Drakengard 2
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| Drakengard 2 | |
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| Developer(s) | cavia, inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix Ubisoft |
| Release date(s) | JPN June 16, 2005 NA February 14, 2006 EUR March 2, 2006 AUS TBA |
| Genre(s) | Action, RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature PEGI: 12+ |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | 1 DVD-ROM |
Drakengard 2, or Drag-On Dragoon 2 in Japan, is an action based role playing game 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 action with aerial-combat stages reminiscent of Sega's Panzer Dragoon. It was developed by cavia, inc., published in Japan by Square Enix on June 16, 2005 and released in North America by Ubisoft on February 14, 2006.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] Story
The story is set eighteen years after the end of the original Drakengard, in which the hero Caim saved the world from destruction and the red dragon Angelus sacrificed her life to become the final seal, preventing a world-ending calamity. The game begins with Nowe, a young man that had been raised by a dragon since infancy, completing his initiation into the Knights of the Seal, a military organization dedicated to protecting the keys located in five districts that hold the red dragon's seal in place. However, during his first official mission, Nowe learns that the keys are powered by the life energy of "martyrs", or citizens of the former Empire that had almost destroyed the world during the war with the Union eighteen years prior. Having doubts about his duties, Nowe later encounters a mysterious young woman named Manah, who holds a desire to help the people by freeing the districts from the rule of the knights.
Although Nowe feels conflicted, he is given further reason to doubt the knights when their leader, General Gismor, betrays him by first feeding him poison, and then revealing that he also poisoned General Oror, the former leader of the Knights of the Seal, and Nowe's adoptive human father. Anger causes Nowe's dragon blood to momentarily activate, Nowe attacks Gismor, severing the general's right arm, and then flees. With nowhere else to turn, he travels on his own with the dragon Legna as his only companion until he once again crosses paths with Manah. Intrigued by Manah's purpose, Nowe accompanies her on a quest to free each district, unaware of what consequences their actions would have on the world.
[edit] Characters
Playable Characters
- Nowe: Nowe is the main protagonist of Drakengard 2. He uses Swords and Longswords in battle and is strong against knights, but weak against undead. He is also the only one who can summon Legna. He was raised by the blue/black dragon Legna from infancy, learning how to speak and understand the dragon tongue without the need of becoming a pact partner. During Nowe's childhood, General Oror, then the leader of the Knights of the Seal, discovered him huddled in Legna's wings, and convinced the dragon to allow him to raise the boy so that he could become more than a "wingless dragon." Nowe apparently has three fathers; his biological father who he seems to have never met, though artwork and creator comments hint that it is Inuart, Legna who raised him, and General Oror who became his adoptive father. He is often referred to as "The Dragon Child" (and once as an insult, the "Demon Child") and is often called "The Savior" by Seere and Oror when he was alive, although Nowe is humble and hates being called a savior. As an adult, Nowe becomes a full-fledged Knight of the Seal at the beginning of the game. As the central character, the plot focuses around the truth behind his past and the discovery of his destiny. Nowe is in fact a being known as a "new breed," a being created by the dragons meant to take humanity's place once the dragons regained control of the world.
- Legna: The dragon that acts as Nowe's "father," Legna is an ancient blue/black dragon who's unrelenting pride compares only to his might and intelligence. It is revealed much later on that Legna had a deeper motivation for raising and protecting Nowe. Legna's role was to help the Holy Dragons achieve power by helping awaken the new breed. He seems to have very little caring for humans, especially after he had heard Angelus' tale for sacrificing herself to become the seal, he remarked: "Fool, never trust a human." The only major exception to the rule is Nowe, saying he is the only human he would care to be with. He also showed some compassion towards Eris, in the second ending he told her she did not need to sacrifice her happiness in becoming the new goddess seal and he also shows some admiration towards Urick, calling him a joker. His "blood memory" allows him to evolve into more powerful forms when the situation grows dire, which helps him guide and protect Nowe. However, Legna's ultimate form as the holy dragon is drastically different from the other holy dragons shown in the game, and obviously much more powerful. The official materials collection entitled "Memory of Blood" states that Legna is Inuart's black dragon.[1] Interestingly while Legna is known as the black dragon, in Chapter 12 of the first ending path, he has a blueish shading but for the other endings he has a black shading that matches the black dragon description. He is called a blue dragon during one of the game's two introductions but is called a black dragon during Nowe and Legna's quest in the Ancient Tomb.
- Eris: A female knight whose fighting ability was advanced for her age, allowing her to rise quickly through the ranks from childhood. She has a long friendship with Nowe, and the game hints that she has also fallen in love with him. She vows to take Nowe back from Manah because she believes Nowe is under her spell. During a confrontation between Nowe and General Gismor, Gismor uses Eris as a human shield, and Nowe accidentally runs her through with his sword. However, she survives and is restored to health by Hierarch Seere. Eris is another one of the playable characters in the game; she uses spears as her weapons and is especially strong against undead, but weak against human enemies. In the game's first ending, Eris is chosen to become the new goddess of the seal, taking the role previously held by Angelus and Furiae.
