![]() Sex is a major theme in Drakengard 3, as Zero’s disciples are marked by their “kinks”: there’s the sadist, the masochist, and the nymphomaniac. His sadism is so manifest that even Zero gets a bit bewildered by it: “ You’re a sick puppy, aren’t you,” she observes after he happily laughs at the prospect of Zero mutilating some soldiers. The first disciple that Zero gets – Dito – lives up to his name and mimics her predisposition to violence, frequently rejoicing at the fate of their enemies. Violence is also used for comic purposes: Zero murders even characters that promise to help her if they’re being too annoying about it, and there’s a scene in which Mikhail’s reaction to the murder is played out for laughs – as he can’t understand why she would do such horrible thing without thinking twice. This contrast also makes for some moments of humor: during a conversation with one of her disciples about their night activities, Mikhail interjects to ask, “ What’s a kink?” He frequently questions why she can’t just talk things out with her sisters, which makes the protagonist’s violent actions even more pronounced – in the same way Zero’s white clothes and hair make the blood that splashes on her stand out even more. While she’s crude and sadistic, Mikhail is innocent and compassionate. Zero constantly has to scold him for eating maggots, being impulsive, or repeating sentences, as kids usually do, since they learn by repetition. We are first introduced to him in a cutscene that shows Mikhail rolling over some mud, happy as a dog. He’s a dragon, but he’s also a kid, speaking with the voice of a very young boy. Her companion, the dragon Mikhail, doesn’t buy her practical explanations either. But if it’s a matter of revenge, justice, or something else, we are left to wonder at the beginning. For example, when she defeats the first one, she keeps attacking the body, mutilating it, while screaming in anger: if there’s anger, she’s emotionally involved in the situation it means that it’s personal. We can guess there’s something more to her actions because she seems hellbent on murdering her fellow Intoners. Zero’s motivation is one of the core questions of the story: she claims that she only wants power, that she’s killing her sisters to be the only Intoner in the world, but her actions betray any pragmatic excuse she might make for herself. But since the following events contradict the characterization, descriptions, and overall tone of his lines, we are left with a huge red flag that may point out that the opposite of what the narrator said is true. Instead of the narrator explaining to us that the world is under authoritarian rule and that the Intoners are violent, tyrannical beings, he tells us the opposite. He talked about the people revering the goddesses, but he’s quick to call Zero – an Intoner – a savage, and she’s quick to point out the irony.Īs a result, the worldbuilding in the game is presented to us indirectly. The contrast serves to deconstruct everything that was explained by the narrator, painting him as an unreliable one: he talked about peace and harmony, but the protagonist is now being seen soaked in blood, which is also splashing onto the screen. This contrast in tone, which goes from reverent to gore in a span of seconds, is a perfect introduction to Drakengard 3, whose narrative is built upon this device. “ You murderous savage,” he accuses Zero, who promptly replies, “ Savage? I think you mean Intoner.” She then proceeds to slaughter every soldier in front of the building. The tone of the text is one of reverence, as the narrator seems enamored with the Intoners, stating how everything became better with their arrival and “ mankind enjoyed an age of sweet reverie.” But suddenly the narrator stops his account, as he’s fatally wounded by the protagonist, Zero. The narrator talks about the sudden coming of deities called Intoners: goddesses that came to his worn-torn world to bring back peace and order with their magical songs. The game – which serves as a prequel to the first two Drakengards – opens with a narration typical of the genre, the one that functions as an introduction to the fantastical world where the story takes place. As the game goes on, however, it gets dragged down by repetition: characters never evolve beyond their initial characterization, levels are reused ad aeternum, and the combat boils down to using the same combo over and over again. ![]() Drakengard 3 is a narrative-driven action game that shows some promise at the beginning, when it presents intriguing characters and mysteries with a striking, aggressive tone, and a serviceable combat system. ![]()
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