Drakengard 3

 PlayStation 3
Drakengard 3 Image
Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 329 Ratings

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  • Summary: A prequel to the original game, Drakengard 3 transports players to a medieval world where 6 sisters tout special magical abilities as the Intoners. These sisters have brought peace to the earth with their power to manipulate magic through song. Harmony is disrupted, however, when the eldestA prequel to the original game, Drakengard 3 transports players to a medieval world where 6 sisters tout special magical abilities as the Intoners. These sisters have brought peace to the earth with their power to manipulate magic through song. Harmony is disrupted, however, when the eldest sister, Zero, attempts to kill her younger sisters with the help of her dragon companion, Mikhail. As the story progresses, players find themselves in a battle to unravel the mystery of Zero and learn her true intentions.… Expand
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Drakengard 3 - Announcement Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 33
  3. Negative: 5 out of 33
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    May 23, 2014
    90
    This is a game that is most interested in telling a story, and, just as with Nier before it, Drakengard 3 has a plot that is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's the kind of game that is going to inevitably be under-appreciated by people who can't be bothered trying to understand it. Judging from some of the other critical responses to the game that have already been published, we're already seeing that happen.
  2. LaPS4
    May 30, 2014
    77
    Drakengard 3 could have been just superb if the visuals were better. It is a game made for fans. It will be disconcert newcomers to the saga, but will astonish them because of the complex plot it offers.
  3. GameSpot
    May 27, 2014
    70
    I love that the game portrays its female characters as assertive beings that desire and need sex on their own terms, instead of as sexual material doled out in-game as "rewards" for player performance.
  4. PSX Extreme
    Jun 4, 2014
    60
    Drakengard 3 is sort of an enigma. You should either avoid it like the plague or, if your curiosity has been piqued by this review, you should give it a try.
  5. Games Master UK
    Jun 29, 2014
    57
    It also has some of the dullest combat you ever did see. [Aug 2014, p.78]
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  6. God is a Geek
    Jun 2, 2014
    50
    Drakengard 3 will join the collections of many series fans, as it certainly has buckets of character and no doubt stays true to the previous games. For anyone else looking for an interesting action-RPG, it misses the target far too often to recommend it as an essential purchase.
  7. Metro GameCentral
    May 22, 2014
    30
    It’s obviously been made on the cheap, but that’s no excuse for the legion of technical problems and the embarrassingly unsophisticated script of this obnoxious action game.

See all 33 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 62
  3. Negative: 8 out of 62
  1. Moge4579
    Nov 3, 2017
    10
    Me encanto la verdad!!!
    Zero es super genial y la historia que lo rodea con esa comedia macabra del juego lo ahce aun mas genial!! Yoko taro    Me encanto la verdad!!!
    Zero es super genial y la historia que lo rodea con esa comedia macabra del juego lo ahce aun mas genial!! Yoko taro dijo que le gustaria hacer una remastered para ps4, espero que si lo hagan, me encantaria!!!    … Expand
  2. Starlord
    May 20, 2014
    10
    Some critic reviews are a bit all over the place. This game is far from perfect, but personally this game has been fun for the 2 hours of meSome critic reviews are a bit all over the place. This game is far from perfect, but personally this game has been fun for the 2 hours of me playing it. What I don't understand is reviews reviewing games that doesn't fit their personal taste. When they have to review it, they give low scores due to their "personal taste".

