is about what kind of person would a musou protagonist really be, with all the mass murder of armies and incessant bloodshed
Drakengard is amazing. The way it handles extremely heavy topics is in fact very mature, it deals with the consequences instead of relishing in depicting it. We dont see Leonard indulging in cheese pizza, but we see the impact it leaves on others. Caim doesn't do what any other Dynasty warriors protagonist hasn't done. We don't watch Arioch eating dead people, we just hear her talking about it. Furiae is the most misuinderstood character who became a sinner only because everyone sheltered her in order to make her a perfect virginal princess and then a goddess and the only person who was always here for her was Caim. Etc etc etc Like its so easy to point and go "ha ha taboo topic" but it has so many layers and the characters are so human despite their outrageous sins. I absolutely love Nier to pieces but I'm a diehard Drakengard stan as well and it makes me sad to see this gorgeous series reduced to pure shock value (which it actually has very little of, outside of cosmic horror imagery). And like. Nier characters are also extremely messed up. Kaine literally kills babies. Like theyre not nicer than Drakengard characters its just that you fall in love with them so much you miss the part where they commit mass genocide
I honestly think the difference between Drakengaurd and NieR as serieses is that Drakengaurd seems to be a series about worlds and events with driving characters, while Nier is a series about people and how they contend with their world and the circumstances of that world. I think it's what makes the difference. Like, sure, every single game Yoko Taro has ever made is absurdly large in it's scale for the worlds they take place in, but it's the difference between what is getting the attention that makes Nier so much more compelling for people. Obviously I'm talking in vagaries to avoid spoiling any of the Nier games, but for those who know, think about how the MC in NieR: Gestalt/Replicant is treated in regards to the story verses how any of the Drakengaurd games treat their MCs. In Drakengaurd, they are barely people, mostly tools to move the story forward and plot devices. In NieR, and NieR: Automata for that matter, the characters are their own people first, and main characters second.
in game no, but the novel tells the history of ending E, thats the canonically ending thats leads to drakengard 1, the A final goes to drakengard 1.2 (a novel)
So caim, nowe and zero walk into a pub. Zero: the hell you looking at boyscout... Nowe: umm? Caim? Caim: ..... *feels the need to attack them both* *meanwhile three dragons are all outside*
Yoko Taro be like "You want character depth and development? read my novel then my short story then watch my stage play then watch this canon concert and then you will like the character maybe" As much as I am a fan of Yokos works, it really sucks when in Drakengard specifically, he designs them as multimedia works to only have proper development in those "supplementary" materials while the games are left with mostly one dimensional characters.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.... whoa. Let's not get carried away here. The only reason Taro had to use outside media was because Square gave him and his team, Cavia, shit funding and a very small team. They could never fit everything they wanted into the game because they just simply didn't have the backing for it, so Taro decided to use other means to fully tell his stories. NieR Automata was the first game he ever had with decent funding and a decent team, and even then not everything was able to go in because Square didn't think it'd be as big of a hit as it was. By this point, using outside media has just become a habit now.
Like, that part where it was all text-based in NieR Replicant? That was supposed to actually be animated and/or playable but they just didn't have the funding.
@@christopherrichardson2945 I would expect not, only because those sections ended up becoming a popular gimmick of the game and was even referenced/used again a couple times in Automata.
The thing with Taro is that he never studied or had aspirations for writing before being asked to include a story for drakengard. So if his thoughts on his writing proccess seem a little basic, thats because they are. It was his first time trying to make a narrative, and boy does it show. 3 feels like he was trolling everyone, and Nier is oddly sober in comparison and is a sentence I'd ever thought I'd utter.
Drakengard 3 is my favorite, the lore is pretty deep and there's. SO. MANY. SOURCES. Even the drakengard subreddit is filled with Drakengard 3 stuff over the rest
You’re one of the first people I’ve subscribed to in a long time something about that “the UN has been rebranded as Midgard, from a literary standpoint WE 👏 ARE 👏 GOING PLACES 👏” made me like you instantly
Oh also read the prequel novellas for Drakengard 3, they are really short and add a lot, especially Zero's, Michael's, Four, Five, and One. Probably in that order. Some of them were on the website and they all came with the collector's edition of the game when it came out. You can find them on the wiki though.
@@nifftbatuff676 already have Bro' . I still thinks it needs a remaster (emulation aside) just for accessibility for those who want to discover these games . I live in Europe and It's really hard to find a copy of Drakengard 1 and 2 , and Drakengard 3 will be soon unavailable (It's PS Store only in Europe). A remastered Trilogy would definitely sell to a satisfactory Number. Not as High like NiER games , but definitely more than their previous releases .
Legend has it that if you speak Yoko Taro's name in reverse into the mirror 3 times he'll show up at a children's birthday party in that stupid mardi gras hat that looks like a ripoff of a Jhonen Vasquez character.
@@whattimedx Because of the huge backlash from players, Sony USA (Sony Interactive Entertainment has been based in San Mateo, California since 2016) reversed its dumb decision to close the PS3 and PS Vita game stores, at least.
I find letting Drakengard 3 simmer in the mind and giving it multiple playthroughs helps piece things together. The Flower is a subtle antagonist... But essentially it will feed on the sisters and eventually take them over. Like they are the soil or the pot for it. (or perhaps.. the whole world is it's soil to consume, as the intro poem thing suggests...)
My favorite part of the original Drakengard is you get the first, canon ending, and you think "Oh, I guess I need to keep playing for the good ending." And Yoko Taro laughs at you. Again. And again. And again.
Also, Angelus was openly racist and genocidal towards humans in the Japanese version. It confused me in English because it was toned done greatly, but she’d go from hatred and condescension to civil and polite, and it was confusing at times. That knowledge also makes the ending that leads to Drakengard 2 more impactful, because while she still hates humans, she had come to love Caim. She became the seal solely to save the world because HE was in it. Plus the other ending with the dragons genocide of humanity where they both reluctantly fight to the death but have respect and an understanding of each other also adds to the impact of their relationship.😢
Yea, there kinda impossible to recommend to anyone even tho Drakengard 3 might be my favourite Taro game, even when there the natural thing to recommend someone who's beat Nier and Automata, I hesitate a bit and say "play this at your own risk"
I agree like.... I'll certainly talk about Drakengard series in the future when talking about NieR lore etc since the God shenanigans still affected NieR even in Automata. But recommending it to other people.... are hard. Like, warning list for it are just *long* and many have the risk to make other look at us with judging eyes.
