History VideoGame / Drakengard3

* CameraScrew: [[spoiler:The final boss. In Zero's section, the camera is normal. Then in Five's, the camera pans downwards. In Four's, the camera pans parallel with the ring, rendering depth perception difficult. In Three's, the camera closes up to her face. In Two's, the camera closes up on Mikhail. In One's, the camera goes all around crazily. Finally, at the final section, the camera repeats all of the tricks from the last sections before fading to black with a final attack, even when the characters begin to talk. All you have to go on is your (hopefully) good rhythm.]]

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: The intoners suffer just as much gory slapstick as the men due and, due to their importance, tend to be subjected to the most over-the-top injuries of the cast.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:You have to go through four routes and beat a redux of ''Drakengard 1''[='=]s ThatOneBoss, but the upshot is that history is shunted onto a path where the CrapsackWorld of ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}, Drakengard 2'', and ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}'' never occur. Only in this series is a KillEmAll ending a ''happy'' ending]].

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Everyone dies in Branch A, and Mikhail is the only survivor of Branch D. In Route B, a flower-possessed Mikhail is the only survivor; in Route C, a flower-possessed Zero is the only survivor.]]

* DwindlingParty: In [[spoiler:Branch D, where Dito betrays the party and Cent, Decadus, Octa and eventually Zero herself each perform a HeroicSacrifice to allow the remaining members of the group to progress]].
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:You have to go through four routes and beat a redux of ''Drakengard 1''[='=]s ThatOneBoss, but the upshot is that history is shunted onto a path where the CrapsackWorld of ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}, Drakengard 2'', and ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}'' never occur. Only in this series is a KillEmAll ending a HAPPY ending]].

** Overlaps with GagCensor in one scene [[spoiler:where Zero repeatedly stabs Five]]. Said censor features adorable chibis of Five and Zero and text which reads [[HypocriticalHumor "This content has been deemed inappropriate for pretty much everyone. Please stand by."]] Note that this was never prompted by ExecutiveMeddling; the development team themselves just decided to impose the GagCensor for the sake of it. [[http://i.imgur.com/PUZeS63.jpg Here is said censor in all its glory.]] And then quickly averted [[spoiler:when Five survives Zero's stabbing, only to get sliced in half by her Disciple, Dito.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:The entire game is essentially one giant HeroicSacrifice on the part of Zero in order to prevent the Flower parasite from mutating her into a Grotesquerie Queen and dooming the world. On the individual routes, Mikhail exchanges his life to save Zero in Branch A; Zero returns the favour in Branch B; and in Branch D, Cent, Decadus, Octa, Accord, and Zero give their lives to ensure the survival of their friends]].

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Happens to numerous characters throughout the different routes. Of note is route B, where [[spoiler:a crazy Two impales One on a ginormous spike.]]

* KaizoTrap: There's one at the ''very end of the game''. [[spoiler:So you thought that you had beaten the TrueFinalBoss just because the screen had faded to black and the music had stopped? Nope! There is ''one last note'' that you have to hit at the start of Mikhail's second sentence]].

* KarmicDeath: A few crop up, but perhaps the most notable is [[spoiler:Four's in the Ending A path. Zero chases her while she flees on an airship, Four begs her to stop and tries to make peace ... Sounds really harsh, but it's also exactly what Four herself did to a bunch of elves in her DLC. For bonus points, Zero kills her by faking kindness, and Four's entire personality revolves around how she feigns sweetness but is really a huge ball of hatred.]]
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Everyone dies in Branch A, and Mikhail is the only survivor of Branch D. In Route B, a flower-possessed Mikhail is the only survivor; in Route C, a flower-possessed Zero is the only survivor.]].
* KillerRabbit: [[spoiler:That pretty flower in Zero's eye? Actually an EldritchAbomination parasite and the source of all misery in the game]].
* KryptoniteIsEverywhere: It is stated that to kill an Intoner it has to be done by a dragon or with a weapon made of dragon materials. Given all the characters who are shown killing Intoners in cutscenes in the various branches, just about everyone has a weapon that fits the bill.

* LighterAndSofter: At least compared to the first game and ''Videogame/NieR''. As mentioned above, this game has noticeably more slapstick and comedic scenes and dialogue to balance out the dark moments and [[spoiler:even manages to pull off happy ending of a sort in Route D.]]

* MetaTwist: Meta-wise, generally playing games on a NewGamePlus in the ''Drakengard'' setting (or at least the games headed by Taro Yoko) [[spoiler:actually makes things worse.]] However, [[spoiler:not only is the first ending a [[DownerEnding straight-up downer]] (a feat not matched by any other title in the series so far), playing all the way to the final ending will lead to a timeline that outright averts the tragedies of the other ''Drakengard'' titles and ''{{VideoGame/Nier}}''.]]