- Urick: A renegade warrior, also known as "The Masked Man", with the air of a jokester. During his days as a Knight of the Seal under General Oror, he acted as a big brother figure to Nowe. He is secretly the pact partner of a reaper, and as a result he can only die if the reaper itself is slain while inside him. He made the pact when he was severely injured in a fight with Caim. Oror saved Urick, but Urick fled and became wracked with guilt, believing himself to be a coward for leaving Oror to die at Caim's hands and for making the pact with the reaper. To atone for the wrong-doing he believes he has committed, he seeks an end to his immortal life. During the events of Drakengard 2, Nowe and Manah find him in the City of Rust and agrees to join them in their quest to destroy the Districts. He uses axes in battle and his attacks are especially effective against monsters, but weak against magic using enemies. Urick is the guardian of the District of Shining Life. He is finally killed at the hands of Caim, who sought to destroy the district's key. Urick had no regrets about his death as he said he’d be training with General Oror, and possibly Yaha, in the afterlife.
- Manah: A mysterious young woman with great magical powers and vast knowledge of the dark arts. Her past is unbeknown to Nowe, whom later befriends Manah when he leaves the Knights. Manah seeks to destroy the keys of the five districts in order to free those that suffer under their existence, unaware that she is inadvertently reenacting the events of her childhood. Following her actions resulting in the destruction of the key at the District of Soul Flame, she was branded as a criminal by the Knights of the Seal and sentenced to death, but used her magic in order to escape. As a child, Manah had gone mad and was possessed by the gods, who used her as a means to destroy the world during the events of the original Drakengard. Her past has left her with a traumatic fear of Caim. In Drakengard 2, she unknowingly re-enacts her previous crimes by convincing Nowe and Urick to help her in destroying Angelus's seals, and once again brings the world to chaos, due to the influence of the gods who still held dominion over her. Upon realizing what she's done, she goes mad and is only returned to sanity when Nowe defeats the gods plaguing her mind. In battle, Manah uses staves and is especially effective against magic using enemies, but weak against monsters.
Non-playable Characters
- The Knights of the Seal: The Knights of the Seal is a military organization founded by Hierarch Verdelet eighteen years ago after the war between the Empire and the Union in order to protect and establish the seals over the world. At first, when Oror was the general of the Knights, their motives were pure and just, but once he was killed and Gismor took his place, the knights only sought to establish their rule. Seere is the current Hierarch over the Knights of the Seal.
- Hierarch Verdelet: Verdelet was the previous Hierarch. He was the one who performed the sealing ceremony over Angelus in the first Drakengard game and was the one who established the Knights of the Seal in order to prevent the world from falling apart once again eighteen years ago. Three years ago he was killed by Caim in his mission to break the seals and free Angelus. Seere took his place as hierarch.
- Hierarch Seere: The current hierarch and leader of the Knights of the Seal. Although he has the appearance of a young child, Seere is actually about twenty-four years old. His time, or his ability to grow old, was the price he paid in entering a pact with a golem. Seere is Manah's twin brother, and he suffers constant guilt because his mother loved him but abused his twin sister. He also seems to possess strong magical potential similar to his sister, but has the added gift of prophecy which Manah does not possess. It was his prophetic visions that led him to Nowe, whom he dubbed the “savior." Although Seere's father was mentioned in the first game, nothing is revealed about him in the second game.
- General Gismor: The current general of the Knights of the Seal and a former member of the Empire. Gismor is shady in nature, lustful for power and control, and he will stop at nothing to achieve absolute power. He attempts to murder Nowe by poisoning him, and also reveals to him that he had a hand in Oror's death by doing the same thing. Before Gismor can finish Nowe off, Nowe reveals his "new breed" powers for the first time in a fit of anger. Gismor loses his right arm in the assault, but he is seen later on the game with a new one courtesy of his pact partner, a shadow. Gismor is secretly the guardian of the District of Heavenly Time.
- General Oror: The late general of the Knights of the Seal, a former Union officer, and foster father to Nowe. He trained both Urick and Nowe and was said to be quite a powerful warrior even without having a Pact-Beast. He is mentioned quite often by many of the characters. He was poisoned when he drank water given to him by General Gismor, but did not succumb to its effects until he entered battle with Caim, who killed Oror in his weakened state. Oror is widely remembered as a just and noble individual and Nowe strove to become more like him and has vowed to avenge his death, which he does.
- Zhangpo: The guardian of the District of Soul Flame, Zhangpo is a man of childish temperament. Weak as a child, he constantly ate food with the goal of growing big and strong until he became a pact partner of an Ifrit, a fire spirit. The price Zhangpo paid for the pact was his ability to eat and taste food, leaving him in a constant state of hunger. When monsters attacked the District of Soul Flame, he sent Manah and a few martyrs inside in order to make sure that the district key had not been disturbed. However, after realizing that Manah intended to destroy the key, he gave pursuit, along with Nowe and Eris. Unable to protect the Flame Dais from Manah's efforts, Zhangpo dies just as Eris and Nowe enter the chamber.