Taro's works are extremely niche. You need a very sadistic type of mind to delve into his stuff. You don't need a big brain, you need determination, and always carry a goddamn microscope. Yoko Taro's method writting is not some top secret art. But rather, a brilliant way of writting, that he himself, found to make work to his favor. He has the ending of the story, and branches off from it. But, ofcourse, its not how its set to be always. Just realize that no ending in the game is canon. For there is no canon. Be aware, that Taro's Wonderland of stories. Is pretty much a treasure hunt, that expands on all sorts of media. If you dislike that, its fine. But some LOVE the idea of finding more story and depth outside of just the game. Even if, when the game is already packing with this. I rarely, if ever. See people actually analyze things in depth with Drakengard. But mainly. The psychology inside the characters. Some are straightforward, if not most. But those that truly matter. Are the ones that really shine. And maybe, its because people rarely pick up on certain important traits beneath a cover of crude humor for the sake of shock value. Case in point. My favorite character ever. Zero. I suggest people who have some mild interest. To read on Zero from the wiki. Rather than play the game. For, it is true. The true art behind the Yoko Taro writting, in beneath all that obnoxious "gameplay" stuff. Where what you hear and see, its all you take into concideration. *SPOILERS AHEAD FOR DG3* - - - - - Zero is crafted to near eerie detail. From her actual design. To her way of acting in the serious, sincere and tense moments. And the way she delivers her words, and how she acts. She is seen as this crude, vulgar, crazy murder lady... much like Kainé. But, like Kainé. She has amazing depth within. Found in and out of the game. Her true origin, the way she came to be. The Intoners' "birth". Her bond with Michael and Mikhail. They are all vital to her comprehension as a character. Zero is perhaps the most powerful definition of a Yoko Taro character. And he purposely keeps it under the radar for the sake of those to find it. Sadly, as mentioned. All masked under all this clutter to throw off the player into thinking less of her. But, as with any person and character. If you dedicate time to the person in question. You get to see how deep they are. How fragile, and human they are. So, I truly invite people to read up on Zero from her wiki. Where fans have taken their time to gather all of that important info scattered through different official sources in there. And judge her by a whole picture, and not the convoluted mess that is DG3, for the sake of throwing people off and misleading them from the true treasures within it.
I loved Drakengard 3, mostly due to Zero and Mikhail characters and relation. Seeing the brighter side of Zero when she accidentally reveals her admiration to Michael, shows that she has some good in her and explains why she is so harsh to Mikhail, whom may seem to her as an usurper of Michael, with all that childishness. I am actually that person that likes deconstruction of common tropes of "feel good" stories, the ones that are proving "meaning of life" or meaning of anything at all, people’s goodwill, karma, friendship power, ultimate closure etc., so seeing how grotesquely cynical, bitter and without satisfying closure Drakengard 3 is, how it even disregards any seriousness with 4th wall breaking, I could only laugh out loud and love it. But I get from where you come from and I guess I understand why some of storytelling solutions were cons to you. Really good video, I appreciate different perspective.
I think a lot of your questions regarding the clashing tone and writing choices of Drakengard 3 can actually be partially comparable to what occurred with 2. Because while Taro was eventually brought on as its major director, he actually wasn't the director initially, and some bits of the story were already developed by the time it was handed over to him. That being said, the way he tried to utilize it was a bit strange. That being, in the same way Caim's sister in 1 is straight up the personification of his own dislike for the incest sister romance trope's popularity Drakengard 3's cast was essentially made to be a horrid parody of magical girls and to some degree overused anime tropes in general. This, obviously, doesn't transfer well into an overall complex narrative, and Taro himself even as he was advertising the game straight up said he doesn't think the intent of the game this time around went as well as his personification of how messed up game main characters have to be to find large-scale murder an accomplishment. This could also be largely why literally none of the endings in 3 are even canon, save for the novel version of 3, which has a fairly different overall tone and characterization.
To quote the Dark Id's let's play: "The title in question is a dark fantasy (and I don't mean Bioware's Mickey Mouse definition of the term word. There is nothing lighthearted to be found in this game. At all.)" Drakengard is so fucking dark and bleak, that the characters would feel at home in Berserk and Bastard!!! (the manga, not the webcomic).
I played 1 as a kid and understood literally Zero things from it other than some guy got in a pact with a dragon and lost his voice.... And now that I've watched this entire thing... I'm glad I understand nothing further than that. I still have no idea what happens in these games even after watching this.
Legend has it that if you speak Yoko Taro's name in reverse into the mirror 3 times he'll show up at a children's birthday party in that stupid mardi gras hat that looks like a ripoff of a Jhonen Vasquez character.
I recently played Drakengard 3 and dropped it at the final boss. I think it was over all the worst experience I had in gaming. I really liked the ost and uhm, the comic part of the game. Could you tell me apart of the story writing and osts, what did you enjoy on that game? For real, it's a honest question because I think I lost my mind playing it
@@M.N.9 I didn’t play that shit lmao. The story was just supremely good and original. Felt like a real attempt at writing something new and uncomfortable with brutally real characters. (People can be just plain weird) It’s got that usual Yoko Taro vibe of true inanity and feeling alive through it. Personally I didn’t find Automata’s gameplay thrilling either so I tend to just watch these games. (I did actually play automata)
@@wilburforce8046 oh thanks God, I would say, my favorite "Yoko Taro" game so far was the Nier Replicant remake. Unfortunately I really hated automata for the bad pc controls and the credit boss, which is kinda impossible if u don't ask help. And well, those were actual games. Drakengard 3 is literal shit, talking about gameplay. I'm pretty sure drakengard 3 is actually a really lightweight game, it's like only 5 gigs (15 in total, and 10 of them are literally audio assets). So yeah the game has no assets as well. I hope to no one to experience drakengard 3 (idk if drakengard 1 or 2 is better, but it should)
Always interested to see takes on this series. For me, the first game is a work of genius in its commentary on murder, a theme Yoko-san has discussed a lot. It makes you play as an awful person, reminds you of this constantly, makes the act of murder an unsatisfying slog via gameplay, desensitises you to murder with endless enemies and ultimately makes all of your mindless slaughter pointless by giving you a final boss that doesn't use any of your weapons. The game does everything in its power to make you hate it, so you understand that murder is never right, it is pointless and unsatisfying, no matter how right you think you are.
Fun Fact! none of the endings from the Drakengard 3 game are technically canon. The "canon" route that leads to Drakengard 1 can be found in a novella :)
Drakengard was the first game I ever 100% as kid back when it came out. I think I was in middle school? I absolutely loved it and I remember collecting every weapon and spamming the one level repeatedly to level them all up...just to get shot down by jets xD I was so excited for the second one only to be incredibly disappointed when it actually released. Never played the 3rd but maybe one day :3
Drakengard is a series of games that haven't aged well at all. I've played all Taro's games as they've released and even though most wound up being convoluted messes with terrible combat they still have a soft spot in my heart. I still love all his games to death and that's the hill I will die on haha.
Hahaha! I just started playing Drakengard 3 last week. It's really enjoyable. Wasn't on a nitpicking mood, and it's a nice mix of Kill Bill and Game of Thrones. The voice acting is quite good, and since the game mechanics is fairly repetitive, you can slide over it without the need of being totally invested.
Considering Ciam legit lost everything dear to him. Him going full on more so mentally insane then he already was and seeking nothing but revenge on the world sorta makes sense. Doesn't help he got that he has "I have no mouth (voice) and I must scream" going on.
As someone who thoroughly enjoys everything Drakengard related, I have to say I also know that not everyone can enjoy what the game offers. Simply put, it just goes too far sometimes without actually giving much substance to what’s happening or even just a reason to care; but I think it’s the overall nihilistic approach that the games hold, one that eventually forms into something of hope, that keeps me invested in the series. Of course, Nier and Automata have the better narratives, and are the bigger cash cows of Yoko Taro’s fucked up creations, but I still hope that someday we get a remake of the Drakengard trilogy- perhaps with a more... inviting narrative? One that doesn’t require dlc or having to look up the wiki to find out what the fuck is going on. One last thing, I really wish you mentioned it, but the music in these games are so *fantastic*. Fuck, I only got into the series because I listened to Drakengard 3’s soundtrack and was almost immediately enraptured by the unique sound. A completely original language mixed into the beat of the battles was something I’d never experienced before, and in many ways, still have yet to again. I mean, one of my favorite songs is also Growing Wings, which I’m glad has been used as a motif throughout the series, even if sometimes it’s held behind a payment. Regardless, excellent video as always! Can’t wait to see the Nier analysis!