* MeaningfulRename: "Zero" is not the original name of the main character. [[spoiler:It's "Rose", and she renamed herself after being resurrected by The Flower (as she no longer considered herself to be alive)]].
%%* MindScrew: Par the course for the series.

* MultipleEndings: There are four endings, [[spoiler:but you must go through the first three endings before unlocking the fourth one.]]
** [[DownerEnding Branch A]] - [[spoiler:Mikhail sacrifices himself to weaken Gabriel and One enough for Zero to kill. However, Zero is ambushed and killed by One's brother, as a failsafe should One fall. When he realizes that Zero always intended to die anyway, he is at a loss on what to do next, which leads to him creating the Cult of the Watchers and creates a ''much'' worse timeline leading to ''Drakengard 1.'']]

** Four most pointedly isn't, which confuses the hell out of everyone and makes Zero declare that she doesn't trust virgins. [[spoiler:Zero's intuition is right on the money: Four is just as lustful as the others, but forces herself to act otherwise to appear "better" than her sisters]].

* RealityWarper: The Intoners. [[spoiler:This is due to the Flower, and the reason their mere existence is dangerous]].

* TakeThat: In One's Prologue, she says that anyone who would have sex with their sibling would have to be "some kind of crazed maniac." [[spoiler:An obvious shot towards [[VideoGame/{{Drakengard}} Furiae]], who infamously held incestuous feelings towards Caim]].

** Zero initially tells Mikhail that she wants to be the only Intoner, hence her violent mission. [[spoiler:This is a half-truth, as she wants Mikhail to kill her after she is the only one left--after all, it would be much easier to kill one Intoner than six]].
* ThisWasHisTrueForm: [[spoiler:The Disciples were originally doves]].
* TimeyWimeyBall: Everything that happens after the first branch involves this to some degree. Disciples are working with Zero before their intoners are killed, and none of the changed scense fit anywhere into the timeline of the first Branch, not to mention that in B and C, Cent has had his memories of Two wiped. In short, the timeline is completely out of whack. [[spoiler: This is quickly revealed to be the work of the Accord Recorders, who are manipulating the timeline to get a decent ending.]]
* ToiletHumor: Comes up a few times with Mikhail such as when he wets himself like an infant.

** [[spoiler:Remember the incredibly difficult rhythm game in the first game's final ending? It returns as ''Drakengard 3''[='=]s TrueFinalBoss. It manages to be ''much worse'' due to a combination of crazy camera hijinks and manic tempo changes: its only saving grace is that you only need to use a single button to block the waves instead of 2 from the original and unlike the first, the game is actually rhythm based. If you can handle a 4/4 time signature, it's simple enough to do, if long. That of course is ignoring the [[KaizoTrap last note]].]]
** The flying segments are not as free-form as in the first two games, instead playing out like a 3D ShootEmUp or an on-rails shooter like ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon''

* TheVirus: [[spoiler:The Flower, a parasite that slowly mutates its host into a Grotesquerie Queen]].
* VomitIndiscretionShot: [[spoiler:Route C, to show how abundently clear that Zero has no time whatsoever left, before she becomes a monster.]]
* WeHaveReserves: [[spoiler:The Accord series of gynoids, one of which picks up the assets of the Accord you know after the latter is killed]].

* WhatTheHellHero: The fact that Zero carves through armies of human soldiers and deliberately aims to leave no survivors (even refusing surrender) is not lost on the various parties in-game. [[spoiler:She has a warped point when you realise that anyone who has been enthralled by the song of an Intoner is guaranteed to fall into withdrawal and insanity once it is gone]].

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The Intoners risk losing their minds if they attempt to use their magic without sufficient willpower. [[spoiler:Long story short, it's because their "magic" draws power from alternate universes]].

* BecomeARealBoy: [[spoiler:The Intoners (sans Zero) were originally nothing more than mindless clones created solely to defend the Flower from being destroyed. However, over time, they gained their own personalities and (as Zero bitterly notes) ironically decided to fight for world peace.]]

Peace would reign until Zero, an Intoner and [[CainAndAbel elder sister to the five]], suddenly embarks on a quest to [[KillEmAll murder her siblings]] so that [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne she will be the only one left with their unique powers]]. Joined by a young and idealistic dragon named Mikhail, Zero aims to slay her sisters and claim their Disciples (male concubines) for herself. Like its predecessors, it features MultipleEndings, HackAndSlash action mixed with RPGElements, and [[UnexpectedGameplayChange aerial missions]].

* TakeThat: In One's Prologue, she says that anyone who would have sex with their sibling would have to be "some kind of crazed maniac." [[spoiler:An obvious shot towards [[VideoGame/Drakengard Furiae]], who infamously held incestuous feelings towards Caim]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Most of Zero's dialogue towards cultists is variations on "get out of my way!", or BadassBoast[=s=] that can be interpreted as warnings. This is an early sign that [[spoiler:she's not the sadist she appears to be; she's good at fighting, and she likes it, but she doesn't like fighting [[BrainwashedAndCrazy (relatively)]] innocent people- even if they're doing their utmost to kill '''her'''. If a cultist ''did'' retreat, she wouldn't pursue them.]]

