# Drakengard 3 (ドラッグ オン ドラグーン3)
**Drakengard 3** (ドラッグ オン ドラグーン3, *Drag-On Dragoon 3*) is an action role-playing game for the [PlayStation 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-3), developed by Access Games, published by [Square Enix](https://www.edgepedia.org/square-enix), and directed by [Yoko Taro](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoko-taro), the creator of the Drakengard and Nier series[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDo_k69bdxw). It was released in Japan in December 2013 and in Western regions on May 21, 2014[3](https://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/ps3/jeu-48083/avis/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre and platform | Action RPG for PlayStation 3[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/) |
| Developer / publisher | Access Games (the studio behind Deadly Premonition); Square Enix[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/drakengard-3-review/1900-6415774/) |
| Creative director | Yoko Taro[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDo_k69bdxw) |
| Release | December 2013 in Japan; May 21, 2014 in the West[3](https://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/ps3/jeu-48083/avis/) |
| Weapons | Four types: swords, spears, chakrams, and combat bracers[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/drakengard-3-review/1900-6415774/) |
| Dragon combat | Zero pilots the dragon Mikhael in flying segments[4](https://www.gamesradar.com/drakengard-3-review/) |
| Critical reception | Aggregate critic score of 65, the lowest in the Drakengard franchise[6](https://criticdb.com/franchises/drakengard) |
## Story and setting
Opening in medias res, the story finds the Intoner Zero on the verge of killing her five sisters, each of whom governs a different region of the world through song magic.[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/) The Intoners are six numbered sister-goddesses who supposedly saved the world from chaotic warfare, but that history is skewered within the first few minutes of the game, when Zero runs a historian through[4](https://www.gamesradar.com/drakengard-3-review/).
Little is explained about Zero's motives until very late in the story; even after the first of the game's four largely bleak endings, the true nature of the plot remains hidden from the player[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/). Zero travels with four sex-crazed "Disciples" and a gigantic dragon with the voice of a toddler, and the banter between these characters is strange and often hilarious[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/). Reviewers describe the tone as medieval fantasy approached through dark comedy, wallowing in blood, deviance, and grotesquerie, with a story unlike anything most players will have seen before[4](https://www.gamesradar.com/drakengard-3-review/). Multiple endings are a near essential part of the experience, as in the original [Drakengard](https://www.edgepedia.org/drakengard) and Nier[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/drakengard-3-review/1900-6415774/).
## Gameplay
Zero proceeds through mostly linear fields, defeating foes with combos and special moves derived from four weapon types: swords, spears, chakrams, and combat bracers[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/drakengard-3-review/1900-6415774/). Reviewers consistently compared the ground combat to the [Dynasty Warriors](https://www.edgepedia.org/dynasty-warriors) series rather than to a conventional action RPG[7](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/drakengard_3) • [1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/). Stages are roughly fifteen-minute affairs of hacking and slashing through identical hordes of faceless soldiers and fantasy creatures, and nearly every mission requires Zero to run down a straight line, kill enemies, and repeat[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/).
**Dragon segments.** As in earlier Drakengard games, mounted dragon combat returns: Zero pilots the dragon Mikhael in flying levels, which reviewers found more uneven than the ground-based combat, describing them as a mess of bad controls and poor design made worse by plummeting frame rates[4](https://www.gamesradar.com/drakengard-3-review/) • [7](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/drakengard_3).
The final branch of the game, which contains the true ending and important exposition, is locked behind collecting every weapon in the game, a task that requires repeating missions to earn money, and a final battle described as absurdly difficult and unbalanced[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/).
## Technical performance
The game's technical state drew the heaviest criticism. Reviewers reported frame rates dropping to single digits during heated combat moments, a camera that gets stuck on trees or points in the wrong direction, long load times, and muddy textures with a murky color palette[8](https://ztgd.com/drakengard-3-ps3-review/) • [7](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/drakengard_3) • [4](https://www.gamesradar.com/drakengard-3-review/) • [1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/). GameSpot called it "a technical mess" and noted shades of the distinct clumsiness of Access Games' Deadly Premonition[5](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/drakengard-3-review/1900-6415774/).
## Music and audio
The soundtrack was the most consistently praised element. The sound team MONACA, which includes Nier veteran Keiichi Okabe, provided a varied and dynamic score, with soft vocal themes such as "Fallen God" contrasting with aggressive, electronic boss themes like "The Comrade's Song / Gabriel" and "Redeemed Invasion / Almisael"[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/). French players likewise singled out the boss music as aggressive, metallic, and nerve-racking[3](https://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/ps3/jeu-48083/avis/). The in-game presentation suffered from uneven mixing, with songs too quiet and muffled, and tinny, low-quality voice acting[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/).
## Reception
Drakengard 3 performed well with Japanese critics when it arrived in December 2013[9](https://time.com/41589/best-new-video-games-spring-2014/). Western reviews were more divided: RPGFan scored it 68 out of 100, praising the story (92) and sound (88) while rating graphics 58 and gameplay 60[1](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/). An aggregate of 32 critic reviews places it at 65, the lowest-rated entry in the franchise, compared with 89 for its spin-off successor NieR: Automata[6](https://criticdb.com/franchises/drakengard).
The split in reception has persisted among players.
## Place in the series
The series connects forward to Nier: the crisis in Nier's backstory begins with a magical being appearing from the world of Drakengard and passing on a magical disease[10](https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1313490/manuals/SlimesBonusPDF.pdf?t=1659579634).
## References
1. [Drakengard 3 Review, RPGFan (Derek Heemsbergen, May 30, 2014)](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/drakengard-3/)
2. [Drakengard 3 - Interview with Taro Yoko, Creative Director, Square Enix UK (YouTube, 2014)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDo_k69bdxw)
3. [Avis et critiques du jeu Drakengard 3 sur PS3, jeuxvideo.com](https://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/ps3/jeu-48083/avis/)
4. [Drakengard 3 review, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/drakengard-3-review/)
5. [Drakengard 3 Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/drakengard-3-review/1900-6415774/)
6. [Every Drakengard Game Ranked by Critics, CriticDB](https://criticdb.com/franchises/drakengard)
7. [Drakengard 3 Review (PS3), Push Square](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/drakengard_3)
8. [Drakengard 3 (PS3) Review, ZTGD](https://ztgd.com/drakengard-3-ps3-review/)
9. [20 Video Games to Watch for Spring 2014, TIME](https://time.com/41589/best-new-video-games-spring-2014/)
10. [Slimes bonus manual PDF referencing Nier's Drakengard connection](https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1313490/manuals/SlimesBonusPDF.pdf?t=1659579634)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Japanese RPG and adventure franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license