It's a cruel world out there, and many of yesteryear's gaming giants are struggling to cope in the modern video games market. Only this week we've seem former behemoth Acclaim lose several key franchises and face fresh speculation that they are on the verge of biting the proverbial dust. At the same time there are an elite band of super companies that command such a loyal following that their future is all but guaranteed no matter what challenges the industry may face in the future. One such company is Square Enix, the brains behind the ridiculously successful series. So when a company such as quietly slips an action/RPG title onto the market with little more than an apologetic whimper one cannot help but be curious.

Despite being a Square Enix title, Drakengard (or Drag On Dragoon as it's called in Japan) is most likely not what you're expecting. Since it's possibly best described as an amalgamation of Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Sega's REZ, there's reason to be optimistic. The sad truth, however, is that Drakengard fails to capture what is best about these titles and leaves you wondering who the game is directed toward and what purpose it serves.

The plot that drives the proceedings is very much your typical affair, with some slightly unusual characters helping to drive it forward. The main character is Caim, who unusually for an RPG hero demonstrates a quite disturbing obsession for bloodlust and war. After suffering a near fatal injury his path crosses with a dragon also on the verge of death. Despite Caim's hate of dragons (who were responsible for the death of his parents) and the dragon's loathing of humans (when we encounter the dragon she is chained to the stone floor of a castle, left to die after torture) the ceremony grants both of them life, whilst bonding them together indefinitely. It makes a pleasing change from the usual "boy comes home, boy finds his village destroyed, boy seeks vengeance" nonsense that we're so tired of hearing. A superb orchestral soundtrack, some very decent voice acting and typical high quality Square Enix cut scenes seem initially to offer a very tempting package.

Unfortunately this promise is not carried through into the gameplay, which is best described as woeful. Play takes one of two forms; you're either ploughing your way through literally thousands of minions on foot or shooting down what can only be described as large "things" in a style not unlike Panzer Dragoon Orta. However, neither is particularly satisfying. First of all, the on foot battles are both painfully basic and agonisingly repetitive. You thought EA's titles were simplistic? At least they offered 3 button combos; very nearly all of Drakengard's combat is executed by hammering away at the square button. At certain points in the automatically generated combos you have the brief chance to tap the triangle button to modify your attack. Other than that, there is the chance to unleash magic spells occasionally when the corresponding gauge has filled, but that really is your lot.

The dreaded camera, the bane of many an adventure title, is also especially shoddy in Drakengard. Right stick control of it is incredibly tricky since the camera snaps back to its previous position once you let go. Most of the time it's simply incapable of placing itself in a good position, especially when enemies encircle you. The lack of mid level saving is generally not a problem, though when you hit the later larger levels you'll be crying in pain as you're forced to scythe down the same 1500 enemies all over again.

Compounding this control disaster is the monstrously horrendous fogging and pop up that litters every single stage. The draw distance is utterly pitiful and would not have even been excusable on a first generation title, let alone now. The inability to see enemies before you're more or less on top of them means that you're required to constantly call upon the map to guide your path through the level. This is not so much of a problem at the beginning of a stage when you're more likely to wade in regardless, but toward the end of a level you'll either be seeking out further enemies to help level up your character or avoiding them for fear of death. Having to check the map for the nearest enemy cluster every 2 seconds grows old very quickly. Graphically the characters themselves are perfectly adequate, though nothing more and the terrible AI in far from inspirational. Once spotted by a cluster of enemies they will approach, circle, attack and subsequently die. Nothing else. Each group does have a leader that the game claims if killed affects the remaining soldiers, though this is barely noticeable. The narrative draws reference to a great war between the Union and the Empire, but such a feeling of epic confrontation is rarely present in the game - it's just you and your dragon against the world.

The aerial sections are not as bad though it's hard to find anything especially praiseworthy. Fogging and pop up are again a huge problem; it's disconcerting to approach the point where the radar insists enemies lie in wait, only for them to appear when seemingly only a few metres away. Like REZ and Panzer Dragoon Orta, your firing reticule is able to lock on to multiple enemies which can then be fired at simultaneously. Also possible is a special magic attack. These are easily the most impressive moments of the game, being accompanied by a menacing booming sound and some subtle yet effective light distortion techniques. There's no escaping though the fact that none of these sections are especially engaging. It's possible to avoid nearly all attacks by quickly nipping away at the last moment with the shoulder buttons and slowly shooting down bland enemy after bland enemy with your distinctly non-spectacular fire breath is really quite dull.

Looking at Drakengard as a total package it's hard to imagine what audience Square Enix were aiming for when developing the game. The single button fighting is too dull for surely all but the youngest gamers, yet the puddles of blood left by the defeated foes and the wanton bloodlust demonstrated by Caim exclude this very audience. The RPG elements of the title are also kept to a minimum. Caim himself does not level up; instead the varied assortment of weapons that can be collected throughout the game can each individually be developed. There is a huge range available, some hidden in the far corners of the (very foggy) maps and for the completists out there the somewhat short lifespan of the title is boosted by the challenge of hunting down and maxing out every weapon by revisiting previous levels. The same cannot be said about your progression through the game. There's no RPG sense of freedom here. You progress from one stage to the next without any choice at all. There is an in-game map though its only real use is for revisiting previous stages, but with such little fun on offer it's hard to imagine why anyone would choose to do so.

Drakengard is not shockingly bad, just unadventurous and frankly quite dated. The strong narrative does serve to keep you going when perhaps you would not otherwise but it's very hard to find reasons to recommend the game. It's not deep enough to satisfy RPG fans, nor complex enough for ardent brawlers. At the end of the day this is a title that will probably only be played by Square Enix fanatics, though that will most likely be through obligation rather than for the pleasure of it.

48%

By Ben Parfitt