- Hanch: The only female district guardian, Hanch was once a charming girl that the people of her village referred to as "Sunsmile." One day she went on a boat with her friends, an incident that would change her life when she fell into the lake and almost drowned. She made a pact with the sea monster Kelpie in order to survive. The price of her pact was her allure, causing her to become unattractive and unpleasant. She revealed later on that she conspired with Gismor to poison Nowe's water. As the guardian of the District of Hallowed Water, she fights against Nowe and Legna from atop Kelpie, but she proves to be no match for them.
- Yaha: The guardian of the District of Precious Light, Yaha entered a pact with the gnomes, and in return was given such dazzling beauty that he could entrance anyone that looked directly into his eyes. He and Urick were once very close to each other, and are hinted to have shared a homosexual relationship, but by the time the events of Drakengard 2 unfold, Urick has put all of that behind him. Yaha attempts to defend the district by sending the gnomes and the ent/golem after Nowe and his companions, but when his pact partners are killed by Urick, Yaha's life comes to an end and the district's key is destroyed.
- Caim: Frequently referred to as "The One-Eyed Man,", he is an immensely powerful fighter and relentless opponent that wields a massive sword. Caim was the main protagonist of Drakengard, and his pact partner is the red dragon Angelus. He seeks to destroy the district keys in order to free Angelus from her burden as goddess of the seal. Between the events of Drakengard and Drakengard 2, Caim sought revenge by murdering Verdelet, the previous hierarch who was responsible for sealing Angelus, and the cause of the red dragon's descent into madness. Caim also killed Oror, the former general of the Knights of the Seal and Nowe's adoptive father, as part of his efforts to destroy the keys and break Angelus's seal. Caim asked Legna and Nowe to kill Angelus in order to save the world from her. Nowe, while knowing that Caim had killed his foster father Oror, felt sorry for Caim and Angelus, but reluctantly agreed to grant Caim's request.
- Angelus: The Red Dragon who gave her life to become the final seal in the first game. She is also Caim's pact-partner. When the five keys are broken, she is set free and, maddened by the burden the seal had placed on her, goes on a psychotic rampage to destroy humanity. In reference to what drove her mad, Hierarch Seere explains that the keys of each district were necessary to keep Angelus sealed because the process of sealing a dragon is different from that of a goddess, requiring methods "most cruel." In the end, Nowe and Legna are forced to kill Angelus, which in turn brings about the death of Caim.
- Note:Angelus's name in the Japanese versions of Drakengard and Drakengard 2 is "Angel," which is "Legna" spelled backwards.
- The Holy Dragons: The Holy Dragons (also known as the Arch Dragons) are a unique race of dragons that were responsible for the creation of humans. They were originally the rulers of the world after the gods created it but were driven from their place by the gods and are in a constant war with them. They now return to reclaim their place as the rulers of the world by awakening the new breed as their weapon.
- The Nameless: The Nameless (known as the Grotesqueries in the previous game) are a pantheon of gods that created the world of Drakengard. They consider themselves its rightful rulers, thinking of humans as nothing more than their "playthings" and the dragons as their "servants". They drove the Holy Dragons from their "Throne" and became gods. They are in a constant war with the Holy Dragons over the rule of the world. The gods were also the ones who manipulated Manah and the Cult of the Watchers in Drakengard to destroy the seals, and they attempted to gain control over her again in this game, using her neglected love and guilt to their advantage.
[edit] Trivia
- The world of Drakengard is full of magic and technology with culture and entities originating from medieval Europe. Apparently, this world is separated from Earth by the seals as in the first game's final ending Caim and Angelus were able to travel through the chaos and arrive in modern day Tokyo. For this world to remain free of chaos the seal and the goddess are needed to keep the chaos at bay.
- Apparently the gods and the dragons are in a war to determine who will rule this world. The dragons seem to be ruled by angelic entities known as the holy dragons or the arch dragons. The gods seem to be the opposite of the holy dragons as they seem to resort to demonic practices such as possessing Manah, and seem to identify themselves as "I" and "us" interchangeably while speaking through Manah.
- In the first game Angelus evolves into stronger forms, due to her pact with Caim, but in Drakengard 2, she is seen in her second-to-last form since her chaos dragon form could only be acquired on the non-canonical third ending path of Drakengard.
- Keeping with the first game, the map is once again a map of Europe, specifically eastern Europe. Unlike the first game, however, the map has not been flipped.
- The Castle of the Goddess stage is a recreation of one of the stages from the original Drakengard. It was the home of Caim's sister, the former goddess Furiae. The first time the stage is visited during the Drakengard 2 storyline, the player begins just outside the entrance to the goddess's chamber on the top floor.
[edit] Sources
- ^ Drag-on Dragoon 2 - Memory of Blood (in Japanese). 電撃PlayStation編集部 (2005), p. 80.
- Drag-on Dragoon 2 Game Manual (in Japanese). Square Enix (2005).
- Drakengard 2 Game Manual (in German). Square Enix (2006).
- Drag-on Dragoon 2 - Memory of Blood (in Japanese). 電撃PlayStation編集部 (2005).
- Drag-on Dragoon 2 - Official Complete Guide (in Japanese). Square Enix (2005).
- Drakengard 2-Prima's official guidebook (in English) Prima (2006)
