Nier and drakengard Continue Video game series This article is about a series of video games. For the first game in the series, see Drakengard (video game). DrakengardGenre (s)Action Role-Playing GameDeveloper (s)CaviaMacrospace 1Access GamesPlatinumGamesPublisher (s)Square EnixTake-Two Interactive 2 Ubisoft 3Creator (s)Takamas Sibakuya IwasakiPlform (s)PlayStation 2, Mobile, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox OneFirst releaseDrakengardSeptember 11, 2003.4Last releaseNier: AutomataFebruary 23, 2017Spin-offsNier: Automata Drakengard, known in Japan as Drag-Onoon Drag, is a series of role-playing video games. The first game of the series was released in 2003 on PlayStation 2, and has since been followed by a sequel, prequel and spin-off. It was conceived by Takamasa Shiba and Takuya Iwasaki as a game hybrid between Ace Combat and Dynasty Warriors 2. The story was created by Shiba, Iwasaki, Yoko Taro and Sawako Nathari, who were influenced by European folklore and popular anime series and films of the time. Since their debut, Shiba, Yoko and Sawako have been involved in every recording of the series. The installation of the main series is a Northern European-style dark fantasy world where people and creatures from myths and legends live side by side, while spin-off games Nier and Nier: Automata are set in an alternate reality of the future, leading from one of the first games of possible endings. Stories tend to focus on the fate and personalities of a small group of main characters directly or indirectly related to the events of the story and affected by it. Dark or mature plot and character themes and a few endings have become a staple of the series. Their popularity in Japan has led to numerous adaptations and additional media in the form of novelization and manga. The series is considered popular in Japan, sold well and gained a cult following, but it was a niche series in the western territories until Nier: Automata. The main games were marked by their dark storylines and a mixture of ground and air combat, while Nier stood out for his blend of gameplay styles. The series got mixed to a positive reception both in Japan and in the West: much of the praise was given to its stories, characters and music, while the gameplay came in for criticism for being repetitive or poorly designed. Games Drakengard, the first installment in the franchise. It was released for PlayStation 2 (PS2) in September 2003 in Japan, March and May 2004 in North America and Europe respectively. Square Enix published the title in Japan and North America, while Take-Two Interactive published it in European territories. Europe's exclusive mobile port was launched in August 2004. The mobile version was developed and published in conjunction with Macrospace. Drakengard 2, 2nd in the series and a direct continuation of the first game. It was released on PS2 in June 2005 in Japan, February 2006 in North America and in March of that year in Europe and Australia. For its release in the Western Territories, Square Enix has partnered with European game developer and publisher Ubisoft. Ubisoft also localized the game. Drakengard 3, the third major in the series and prequel to the first game. It was released on PS3 in December 2013 in Japan and May 2014 in North America and Europe. Like Nier, it was published in all regions of Square Enix. Nier, a spin-off from the main series. Nier was released on PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 (as Nier Replicant in Japan only for PS3, Nier Gestalt in Japan for Xbox 360 and Nier in North America and Europe) in April 2010 in all regions. It was published by Square Enix in all regions. Nier: Automata, a distant sequel to Nier, is set in the same universe, but thousands of years in the future. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows in March 2017, and for Xbox One in June 2018. Nier Reincarnation, a spin-off for mobile platforms, is set in the Nier universe but is disconnected from other titles. The history of the development of the original logo of the Japanese series Idea Drakengard originated in 1999 between Takamasa Shiba and Takuya Iwasaki. The gameplay was conceived as a mixture of elements from Ace Combat and Dynasty Warriors 2. The game-developing team went by the nickname Project Dragonsphere. The team was joined by director Ioko Taro, who was the main drive of the dark atmosphere of the game. It was Shiba's first project as a producer. As Yoko was told that there would be no sequel, several endings were created. When it was localized and released in the West, references to things like sexual taboos were censored. In addition, the name was changed because Drag-On Dragoon was considered wrong for a Western audience. Drakengard was considered