'Drakengard': A Fearsome Dragon Tale
Friday, May 19, 2006; Page WE62
Square Enix created the original "Drakengard" and brought us aerial combat from the back of a dragon along with plenty of ground-based sword fighting in the same game. "Drakengard 2" continues the tradition with a more streamlined interface and at least 30 hours of gameplay in the main campaign.
Never have I experienced army-to-army combat on such a grand scale with a PS2 game. You play Nowe, a young man raised by a dragon. As such, you can speak to dragons and humans. In the game, set 18 years after the original, Nowe has come to serve with the Knights of the Seal, guarding five magic seals that keep an evil dragon locked away. He is a good fighter on the ground, and a true terror in the air when riding the blue dragon Legna, who acts as the boy's father.
  Large-scale army combat makes "Drakengard 2" a game to behold. (Ubisoft) |
Having a dragon with the knights helps them win most battles. Missions normally consist of Nowe and Legna flying to a battleground and taking out flying monsters. Then it's open season on enemy ground troops as you swoop down and pepper them with fireballs. Normally you can kill hundreds of bad guys before the rest of the knights even show up.
With one button, you can dismount Legna and sword fight toe-to-toe with the enemy hordes, upgrading your personal powers and finding new weapons. Some indoor levels are fought completely on foot since your dragon can't fit inside. The transition between the two game modes is seamless.
Eventually you realize that the knights are not the good guys you thought they were, and you will have to undo some of the things you did previously to atone, which means more massive battles but from the other side. As others join your quest, you will gain access to more playable characters. Action gamers won't tire of the adrenaline rush of fighting hundreds of troops at once, though some may find the gameplay repetitive.
-- John Breeden II
Drakengard 2 Mature, PS2 ($40) UbiSoft