* SociopathicHero: the game introduces Zero as a bloodthirsty berserker who wishes to kill all her sisters, which is a nod on how unhinged the player character was in ''Drakengard 1''. [[spoiler:Except this time, Zero is actually attempting an elaborate HeroicSacrifice to save the world from the threat of the Flower parasite dwelling within her and the five Intoners, and]] her justification for MurderIsTheBestSolution is that [[spoiler:once the head (Intoner) is sliced off, the rest of the body (every single worshipper) goes insane with suffering]]. Not that she isn't less of a psychopath normally.

* SociopathicHero: the game introduces Zero as a bloodthirsty berserker who wishes to kill all her sisters, which is a nod on how unhinged the player characters were in ''Drakengard 1'' and ''Nier''. [[spoiler:Except this time, Zero is actually attempting an elaborate HeroicSacrifice to save the world from the threat of the Flower parasite dwelling within her and the five Intoners, and]] her justification for MurderIsTheBestSolution is that [[spoiler:once the head (Intoner) is sliced off, the rest of the body (every single worshipper) goes insane with suffering]]. Not that she isn't less of a psychopath normally.

Developed by Creator/AccessGames, the game was directed by Creator/TaroYoko and most of the team behind the original game. Consequently, the game's atmosphere is closer to the first game and ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}'' rather than ''Drakengard 2''. While the game is still very bleak, it tries to lift the mood with comedic scenes and sexual innuendo.

* HeroicPsychopath: the game introduces Zero as a bloodthirsty berserker who wishes to kill all her sisters, which is a nod on how unhinged the player characters were in ''Drakengard 1'' and ''Nier''. [[spoiler:Except this time, Zero is actually attempting an elaborate HeroicSacrifice to save the world from the threat of the Flower parasite dwelling within her and the five Intoners, and]] her justification for MurderIsTheBestSolution is that [[spoiler:once the head (Intoner) is sliced off, the rest of the body (every single worshipper) goes insane with suffering]]. Not that she isn't less of a psychopath normally.

** At the end of Branch D, [[spoiler:one of the many Accords]] says [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda1 "it's a secret to everybody"]].

* FaceHeelTurn: Of all people, [[spoiler:Zero's sisters, the Intoners. As suggested in game and depicted outright in the ''Utahime'' Five prequel manga, they all used to be good people, though still with some degree of their failings -- e.g., Five was always overly sexual even at an age when the rest of the Intoners '''weren't''', Three was lethargic and sleepy, etc. -- by the time of the game proper, only Two and One are still remotely good people, Two is a broken shell because of it, and in later routes they all succumb to the Flower, exactly what Zero feared.]]

* AssholeVictim: ''Utahime Five'' reveals the Lords were every bit as corrupt and decadent as the sisters say they are. [[spoiler:Even with the eventual madness of the Intoners' song and decadence of Three, Four, and Five, the countries were being led better than they had when the Lords ruled]].

** At the end of Branch D, [[spoiler:one of the many Accords]] says [[Franchise/LegendOfZelda "it's a secret to everybody."]]

* MetaTwist: Meta-wise, generally playing games on a NewGamePlus in the ''Drakengard'' setting (or at least the games headed by Taro Yoko) [[spoiler:actually makes things worse.]] However, [[spoiler:not only is the first ending the ''bleakest'' one in this game (a feat not matched by any other title in the series so far), playing all the way to the final ending will lead to a timeline that outright averts the tragedies of the other ''Drakengard'' titles and ''{{VideoGame/Nier}}''.]]

* MetaTwist: Meta-wise, generally playing games on a NewGamePlus in the ''Drakengard'' setting (or at least the games headed by Taro Yoko) [[spoiler:actually makes things worse.]] However, [[spoiler:not only is the first ending the ''bleakest'' one in this game (a feat not matched by any other title in the series so far), playing all the way to the final ending will lead to a timeline that outright averts the tragedies of the other ''Drakengard'' titles and ''VideoGame/Nier''.]]

* MetaTwist: Meta-wise, playing games on a NewGamePlus in the ''Drakengard'' setting (or at least the games headed by Taro Yoko) [[spoiler:actually makes things worse.]] However, [[spoiler:not only is the first ending the ''bleakest'' one in the game (a feat not matched by any other title in the series so far), playing all the way to the final ending will lead to a timeline that outright averts the tragedies of future ''Drakengard'' titles and ''Nier''.]]

* EarnYourBadEnding: Meta-wise, playing games on a NewGamePlus in the ''Drakengard'' setting (or at least the games headed by Taro Yoko) [[spoiler:actually makes things worse.]] However, [[spoiler:playing until the last ending actually nets you the best ending in the game.]]