Oh yeah about Taro's writing thing, in the context where he said that he was actually saying that he literally doesn't know a thing about writing (he really kinda wound up randomly as a writer at Square), so what he does is something he made up without knowing if it's even called a technique ("backwards writing"). You're right that it's normal, and I feel like it's probable people have taken that out of context and oversold it. Taro's actually really down on himself as a writer and tbh, I feel like he ought to be because a lot of his writing is hacky (especially apparent in side materials he creates). Taro's value is absolutely vision and "direction"--like ideas on where something is going to go. Writing? Sometimes he writes something incredible; a lot of the time he writes something bad.
I don't know how I'd feel about it now, but back when I first played the first game, I enjoyed the different take on the combat mechanics/physics. It felt like how CastleVania compared to Mega Man on the NES. I still like to think this was an intentional design approach to give an element of physicality to the theme of struggling or "dragging on". I'm probably crazier now than I was then.
If the pact is between two inequal creatures, then the lesser must sacrifice more than just their soul. The greater the power the more meaningful the sacrifice. Caim was a commander without a voice. Inuart made a picture sith a black dragon (the most powerful type) and lost his ability to make the music that Furiae fell in love with him for... Then there was the bald guy who became bald. Presumably his pact partner was weak and that is why it got petrified, leaving him as just a regular bald guy with a weird head tattoo.
9:58 -- MAN, seeing that fight is giving me some PTSD flashbacks. Both me and my best buddy just couldn't freakin' win that boss fight and we gave up on getting the last ending after a while. Pretty sure we tried for a couple of weeks~
So apparently the reason why the rhythm game boss st the end of drakengard 3 is such a pain in the ass with its moving camera angles is cuz u could pause and see the "notes" in the first drakengard game. When Yoko found out about this he was annoyed and pissed and told his team to make the final boss in 3 uncheesable... And be achieved that
As someone who’s regularly bored stupid of most jrpg video game stories, I deeply appreciate drakengard’s wild, crazy, messy take on characters and narrative. It’s so fun and refreshing. Drakengard 2 has the best gameplay in my opinion. It’s about on the same level as dynasty warriors. Most people don’t like these games. They’re for a very particular, niche audience.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
"Obliterating my mental health with drakengard" the only real way to enjoy The Yoko Taro Electric boogaloo
Obliterating my mental health with chainsawman
This was back when yoko taro was on a leash. Hence why it's so good
Yep this is all true
@@villaniousmustache4898 yoko taro on a leash?
I think i prefer the unbridled insanity of automata
@@villaniousmustache4898 if by on a leash you mean was given a budget for two cheeseburgers then sure
Two: I'm the happiest girl in the world!
Yoko taro: we dont do that here, girl.
Poor two
Two: “I am the happiest girl in the world.”
Me: “NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!”
he is a patological liar and a pyschopath so pick your struggle
Yoko Taro is a self proclaimed "broken man". And this reflects GREATLY in the Drakengard series, at least 1 and 3. However by Nier Automata i feel like Yoko Taro has gotten a better sense of self appreciation and a need for hope in his storytelling. I can only hope as Yoko Taro continues he can still continue to tell stories of how even in broken worlds we can find things worth living for.
Based on what I read on the wiki, it almost seems like Drakengard was designed to deconstruct Final Fantasy. He set out to create a "dark fantasy" alternative to FF. Final Fantasy stories usually assert that you can transcend your trauma, and find psychological integration within yourself by going on a journey. Drakengard though...it seems like the characters are products of human nature and the chaos of the world around them. They seem far more reactive to the darker environment, and they do not make much psychological progress by the end of the story. Even broken FF characters like Cloud make the effort to change, but Drakengard characters don't seem to care much. Sure, Caim and Zero do help save the world, but not much changes within them...not to mention the fact that their actions almost always have negative consequences. Even if they do succeed in saving the world.
You make a good point. Automata seems like a middle ground of sorts. Not quite as hopeful as Final Fantasy, but not quite as dark as Drakengard. It seems to classify as soft science-fiction. Asking hard questions about human nature and the future, but providing possible solutions.
Now that was an incredibly thought out analysis between the 2 series. Wonderful work! However...I wish Yoko Taro continued making more intense depraved ultra nihilistic nightmarish worlds. Since Drakengard 1 is just so well crafted in that regard.
After playing though all his works. Nier & Nier Automata IMO disappoints me because it's just sadness and melancholy and missing his excellent sense of ptsd dread that I revere so much from Drakengard 1.
Basically I thirst for more truly nightmarish worlds that give you extreme aversion from ever wanting to live there BUT can't shake the sense of fascination all while having great writing too. Extreme Horror Fantasy & Extreme Horror Sci-fi (Dead Space esque type).
@@sebastiantravis9406 I can see why you want Taro to return to a Drakengard 1 style. I'm also very curious about seeing a Drakengard 4. I tend to be a big Lovecraft fan, so seeing existential horror in Taro's games is also a huge plus for me. I feel like both series have their place. Both seem to dip into human failings...but perhaps in different ways?
These are just my personal interpretations but; Drakengard shows us what a complete fuckup looks like. The gods want humanity dead, and the humans are foolish enough to allow the circumstances that lead to potential ruin. Whether by worshipping the severely flawed Intoner sisters, or by worshipping the very Watchers that will bring destruction to man, humans are basically inviting their own demise...whether they intend to or not. I almost feel like Drakengard needs to be insanely dark in order to get this across. And similar to your point...it does seem like Drakengard 1 is still the peak of that kind of horrific experience. And I think whether my interpretation is correct or not, Drakengard should still strive to maintain a horror fantasy vibe in order to distinguish itself from Nier and other JRPGs.
Nier might be intended to be more hopeful, as the OP implies. It shows us the failings of humanity's(and by extension, robots) search for survival and meaning. And how those very attachments lead to existential dread once those things get stripped away. Not to mention, entire swaths of humanity and robots are killed off due to these attachments. But it does offer that bit of hope at the end of Automata...and thats probably the major thing that separates Drakengard and Nier.
@@awakenow7147 Also just so it's out there: I love 2 types of Storytelling: Extremely Disturbing Dark Subject Matter to where it is impossible for it to be mainstream OR Mundane Slice of Life found in Arthouse/Indie Films and those too cannot be popular due to it being too boring or too real for many folks.
Basically if Yoko Taro did either more Drakengard 1 insanity OR he did a down to earth slice of life about everyday stories I would love it...probably lmao. NIER......is just too Meh for me. Like forgettable and the only redeeming factor is that both Nier Games are decently well written.
@@sebastiantravis9406 Nah I get what you mean man. To each their own. I can see how you'd feel that Nier isn't as appealing as Drakengard 1. I feel like that type of dark fantasy is very niche. Have you played the American Mcgee's Alice games by any chance? If you haven't, I'd recommend them to ya. Basically they are two very twisted sequels to the Alice in Wonderland books.
I'm kinda weird in that my two favorite genres are: 1. dark and disturbing or 2. Jungian/Campbell Hero's Journey(ie Star Wars and Final Fantasy). I love that stark contrast of raw darkness and bright light. haha
"It ain't fun, and everyone's gross." Yep, that about sums it up, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
It wouldn’t be Drakengard if it wasn’t.😊
I get the second half, but why not fun?
@@FLAMM3NW3RF at least from Taro's perspective at the time, 0killing shouldn't be fun"/"mass murderers are messed up"
My favourite bit of Drakengard is the irony of your party members being
a) a child f**ker
b) a child eater
c) an immortal child
It's like he's laughing at me for providing this 1 + 1 equals 2 situation.