successful enough that the sequel was ordered. Several employees returned to create the second game, although Yoko was mostly associated with other projects and was replaced as director by Akira Yasui. Yoko still had a role in the development, and he and Yasui had creative clashes during the development. Yasui eventually makes the Drakengard 2 the thematic opposite of the previous game, using a lighter tone and a wider color palette. Nier originated when Yoko and Shiba teamed up to create the third Drakengard game. As the project continued, it became more detached from mainstream continuity and eventually turned into a whole new spin-off. Despite the fact that it has become, Ioko stated that he considers Nir to be the true Drakengard 3. It was the last game developed by Cavia. After the release of Cavia down and was absorbed by AP Interactive, and then Yoko Taro left to pursue a wider range of projects. A stalled attempt to start producing new games in the series on AP Interactive has been blamed on Shiba's widespread trend at the time for light games for the general gaming community. Later, Yoko and Shiba came together again to create a proper second sequel to Drakengard, with the intention of creating an RPG core for fans. Unlike previous games in the series, Drakengard 3 was developed by Access Games, a developer whose tagged games included Deadly Premonition, and led team members used to create action games. Ahead of the release of Drakengard 3, both Yoko and Shiba have expressed their willingness to continue the series on PlayStation 4 if the last game is successful enough. Speaking in 2014 after the game was released, Yoko stated that the series was on hold due to lack of funds. The new Nier game was shown in development on Square Enix and PlatinumGames. Writing and designing Artwork characters from regular artist Kimihiko Fujisaka with Kaim and Angelus (Drakengard), Nowe and Legna (Drakengard 2), zero and Michael (Drakengard 3) and a replicant version of Nir and Grimoire Weiss (Nier). The stories of the characters in the original game were written by Yoko, Shiba and Iwasaki, while the main script of the game was written by Sawako Natri, who co-wrote the main scripts for future Drakengard games. Yoko has developed darker elements for both contrast and active competition with the likes of Dragon quest and Final Fantasy. Yoko conceived insane characters around the premise that people who killed hundreds of people in pursuit of their goals and took satisfaction from it naturally insane. During the production of Nier, his focus changed on writing a story where everyone believed they were in the right mind regardless of their actions. Through the series, Yoko also tried to answer the question of why people are forced to kill. Although some dark narrative themes have been preserved for Drakengard 2, many other narrative elements have been made more mainstream. The Drakengard 3 was supposed to return to dark aesthetics, and include moments of humor and tie with Nier. The character designer of Drakengard games is Kimihiko Fujisaka. Originally a minor Cavia collaborator, the team was impressed by his skill as an amateur artist, and he was recommended for the position of character designer for the game. The design for both the characters and the world was influenced by the armor and clothing of medieval Europe. He returned in the same capacity for Drakengard 2 and then for Nier. Not quite some of his original designs for Drakengard, he took the opportunity to remodel them more liking the arcade game Lord of Vermilion. In Drakengard 3 Fujisaka designed the main character zero around the dark themes of the game, although some unusual elements were almost cut. Other female characters were inspired by Puella Magi Madoka Magica, while male characters, considered a low priority, were developed around male archetypes and quickly approved. The character design for Nier was reworked by an artist nicknamed D.K. for the international release of Nier, the main character was redesigned from a teenager into an adult character. This was because the publishers believed that the older character would be more like Western players. For Nier: Automata, the main character was designed by Akihiko Yoshida, an artist known for his work on the Final Fantasy series. Although initially he had to give up, he agreed as several employees at his company CyDesignation were fans of Nier. For his projects, Yoko asked him to focus on smooth contours and black coloring. Other characters were developed by Yuya Nagai and Toshiyuki Itahana. The musical main article: Music series Drakengard Soundtrack of the first game was created by Nobuyoshi Sano and Takayuki Aihara. They created the score using samples of famous classical composers.