    Anyways, if you love action games, JRPGs or a Drakengard series fan this game " in my opinion" is a must have. It does have bad words in the game, so if you can't handle that, I suggest you not to get it. Overall I have having loads of fun I give this game a 9    … Expand
  4. superpieguy
    May 20, 2014
    10
    Ah, I knew this was probably going to be met with mediocre-level reviews. I honestly don't understand where people seem to be getting offAh, I knew this was probably going to be met with mediocre-level reviews. I honestly don't understand where people seem to be getting off about long load times. They really are not all that long. Aside from that, there are some framerate issues, but they don't detract from the game as a whole. The gameplay is extremely fast-paced, frantic, and fun. Endlessly slaughtering enemies, really. The story is dark, and also throws in some seriously morbid, as well as sexual humor. It's a great experience, and if you can overlook the framerate issues, it is really a great game. I love it.… Expand
  5. limelight
    Jul 26, 2015
    9
    So I gave this game a 2nd chance, glad i did (i was worried this game was like Dynasty Warriors which im not a fan of). Oh and this game is aSo I gave this game a 2nd chance, glad i did (i was worried this game was like Dynasty Warriors which im not a fan of). Oh and this game is a prequel to the other two games (which i never played or even heard of until now) Anyway the story is the female lead- Zero, is hellbent on killing her 5 sisters. Shes pissed and will stop at nothing to complete her goal. Thats the simple version. It gets better. Way better. Sounds really messed up (which it is) BUT i think she's entertaining and funny as are her disciples. Great action/rpg/hack n slash game.
    If youre worried about being lost in this massive rpg world dont be- everything is set up very straighforward and clear. Levels are linear and menus precise and to the point, (this goes for viewing/completing side missions, upgrading and collecting weapons as well). Collectibles (chests) arent a big deal if you miss one. You can go the chapter menu, and go to subchapters (called Verse) and it will clearly show you how many chests you missed on which Chapter and Verse. You can even start at checkpoints within chapters to collect chests if you want to.
    You have some light RPG elements- buy and upgrade weapons, buy potions for extra health, damage, defense, etc. Its simple but works fine. After you defeat a boss you get to keep their disciples who range from a 22 year old well hung and very horny guy whose body ages quickly to a well rounded...masochist. Thier chatter during and in between missions is very different from the usual bro games like CoD and its something i like. Sounds strange and it is but the combat is good and theres a ton of missions. I just unlocked the last set of missions for Branch D (there are four "endings" in the game- you progress just as you normally would within the game- until you hit branch D. In order to play and complete branch D, you must collect all the weapons. Again, not as hard as it sounds. So far I think I'm about 30+ hours in and still enjoying it. I'll probably buy the slightly overpriced dlc missions just so i can keep playing because i enjoy this game so much and want to contribute to its success, (even though ive read the creator of this game is currently in unemployment with no projects in the near future). :(
    I was really worried about the frame rate problems because ive read lots of comments referring to it but ultimately for me they didnt happen as often as i thought they would so no problems there.
    And finally, i usually scour the internet looking for other opinions besides the critics- and I gotta say I think the critics were wrong on this one. I think its because they probably only got the first "ending" (Branch A) and put it down after that. Currently its at 61 here on metacritic which i think it deserves around 80 at least.Give it a shot though, i think its $20 new and the missions dlc are $30 for all six. I somehow got the Japanese voice pack and a couple outfits for free off the psn (no idea how that happened). Since i started though ive just been using the english voiceover which is pretty good i think. I like Zero's voice actress a lot. Not going to spoil anything here, but theres a few key scenes in the game i will revisit with the Japanese VO to see how much they differ or are the same.    … Expand
  6. boshi
    Jun 22, 2014
    8
    despite some technical issues, this ia a really good game. the story is great, with good characters, and decent voice acting. the gameplay isdespite some technical issues, this ia a really good game. the story is great, with good characters, and decent voice acting. the gameplay is fun, and there are many weapons with varying move-sets for each. graphically the cut scenes are beautiful, and the in game graphics are pretty good as well. the only problems i had were some slow downs in big battles, and texture loading times.… Expand
  7. 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 knowsThe 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
  8. Lee_boi
    Apr 26, 2015
    0
    oh yeah, not to mention this game is a wannabe nier game and they still suck making this game square enix could have done better with theoh yeah, not to mention this game is a wannabe nier game and they still suck making this game square enix could have done better with the graphics come on we are in 2014-15… Expand

See all 62 User Reviews

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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