Umm taro?
In regards to the first one. Was it stated what gender he prefered or was he just into all of them. Because the latter puts a horrible spin on him living in the woods with his 3 brothers.
@@Dr.Moogle his reaction to being hugged is pretty obvious
@@FromBeyondTheGrave1 I'll have to watch the game again. I don't remember/might have blocked it out. I was not ready for the themes this game was covering it when I first played it.
They censored it sooo muuuuch in the U.S release, but it's easy to read the subtexts. Arioch: 'lost her child and went mad'. Leonard: 'his brothers died, so he went crazy'
I remember a old german game review show around the time drakengard 3 came out and their best comment was. "The game makes you want to clean your tv."
You mean "Game One"?
@@marcjehle2480 Jep, exactly that show.
@@marcjehle2480 I already knew it was Game One the moment i read the quote. I even remember that episode... Damn these guys were funny.
15:45
"Undo their characters for the sake of drama"
?
Dude, Cain is literally the same character he ever was, he just no longer the protagonist
Thats it, thats the difference.
Caim will always want murder and death now that we are not playing him we see the true monster that he is- a monster who only loves on being and that’s the dragon he made a pact with
Depending by which ending then yeah. It could drastically alter where Caim ends up mentally. By the events of Drakengard 2, virtually all of Caim's lighter side has gone, replaced by his dark persona and lust for combat. He also retains a deep hatred of Manah due to her role in the loss of his sister and Angelus. His feelings for Angelus remain unchanged: indeed, they have grown to the point that he is willing to condemn the world to chaos to end her suffering. In the end, he accepts his death in order to be with her again.
But calling it a character undoing isn’t correct. It was only built upon a specific ending route.
I remember hearing that one of the developer’s said Berserk and Evangelion were huge inspirations for the series so I knew it was going to be disturbing and insane as hell before going into it lmao.
Because of course evangelion is an inspiration. Evangelion is always an inspiration. It’s tiring honestly, don’t see it not happening anytime soon though.
@@BobBob-pr4eh tbf, it's like japan's star wars, it makes sense that it'd be so influential to everything they do
@@malum9478 yeah I never really read it’s plot until couple months ago (it’s just so famous I never bothered watching it) and it’s honestly disappointing just how much everything is a cheap derivative of this series. I mean almost EVERYTHING. Down to the tropes lol. The rose colored glasses had to come off at some point eh? My face is permanently like this now 😑 lol
@@BobBob-pr4eh Every work of fiction takes inspiration from something else. Better to take inspiration from something good than something shit. Besides, 99% of western fantasy is inspired by Lord of the Rings, so I really don't see your point.
I remember someone tried to call me stupid for saying NieR: Automata bore similarities to Berserk. I hope they choke on all their meals because it's like, undeniably true.
I like how your final companion in Drakengard 1 is a six year old child to complement the pedophile and child killing cannibal
Now...really melt your brain by seeing how they connect to Neir lol
From the 1st game's supposed joke ending of all endings too lol
Even though I wonder, is there's any semblance of Watchers' influences on Nier Automata even with the demise humanity in that game's timeline?
Would I be wrong in saying Kingdom Heart's storyline is easier to follow?
and then the madman himself decides to explain it through the fuckin FFXIV Nier crossover raids somehow. what even.
@@ohamatchhams N2 are in a way replicating the behaviour of the watcher they are clearly inspired by Manah or are supposed to make a refence to her. Adam and Eve were born in a similar way the intorner sisters were too
@@ohamatchhams Yes, the watchers spread “Red eye” in Drakengarde which is a disease that causes normal people to go insane and start killing anyone not a red eye.
In NieR this disease same disease is present after Angelus (the dragon) gets killed and releases the Devil element Maso into the world allowing the watchers to present the humans of Nier with a pact turning them into either Red eyes or “pillars of salt” which both spread the disease directly into the atmosphere (White chlorination syndrome).
In NieR automata the machines are made by aliens which are plant like beings (The flower in Zero’s eye) and have plant cell type machine cores, all networked machines can be identified by their Red Eyes implying hostility.
The same angelic script is used in all the games as well. There’s a ton of little things that connect all of them!
I personally believe drakengard’s existence is worth it for Drakengard 3’s boss music and the ending credits theme “This Silence Is Mine” as well as just Zero and Mikhail and their friendship and Zero’s story conceptually being cool with her basically just fighting to die
You could rephrase that as “Death is the greatest thing Zero will ever accomplish” and sum the whole thing up right there
I played the first game when I was a kid and it blew my mind with all that edge and dread. I mean for God's sake one of your companions f***** kids and the other one ate them and they still thought you were going too far when you went to that village with nothing but child soldiers.
i mean OBVIOUSLY they thought you went to far. they didnt get to diddle or eat any children.
While I never doubted Arioch was the group’s token crazy cannibal I spent forever thinking Leonard was gay and that was why he wasn’t home when his brother’s died ... felt like scrubbing my brain with bleach when I got older and found out the real story 😓😓😓
"how do you describe drakengard 3?"
"*loud operatic wailing*"
i fucking choked on my own spit
I mean he's not wrong
And this is from a drakengard 3 fan
How does loud operatic wailing describe drakengard 3?
@@joshuataylor7443 uhhhhhhhaaaaauuUuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUGGGGVGAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh * summons phanuel*
@@chiuxxtrain got now.
@@joshuataylor7443
It's more eloquent than saying "Edgy Boy Anime Writing."
the more I watched, The more kbash looks like Caim.
oh no
He is Caim
@@TheVanOvanShow after ending e he became a youtuber
No lie, from Smash Bros. Chrom REALLY looks like Caim to me and it's so trippy
The games broke him and turned him to the thing he despised. Truly poetic cinema!
Are you ok king?
The opening was a fever dream
Yes.
@@PICADALOL oh good I'm relieved
That’s just the mindset Yoko Taro's games can put you in sometimes
Yoko Taro for you
Wise men choose death before war.
Wiser men choose... not to be born
It'd been more than a decade since I played the game and I still remember that line
Only fools fear great failure.
It is the small losses that break a man down.
Angelus had some of the best lines, I’ll never forget:
“Because you are brother and sister? What manner of excuse is that?!”
I played the English version so a lot of stuff got cut, I spent years wondering why the hell Furiae killed herself in that one branch ... I also spent forever thinking Leonard was just gay and not _that_ (I understood Arioch was the group’s token crazy cannibal though) 😓😓😓
@@LadyLeomon Yeah, the English version downplayed a LOT of stuff.
I can understand why, but it makes a lot of interactions hard to understand.
Also, they had a problem with everything else, but NOT ARIOCH?
Lightning Point funnily enough, given some of the other characters’ backstories, I think Arioch is one of the most normal _by comparison._ Hear me out, look at her team-mates: we have a murderous prince who lost his voice and is single-handedly trying to murder the entire enemy army, there’s a blind p*do who _somehow_ came to the conclusion that teaming up with the single most *annoying* fairy I’d ever heard and swear it’s related to Navi (I only heard Navi’s voice after I played Drakengard), a bald (possibly blind) priest who gave up his hair and is somehow still alive despite his pact partner being petrified (so is his Dragon alive or what? Because its status is listed as “petrified”?) and a singing bard who snaps when he found out his former-waifu wanted to knock boots with her own brother! So _by comparison_ a woman who snapped and went bat-sh*t crazy after seeing her family murdered isn’t all _that_ insane ... c’mon it’s only really the child-eating thing that creeps people out with Arioch!
