In 2013, he was a quirky creator who took pride in creating low-budget titles that subverted traditional gaming narratives and explored ideas that western development weren’t even close to adopting.

Drakengard 3 was also released before Yoko Taro would become an auteur on the same level as Hideo Kojima or Shigeru Miyamoto. The thematic elements of hope and salvation that keep Taro’s other games from veering into complete depression aren’t found here, which won’t be to everyone’s taste. This is a far darker tale than Nier or its sequel Automata, partly because it’s obsessed with the nature of misery, sexual gratification and the basest of human instincts. I often found myself powering through tiresome combat sequences just to experience the next nugget of dialogue, or a narrative revelation that would change the flow of our heroine’s journey dramatically. Once again, the story and characters do much of the heavy lifting in Drakengard 3.

Related: I Love The Refreshing Normality Of Sexuality In Nier Automata Violence is a part of the perpetual cycle that defines this game, so it all makes sense. You’ll sometimes need to kill things in a certain order or solve a puzzle by killing more things, but the overall flow never really changes.

Beyond cutscenes and customising the main character, 90 percent of gameplay has you following a linear path and killing everything in your way. Released as a PS3 exclusive back in 2013, Yoko Taro returned to his action roots with an experience that mimicked the original Drakengard in a number of ways. Sure, some outlets still loved it, but the general praise was far less generous, and rightfully so - it’s a worse game in almost every regard.īut much like Replicant, a remaster would do this unorthodox adventure a world of good. I mentioned in another article that such criticisms were justified, but even once the dust had settled, it had nothing on the critical reception suffered by Yoko Taro’s next project - Drakengard 3. The original Nier received a lot of flack upon its original release, with some critics panning its boring combat, repetitive quest design, and oddly paced story.

Drakengard 3 soundtrack listing