Drakengard 2

Drakengard 2
Developer(s)	Cavia
Publisher(s)	Square Enix Ubisoft (outside of Japan)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	JP June 16, 2005 NA February 14, 2006 EU March 2, 2006 AUS March 9, 2006[1]
Genre(s)	Action role playing game Aerial combat
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: C ESRB: Mature (17+) OFLC: MA15+ PEGI: 12
Media/distribution	1 DVD-ROM

Drakengard 2, or Drag-On Dragoon 2: Fūin no Aka, Haitoku no Kuro (ドラッグオンドラグーン2 封印の紅、背徳の黒, "Drag-On Dragoon 2: Sealed Red, Corrupt Black"^?) in Japan, is an action RPG for the PlayStation 2 system and is a direct sequel to the original Drakengard. Like the original, Drakengard 2 combines on-foot hack and slash with aerial combat stages reminiscent of Sega's Panzer Dragoon. It was developed by Cavia, published in Japan by Square Enix on June 16, 2005 and released in North America by Ubisoft on February 14, 2006.

Gameplay

Drakengard 2 features a number of refinements and enhancements designed to make the game better than its predecessor. For instance, in the original game, the player could only regain health by causing health orbs to generate after chaining enough attacks together, and each stage featured a strict time limit in which the objectives needed to be met. The sequel eases things by allowing the player to purchase and equip health and magic restoration items before beginning each stage, and the time limits have been done away with almost entirely. Furthermore, should the player's character die, Drakengard 2 will retain all experience gained over the course of play should the player elect to try the stage again.

The original Drakengard featured exactly sixty-five unique weapons to collect over the course of the game, and finding every last one of them was a requirement to see all five of the game's different endings. However, the process of collecting the weapons was seen by many as tedious and somewhat frustrating, and so Drakengard 2 simplifies the process by making many of the weapons in the game available for purchase in village shops. Purchasing a weapon only requires that the player has stockpiled enough gold to buy it.

One change that Drakengard 2 makes that is not universally accepted is the alteration to the stage selection feature. The original game featured the ability to revisit any stage at any time, but the storyline of Drakengard 2 is presented in a linear fashion that prevents the player from revisiting story-specific missions. This is mitigated somewhat by the existence of free expedition, or basic missions that utilize many of the same maps as the story missions, but the player must either replay through the game from scratch or keep a save file prior to a specific story mission in order to play it again.

Story

The game begins with Nowe a boy raised by a dragon, joining the Knights of the Seal, whose purpose is to protect the keys holding the red dragon's seal in place, which prevents the end of the world. Nowe begins to wonder about the ethics of the Knights when he discovers that the keys are powered by the life force of some of the land's citizens. His faith is further shaken when the general, General Gismor, tries to poison him, then reveals that he poisoned his predecessor, General Oror, Nowe's adoptive father. Nowe's anger prompts him to attack Gismor, severing his arm, before fleeing from him and the other Knights. Eris, a friend of Nowe's within the Knights, sets off to convince Nowe to return. While on the run, he is accompanied by his dragon named Legna. They soon meet Manah, a sorceress on a quest to free the people from the rule of the Knights. Nowe decides to join her.

During their travels, they meet Urick, an ex-Knight who trained under General Oror. After some time, they arrive at the District of Shining Life, which Caim, protagonist of the first game, is already assaulting. Nowe then discovers that Urick is the guardian of the district. Because he has become close friends with Urick, Nowe attempts to save Urick's life by challenging Caim himself. Urick, however, is still mortally wounded during the battle; Urick manages to push Caim into a chasm before he dies. With Urick's death, the key in the district is destroyed.

Nowe repeats this for the other keys, killing their guardians to destroy their keys. The last key, Nowe discovers, is guarded by General Gismor, who Nowe discovers is actually a phantom of darkness. Eris is stabbed and thought to be killed at this time, as Gismor uses her as a human shield. Nowe defeats Gismor, but before he can strike him down, Gismor destroys his key so Nowe can’t have the pleasure of killing him.

With the destruction of the keys, Angelus, the red dragon of the seal, is released. She begins a rampage across the land, having been driven mad by the tortures of being the seal. Nowe receives a note from Caim saying to slay Angelus because he just wanted to see her one more time. Nowe and Legna then battle with Angelus and slay her. With her death, the world reverts to the state it was in during the first game.

Legna carries Nowe to a repository of knowledge created by the holy dragons, where he learns of a prophecy that he will end the war between the dragons and the gods. At this time, Eris catches up to Nowe and joins him. Legna then carries Nowe to an artifact called the Bone Casket. Legna says that Nowe must enter the casket to fulfill the prophecy. The player is then given the option of having Nowe enter the casket or refuse to do so. If Nowe refuses, Legna attacks him, forcing Nowe to slay Legna. Eris reveals herself to be a goddess, and becomes the seal to restore order to the world. If Nowe agrees to climb into the casket, the casket attacks Nowe, forcing him to battle it. During the battle, the casket merges with Manah, forcing Nowe to kill both the casket and Manah. At this point, Nowe, Legna and Eris resolve to join the dragons in their war with the gods. An alternate ending exists in which the casket does not merge with Manah, because she is able to subdue it. Legna then reveals that he only cared for Nowe so he could use him as a weapon, prompting the battle between Nowe and Legna. With Legna's death, both the gods and the dragons fade away, negating the need for a seal.

Characters

Nowe - Knight of the Seal who was raised by General Oror and Legna. A super-human that Legna calls the "New Breed" and the main protagonist.
Manah - A mentally unstable woman seeking to destroy the keys maintaining the Goddess Seal to free the oppressed people.
General Oror - Originally the leader of the Knights of the Seal, he raised Nowe with the aid of Legna.
Legna - Blue Dragon, raised Nowe. Said to be the Imperial dragon that killed Caim's parents and thus the pact partner of Inuart from the previous game (Legna is originally described as a Blue dragon, but later evolves into a black dragon).
Caim - Protagonist of the first Drakengard game and seeks to destroy the keys maintaining the Dragon Seal. He seeks to free Angelus from her burden.
Eris - Female Knight of the Seal, long childhood friend of Nowe.
General Gismor - Leader of the Knights of the Seal.
Angelus - Red Dragon, Goddess Seal, and Caim's pact partner, driven mad by the intensified burden of the seal.
Urick-Friend of Nowe, ex-knight of the seal, Claimed a pact with the reaper, Now wears an Iron mask to hide his face.

References

1. ^ Jeremy Jastrzab (2006-02-27). "Updated Australian release list, 27/02/06". PALGN. http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=3975. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Official website