Also Drakengard 2 confused the hell outta me cos Nowe (biggest simp in the game) is _somehow_ Caim’s nephew because he was made when Inuart entered a Seed of a Resurrection with Furiae’s corpse, fused with her (I think) and _somehow_ Inuart’s Black Dragon was involved so the kid is part-Dragon ... honestly Arioch and her crazy made a LOT more sense than this clusterf*ck of a story (plus 2 decided for some weird reason to dedicate a whole scene to Nowe’s thirsty bestie telling him she got her period ... just eww 😖😖😖)
Lightning Point (Sorry I forgot, I read _somewhere_ that Caim apparently knew of Furiae’s feelings because someone else found out so Caim whacked him to protect the royal family’s reputation)
I'm a die hard fan and I probably always will be but your criticisms are grounded and valid and that aside as a long time fan this is honestly my favourite video of yours
Is it because of his gradual dissent in to Madness?
@@curtishamilton5342 Just as Drakengard intended
I mean I'm pretty sure every fan of Yoko Taro finds the Drakengard series to not be good games and more just interesting and bizarre stories. Nier is an alright game with a great story and Automata is a great game with a great story but Drakengard is the odd heroine addicted cousin on bath salts.
@@DALKurumiTokisaki
Idk man, I saw some comments here of people that REALLY like Drakengard
@@GabrielCosta-xt1dv I'm sure they really do like Drakengard. But I'm also sure a grand majority of them think at least Drakengard 1 and 2 are not great games to play at all and would rather just watch the cutscenes instead.
Perfect timing considering the last Nier Raids came out for Final Fantasy 14
The Nier raids did a great job of making me not want to play Yoko Taro's games tbh
@@arachnofiend2859 As a midcore FFXIV raider, giant MSQ lore nerd and a massive DrakenNieR fan...I cannot disagree any more.
@@DeltafangEX Alliance raids aren't midcore I hope you know that.
@@CirnoFairy well, I hope you're being sarcastic rather than patronizing. Or maybe you didn't notice the comma?
@@DeltafangEX I just don't really see why mentioning being midcore has anything to do with it unless you were trying to say something about its difficulty. If anything, they were easier than Ivalice, which weren't that hard either but the player base is so bad had to get nerfed.
"Dynasty warriors meets ace combat"
That's it, I'm sold. I don't want any further explanations or context.
Drakengard and Nier as a series get easier to understand when you know that part of the reason he makes these stories is to explore one question: "Why is conflict constant in the human world?"
It's alot to talk about how Drakengard's gameplay is deliberately referential to Dynasty Warriors because DW is a video game adaptation of a romanticized novel version of an account of an event in china where a bunch of people murdered eachother, and how Drakengard's story is actually told through a historical account in a book (which is why the game is structured into chapters and verses, etc.). Like, there's alot to talk about there, namely the commentary on a corrupted disconnect from real, violent history presented in the most consumable way.
I think the easier thing to talk about is how Drakengard 1 and 3 are intentionally hostile to the player and in spite of that, if the player continues to play them and finish them, the question of "Why am I doing this when the game clearly hates me" is raised. Hell, Drakengard 1's endings get worse the more of them you unlock. The point is that the player, for their own curiousity or desire for completionism just chooses to go on in spite of that. There's a desire to conquer things in us, is perhaps what Yoko Taro and his writers were trying to get at. Video games are us doing that in microcosm.
Well said. In his infamous handpuppet Drakengard 3 interview he talks about that need to conquer, and the peculiarity of absurdly high kill counts. I also am of the mind that Taro is one of those creators who accomplished what Spec Ops tried to do more effectively. It doesn't OPENLY say you should stop playing, or that you're bad, you really and honestly only have yourself to blame if you keep torturing yourself with it despite the content and context.
@@JakobatHeart cope
@@JakobatHeart for being a brainlet
@@JakobatHeart okay kek you got me there
I would also add that it's interesting how the Drakengard and NieR series are essentially opposites. Drakengard is technically fantasy, which is a genre that we've romanticized to death, but it's SO. GRIM. It's dark, cynical, awful, violent, sexual, etc. Everything that's meant to embody hope (even flowers, geez) is corrupted. Children, the embodiement of innocence, are often misplaced or even straight up annoying. It's like a fever dream. It's taking people's romanticized fantasy and making it disgusting. My favorite thing is how Watchers are actually called "angels" in the Japanese version and the joke is that they're cherubins. Technically angels. But F you with your romanticized angel bullshit. The closest thing to an angel we have is ending B Furiae, which seems closely inspired by the "real" Biblical angels.
On the other hand, NieR is a series with a very grim beginning - literally a "cosmic" event (in the sense that it's just unfathomable for the people of that world) and impending, inescapable doom. And yet, there's hope there. There's connection, love, and purpose, and that's because it's "our" world. The real world. No matter how bad it gets, there's always a weird sliver of hope in the NieR universe, because our world has hope.
I'm pretty sure the point of Drakengard 3's awfulness is because in Taro's mind: Nier (the first game) is Drakengard 3. So when you have that in mind while playing Drakengard 3, its just fucking hilarious seeing him waste Square's money like that while doing it in a fashion that still doesnt betray what makes Drakengard "Drakengard".
Like, this game's writing is hysterical. The visual gags and all are just top notch, I haven't ever laughed this hard playing an RPG before. It doesnt necessarily make me want to go back and play the other games in the series (especially since it seems that Nier just has it better in the writing department), but seeing this game next to Automata and Replicant only makes its story that much more funny.
Its fucking great, they need to remaster this game sometime soon.
God I adore these games so much. I really feel like a lot of Automata fans struggled to realize just how important these games are to shaping Yoko into the creator he is. His mindset and design philosophy many years ago was so different and nuanced compared to today's but that's what makes every game he creates special imo
Unfortunately, that's what you get with one game in a franchise being super popular compared to the others. Automata has all the typical Taro pieces but in a coat more appealing to a wider audience, which is great. More players mean more money for future projects and things like the NieR Replicant/Gestalt remake.
On the other side, you get the loudmouths who love to harp on the stuff the long time Taroverse players already know are expected and are what add some sort of interesting twist to his games.
The third game looks absolutely insane, in a very literal sense of the word. It really seems like every aspect of Nier and Nier:A but.... amplified to the extreme
It is!!! That being said a lot of the good stuff and my favorite parts are in the novels.
But it isn't, the story isn't as good as any of those two (in both the dramatic and _insane_ factor), the combat is even more clunky that Og Nier, the dragon sections control worse than Drakengard 1 and it does not help at all the game runs bellow 20fps most of the time.
IMO is the worst game of the series.
Drakengard sounds like an Asylum gone mad with madness. Nier is looking like the mature series.
Drakengard is exactly that and Nier is the mature series.
You are not wrong
tbf as yoko taro said, drakengard is about what kind of person would a musou protagonist really be, with all the mass murder of armies and incessant bloodshed
Drakengard is amazing. The way it handles extremely heavy topics is in fact very mature, it deals with the consequences instead of relishing in depicting it. We dont see Leonard indulging in cheese pizza, but we see the impact it leaves on others. Caim doesn't do what any other Dynasty warriors protagonist hasn't done. We don't watch Arioch eating dead people, we just hear her talking about it.
Furiae is the most misuinderstood character who became a sinner only because everyone sheltered her in order to make her a perfect virginal princess and then a goddess and the only person who was always here for her was Caim. Etc etc etc
Like its so easy to point and go "ha ha taboo topic" but it has so many layers and the characters are so human despite their outrageous sins.
I absolutely love Nier to pieces but I'm a diehard Drakengard stan as well and it makes me sad to see this gorgeous series reduced to pure shock value (which it actually has very little of, outside of cosmic horror imagery).
And like. Nier characters are also extremely messed up. Kaine literally kills babies. Like theyre not nicer than Drakengard characters its just that you fall in love with them so much you miss the part where they commit mass genocide
Drakengard is madness, Nier is Melancholy.
One:The humans should learn our wisdom,what could possibly go wrong ?
1000 *Years Later*
Caim:Hello There
Playing the Drakengard series was the worst thing to do when I was severely depressed but that's just me lmao.
This might just be one of your best videos. You can hear the insanity in almost every single word
I honestly think the difference between Drakengaurd and NieR as serieses is that Drakengaurd seems to be a series about worlds and events with driving characters, while Nier is a series about people and how they contend with their world and the circumstances of that world. I think it's what makes the difference. Like, sure, every single game Yoko Taro has ever made is absurdly large in it's scale for the worlds they take place in, but it's the difference between what is getting the attention that makes Nier so much more compelling for people. Obviously I'm talking in vagaries to avoid spoiling any of the Nier games, but for those who know, think about how the MC in NieR: Gestalt/Replicant is treated in regards to the story verses how any of the Drakengaurd games treat their MCs. In Drakengaurd, they are barely people, mostly tools to move the story forward and plot devices. In NieR, and NieR: Automata for that matter, the characters are their own people first, and main characters second.
fun fact: no ending of drakengard 3 actually canonically leads to drakengard 1...
I blame Accord, honestly
That's because its possible drakengard happened after nier and nier automata (watchers is the machine network theory)
I think there are Manga and novels that lead to D1
@@han1961 yeah, shi ni itaru aka leads to 1, which is an offshoot of A i believe
in game no, but the novel tells the history of ending E, thats the canonically ending thats leads to drakengard 1, the A final goes to drakengard 1.2 (a novel)
So caim, nowe and zero walk into a pub.
Zero: the hell you looking at boyscout...
Nowe: umm? Caim?
Caim: ..... *feels the need to attack them both*
*meanwhile three dragons are all outside*
“FURIA! FURIA! FU-RI-AH!” I remember him going insane 🤣🤣🤣
Fun fact: That's actually him trying to sing. But because he lost his music as a pact price, it sounds all fucked up like that.
@@ThatGuyNikolas Oh yeahhhh I can’t believe I forgot that. Thanks for reminding dude
Yoko Taro be like "You want character depth and development? read my novel then my short story then watch my stage play then watch this canon concert and then you will like the character maybe"
As much as I am a fan of Yokos works, it really sucks when in Drakengard specifically, he designs them as multimedia works to only have proper development in those "supplementary" materials while the games are left with mostly one dimensional characters.
Obviously NieR has supplementary material that fleshes out things more as well but at least the games are still a mostly complete package narratively
Whoa, whoa, whoa.... whoa. Let's not get carried away here. The only reason Taro had to use outside media was because Square gave him and his team, Cavia, shit funding and a very small team. They could never fit everything they wanted into the game because they just simply didn't have the backing for it, so Taro decided to use other means to fully tell his stories. NieR Automata was the first game he ever had with decent funding and a decent team, and even then not everything was able to go in because Square didn't think it'd be as big of a hit as it was. By this point, using outside media has just become a habit now.
Like, that part where it was all text-based in NieR Replicant? That was supposed to actually be animated and/or playable but they just didn't have the funding.
@@jase276 wonder if the text adventure sections will be fully playable now (in the remake remaster)
@@christopherrichardson2945 I would expect not, only because those sections ended up becoming a popular gimmick of the game and was even referenced/used again a couple times in Automata.
The thing with Taro is that he never studied or had aspirations for writing before being asked to include a story for drakengard. So if his thoughts on his writing proccess seem a little basic, thats because they are. It was his first time trying to make a narrative, and boy does it show. 3 feels like he was trolling everyone, and Nier is oddly sober in comparison and is a sentence I'd ever thought I'd utter.
Alright, where are my Clemps fans at? We must unite here in this comment section!
Yo, what's up?
AYYYYYE
@@ashlanders687 AYYYYYYY
@@Chrissteve1107 *_I n c r e d i b l e_*
AYYY
*Sees Thumbnail*
YES! YESSSS! I love yokotaros crazy ass writing and especially the weird themes discussed in D3
Drakengard 3 is my favorite, the lore is pretty deep and there's. SO. MANY. SOURCES. Even the drakengard subreddit is filled with Drakengard 3 stuff over the rest
You’re one of the first people I’ve subscribed to in a long time something about that
“the UN has been rebranded as Midgard, from a literary standpoint WE 👏 ARE 👏 GOING PLACES 👏” made me like you instantly
Legit one of my favorite series.
Sorry you didn't enjoy it overall that much, but it will always hold a very special, bloody place in my heart.
Oh also read the prequel novellas for Drakengard 3, they are really short and add a lot, especially Zero's, Michael's, Four, Five, and One. Probably in that order. Some of them were on the website and they all came with the collector's edition of the game when it came out. You can find them on the wiki though.
Drakengard 1 & 3 truly needs to be remastered
But what i REALLY want is a Remake of Drakengard 1 but it will never happen'
Just play the original and don't scass the balls.
@@nifftbatuff676 already have Bro' . I still thinks it needs a remaster (emulation aside) just for accessibility for those who want to discover these games . I live in Europe and It's really hard to find a copy of Drakengard 1 and 2 , and Drakengard 3 will be soon unavailable (It's PS Store only in Europe).
A remastered Trilogy would definitely sell to a satisfactory Number. Not as High like NiER games , but definitely more than their previous releases .
Legend has it that if you speak Yoko Taro's name in reverse into the mirror 3 times he'll show up at a children's birthday party in that stupid mardi gras hat that looks like a ripoff of a Jhonen Vasquez character.
Square wants to make Nier a franchise ... so anything is possible in regards to Drakengard series’ future
@@whattimedx Because of the huge backlash from players, Sony USA (Sony Interactive Entertainment has been based in San Mateo, California since 2016) reversed its dumb decision to close the PS3 and PS Vita game stores, at least.
I find letting Drakengard 3 simmer in the mind and giving it multiple playthroughs helps piece things together. The Flower is a subtle antagonist... But essentially it will feed on the sisters and eventually take them over. Like they are the soil or the pot for it. (or perhaps.. the whole world is it's soil to consume, as the intro poem thing suggests...)
"I am feeling like nothing fuKing matters" there you go, that's the kind of feeling you get from a taro game
My favorite part of the original Drakengard is you get the first, canon ending, and you think "Oh, I guess I need to keep playing for the good ending." And Yoko Taro laughs at you. Again. And again. And again.
Also, Angelus was openly racist and genocidal towards humans in the Japanese version. It confused me in English because it was toned done greatly, but she’d go from hatred and condescension to civil and polite, and it was confusing at times.
That knowledge also makes the ending that leads to Drakengard 2 more impactful, because while she still hates humans, she had come to love Caim. She became the seal solely to save the world because HE was in it. Plus the other ending with the dragons genocide of humanity where they both reluctantly fight to the death but have respect and an understanding of each other also adds to the impact of their relationship.😢
Good lord.
I will now permanently picture Yoko Taro's voice as the Lavos scream thanks to you.
Drakengard is that wacko stuff we just.... love in some weird way that can't be explained in conventional words.
Yea, there kinda impossible to recommend to anyone even tho Drakengard 3 might be my favourite Taro game, even when there the natural thing to recommend someone who's beat Nier and Automata, I hesitate a bit and say "play this at your own risk"
I agree like.... I'll certainly talk about Drakengard series in the future when talking about NieR lore etc since the God shenanigans still affected NieR even in Automata. But recommending it to other people.... are hard.
Like, warning list for it are just *long* and many have the risk to make other look at us with judging eyes.
Finally more people playing drakengard, underrated and forgotten series
I just got my ps3 recently and I'm excited to play old titles
@@TsunaXZ its gameplay isn't amazing but I still love it! Amazing story and characters
I highly recommend to emulate these games on your pc (it’s easy, dw)
Taro's works are extremely niche. You need a very sadistic type of mind to delve into his stuff. You don't need a big brain, you need determination, and always carry a goddamn microscope. Yoko Taro's method writting is not some top secret art. But rather, a brilliant way of writting, that he himself, found to make work to his favor. He has the ending of the story, and branches off from it. But, ofcourse, its not how its set to be always. Just realize that no ending in the game is canon. For there is no canon.
Be aware, that Taro's Wonderland of stories. Is pretty much a treasure hunt, that expands on all sorts of media. If you dislike that, its fine. But some LOVE the idea of finding more story and depth outside of just the game. Even if, when the game is already packing with this.
I rarely, if ever. See people actually analyze things in depth with Drakengard. But mainly. The psychology inside the characters. Some are straightforward, if not most. But those that truly matter. Are the ones that really shine. And maybe, its because people rarely pick up on certain important traits beneath a cover of crude humor for the sake of shock value.
Case in point. My favorite character ever. Zero.
I suggest people who have some mild interest. To read on Zero from the wiki. Rather than play the game. For, it is true. The true art behind the Yoko Taro writting, in beneath all that obnoxious "gameplay" stuff. Where what you hear and see, its all you take into concideration.
*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR DG3*
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Zero is crafted to near eerie detail. From her actual design. To her way of acting in the serious, sincere and tense moments. And the way she delivers her words, and how she acts. She is seen as this crude, vulgar, crazy murder lady... much like Kainé. But, like Kainé. She has amazing depth within. Found in and out of the game.
Her true origin, the way she came to be. The Intoners' "birth". Her bond with Michael and Mikhail. They are all vital to her comprehension as a character. Zero is perhaps the most powerful definition of a Yoko Taro character. And he purposely keeps it under the radar for the sake of those to find it.
Sadly, as mentioned. All masked under all this clutter to throw off the player into thinking less of her. But, as with any person and character. If you dedicate time to the person in question. You get to see how deep they are. How fragile, and human they are.
So, I truly invite people to read up on Zero from her wiki. Where fans have taken their time to gather all of that important info scattered through different official sources in there. And judge her by a whole picture, and not the convoluted mess that is DG3, for the sake of throwing people off and misleading them from the true treasures within it.
I loved Drakengard 3, mostly due to Zero and Mikhail characters and relation. Seeing the brighter side of Zero when she accidentally reveals her admiration to Michael, shows that she has some good in her and explains why she is so harsh to Mikhail, whom may seem to her as an usurper of Michael, with all that childishness. I am actually that person that likes deconstruction of common tropes of "feel good" stories, the ones that are proving "meaning of life" or meaning of anything at all, people’s goodwill, karma, friendship power, ultimate closure etc., so seeing how grotesquely cynical, bitter and without satisfying closure Drakengard 3 is, how it even disregards any seriousness with 4th wall breaking, I could only laugh out loud and love it. But I get from where you come from and I guess I understand why some of storytelling solutions were cons to you. Really good video, I appreciate different perspective.
I think a lot of your questions regarding the clashing tone and writing choices of Drakengard 3 can actually be partially comparable to what occurred with 2. Because while Taro was eventually brought on as its major director, he actually wasn't the director initially, and some bits of the story were already developed by the time it was handed over to him.
That being said, the way he tried to utilize it was a bit strange. That being, in the same way Caim's sister in 1 is straight up the personification of his own dislike for the incest sister romance trope's popularity Drakengard 3's cast was essentially made to be a horrid parody of magical girls and to some degree overused anime tropes in general.
This, obviously, doesn't transfer well into an overall complex narrative, and Taro himself even as he was advertising the game straight up said he doesn't think the intent of the game this time around went as well as his personification of how messed up game main characters have to be to find large-scale murder an accomplishment. This could also be largely why literally none of the endings in 3 are even canon, save for the novel version of 3, which has a fairly different overall tone and characterization.
*Kbash*: makes a video about drakenguard.
*Clenps would like to know your location*
Really nailed the crazied look at the end of two's part; its like seeing a kbash who just walked out of a three week bender in Vegas
To quote the Dark Id's let's play:
"The title in question is a dark fantasy (and I don't mean Bioware's Mickey Mouse definition of the term word. There is nothing lighthearted to be found in this game. At all.)" Drakengard is so fucking dark and bleak, that the characters would feel at home in Berserk and Bastard!!! (the manga, not the webcomic).
Berserk is very dark but nowhere near as nihilistic and bleak as Drakengard in the way the story progresses.
@@islandboy9381 ofc not, Berserk and Bastard have some positivity to it.
I played 1 as a kid and understood literally Zero things from it other than some guy got in a pact with a dragon and lost his voice.... And now that I've watched this entire thing... I'm glad I understand nothing further than that. I still have no idea what happens in these games even after watching this.
One good thing about Drakengard 3 is that Intoner One is in general a very good and interesting character.
Legend has it that if you speak Yoko Taro's name in reverse into the mirror 3 times he'll show up at a children's birthday party in that stupid mardi gras hat that looks like a ripoff of a Jhonen Vasquez character.
And this video is why I love the drakengard series. Anyone stupid enough to go through it end up regretting everything lolwoqljahsuajs
As an avid drakengard 3 fan, I completely agree that Zero and the dragons carry the entire game.
Without them it kinda falls apart and it’s a bit sad
I recently played Drakengard 3 and dropped it at the final boss.
I think it was over all the worst experience I had in gaming.
I really liked the ost and uhm, the comic part of the game.
Could you tell me apart of the story writing and osts, what did you enjoy on that game? For real, it's a honest question because I think I lost my mind playing it
@@M.N.9 I didn’t play that shit lmao.
The story was just supremely good and original. Felt like a real attempt at writing something new and uncomfortable with brutally real characters. (People can be just plain weird)
It’s got that usual Yoko Taro vibe of true inanity and feeling alive through it.
Personally I didn’t find Automata’s gameplay thrilling either so I tend to just watch these games. (I did actually play automata)
@@wilburforce8046 oh thanks God, I would say, my favorite "Yoko Taro" game so far was the Nier Replicant remake.
Unfortunately I really hated automata for the bad pc controls and the credit boss, which is kinda impossible if u don't ask help.
And well, those were actual games.
Drakengard 3 is literal shit, talking about gameplay.
I'm pretty sure drakengard 3 is actually a really lightweight game, it's like only 5 gigs (15 in total, and 10 of them are literally audio assets).
So yeah the game has no assets as well.
I hope to no one to experience drakengard 3 (idk if drakengard 1 or 2 is better, but it should)
@@M.N.9 Idk what you guys are talking about Drakengard 3 was a blast, like probabely in my top 5 favourite games.
1:27 "Do you people enjoy this ????" Yes :-)
Always interested to see takes on this series. For me, the first game is a work of genius in its commentary on murder, a theme Yoko-san has discussed a lot. It makes you play as an awful person, reminds you of this constantly, makes the act of murder an unsatisfying slog via gameplay, desensitises you to murder with endless enemies and ultimately makes all of your mindless slaughter pointless by giving you a final boss that doesn't use any of your weapons. The game does everything in its power to make you hate it, so you understand that murder is never right, it is pointless and unsatisfying, no matter how right you think you are.
Fun Fact! none of the endings from the Drakengard 3 game are technically canon. The "canon" route that leads to Drakengard 1 can be found in a novella :)
So DLC makes Drakengard 3 better? And it's a PS3 game, you say...
Uh oh.
Taro's work makes way more sense when you realize that Taro *H A T E S* you.
Drakengard 1 is a fucking trip.
Drakengard 2 needs to take a fucking trip.
Drakengard 3 fucking tripped.
Yes!
*YES!*
I've been waiting for KBash to cover Drakengard for so long!
9:48 you don't need to level them uuUUP. you just need to collect them.
I really love kbash's reviewing style
Mad respect dude
"How can something so helpful hurt so much?" lmao
Drakengard was the first game I ever 100% as kid back when it came out. I think I was in middle school? I absolutely loved it and I remember collecting every weapon and spamming the one level repeatedly to level them all up...just to get shot down by jets xD
I was so excited for the second one only to be incredibly disappointed when it actually released.
Never played the 3rd but maybe one day :3
Welcome to a world without song.
ok but Drakengard 2s ost was a true banger. 'Fate" the track that plays in the Caim fight is one of fav boss tracks ever
Drakengard is a series of games that haven't aged well at all. I've played all Taro's games as they've released and even though most wound up being convoluted messes with terrible combat they still have a soft spot in my heart. I still love all his games to death and that's the hill I will die on haha.
Hahaha! I just started playing Drakengard 3 last week. It's really enjoyable. Wasn't on a nitpicking mood, and it's a nice mix of Kill Bill and Game of Thrones. The voice acting is quite good, and since the game mechanics is fairly repetitive, you can slide over it without the need of being totally invested.
What i came to understand after playing this game is that yoko taro hates children
Based
Oh my god is that KBash tackling Drakengard??? Bless you
Considering Ciam legit lost everything dear to him. Him going full on more so mentally insane then he already was and seeking nothing but revenge on the world sorta makes sense. Doesn't help he got that he has "I have no mouth (voice) and I must scream" going on.
As someone who thoroughly enjoys everything Drakengard related, I have to say I also know that not everyone can enjoy what the game offers. Simply put, it just goes too far sometimes without actually giving much substance to what’s happening or even just a reason to care; but I think it’s the overall nihilistic approach that the games hold, one that eventually forms into something of hope, that keeps me invested in the series.
Of course, Nier and Automata have the better narratives, and are the bigger cash cows of Yoko Taro’s fucked up creations, but I still hope that someday we get a remake of the Drakengard trilogy- perhaps with a more... inviting narrative? One that doesn’t require dlc or having to look up the wiki to find out what the fuck is going on.
One last thing, I really wish you mentioned it, but the music in these games are so *fantastic*. Fuck, I only got into the series because I listened to Drakengard 3’s soundtrack and was almost immediately enraptured by the unique sound. A completely original language mixed into the beat of the battles was something I’d never experienced before, and in many ways, still have yet to again. I mean, one of my favorite songs is also Growing Wings, which I’m glad has been used as a motif throughout the series, even if sometimes it’s held behind a payment.
Regardless, excellent video as always! Can’t wait to see the Nier analysis!
I like how everyone had problems fighting the dragon while I had the easiest time defeating it ;_;
It's so sad that Caim died of legna...
for story purposes, it's very important to know how incredibly different Japanese Zero is from English Zero.
This is the first I've actually heard of Drakengard beyond "Before Nier" and I was not ready for how insane this also sounds
go to Clemps, he has a review/recap of the 3 games and Nier, from the Original to Auntomata.
Lovely isn't it.
@@garreonlefay6703 I'll have to check them out then, will be a good excuse to finally check out Clemps
@@ParmMannREBORN word of warning, even he admits this, the humor in the old drakengard videos is not very good
As an incredibly devoted fan of drakengard
yup
Gonna go ahead and nominate this cold open for the best one Kbash has ever done.
Dude stop dropping these while I’m at work! I can’t wait to watch this.
Oh yeah about Taro's writing thing, in the context where he said that he was actually saying that he literally doesn't know a thing about writing (he really kinda wound up randomly as a writer at Square), so what he does is something he made up without knowing if it's even called a technique ("backwards writing"). You're right that it's normal, and I feel like it's probable people have taken that out of context and oversold it. Taro's actually really down on himself as a writer and tbh, I feel like he ought to be because a lot of his writing is hacky (especially apparent in side materials he creates). Taro's value is absolutely vision and "direction"--like ideas on where something is going to go. Writing? Sometimes he writes something incredible; a lot of the time he writes something bad.
Hey drake guard is meant for a niche Audience like myself, and I still want an HD remaster of the games please square Enid give it to me to us.
Proofreading is hard, eh?
I don't know how I'd feel about it now, but back when I first played the first game, I enjoyed the different take on the combat mechanics/physics. It felt like how CastleVania compared to Mega Man on the NES. I still like to think this was an intentional design approach to give an element of physicality to the theme of struggling or "dragging on". I'm probably crazier now than I was then.
Really looking forward to seeing you play Nier and Nier:Automata.
I swear the cold opens to your vids kill me everytime lmaooo
I love how you physically look different after this experience
18:00 Holy shit dude, how'd you get Spoony to agree to a cameo?
Hahaha dude I thought the exact same thing, he looks like his replica from Ultima
If the pact is between two inequal creatures, then the lesser must sacrifice more than just their soul. The greater the power the more meaningful the sacrifice.
Caim was a commander without a voice.
Inuart made a picture sith a black dragon (the most powerful type) and lost his ability to make the music that Furiae fell in love with him for...
Then there was the bald guy who became bald. Presumably his pact partner was weak and that is why it got petrified, leaving him as just a regular bald guy with a weird head tattoo.
9:58 -- MAN, seeing that fight is giving me some PTSD flashbacks. Both me and my best buddy just couldn't freakin' win that boss fight and we gave up on getting the last ending after a while. Pretty sure we tried for a couple of weeks~
I cheated with the pause trick or else it wouldn't get done lmao
God I love the Drakengard-Nier series, warts and all.
Gotta admit music is a banger though.
So apparently the reason why the rhythm game boss st the end of drakengard 3 is such a pain in the ass with its moving camera angles is cuz u could pause and see the "notes" in the first drakengard game. When Yoko found out about this he was annoyed and pissed and told his team to make the final boss in 3 uncheesable... And be achieved that
Not for the faint of heart : look for a video called Nier Replicant ver 1.22 ost origins Drakengard Best OST
This came out at a good time given the Final Fantasy XIV just referenced like... All the Yoko Taro with their most recent Nier raid earlier this week.
Chop chop sony, it's reboot time
As someone who’s regularly bored stupid of most jrpg video game stories, I deeply appreciate drakengard’s wild, crazy, messy take on characters and narrative. It’s so fun and refreshing. Drakengard 2 has the best gameplay in my opinion. It’s about on the same level as dynasty warriors. Most people don’t like these games. They’re for a very particular, niche audience.