The originalDrakengardwas a 2003 mixed-genre game created by Yoko Taro. The second installment followed up on one of the game’s endings but wasn’t written by the same person. Yoko Taro would instead createNieRas a separate follow-up to the original game. From then on, he wrote the story for every game in the DrakeNieR series.
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Besides Drakengard 2, all of them share an overarching storyline with each other. Despite their strong narratives, none became popular until the release of NieR Automata. This list will rank every installment based on how well-written they are, how fun their combat is, and the amount of quality put into each one.
6NieR Reincarnation
While every other game in the series is a console action game, Reincarnation is a turn-based Gacha game created for phones. Having such a drastically different game be canon to the main continuity is an odd decision. It isolates fans that aren’t into mobile gaming and the different gameplay style, but even if it did release on consoles with standard gameplay, it’d still be one of the weakest entries in the series for a few reasons.
Reincarnation starts off with an interesting setting, but the story isn’t very interesting until the plot twist at the end of the original storyline. Update stories eventually made the characters more interesting; however, the massive difficulty spike blocking off important story segments has resulted in most not reaching the game’s conclusion. Except for Drakengard 2, Reincarnation’s story is the one that affected the previous installment’s lore the least.
5Drakengard 2
Both Drakengard and NieR are loved for their excellent storytelling and how well they handle multiple endings. Drakengard 2’s story lacks insanely shocking plot twists, mostly as a result of having a different writing and taking place after the most basic ending of Drakengard 1. The way it handles multiple endings is the worst in the series.
Yoko Taro’s approach to game endings is to make it feel like every ending is a crucial part of the story. You also usually don’t have to replay parts of the story that don’t matter. In 2’s case, you have to replay the entire story three times just to see an extra minute-long cutscene. On the bright side, it does have much better gameplay than the original game.
4Drakengard 1
With super repetitive gameplay and mission designs, it’s not surprising that the original Drakengard sold poorly. The early game’s story and characters were alright, and it actually becomes interesting near the credits, but not enough to make up for its massive flaws.
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Players who continued playing after Ending A would, however, find multiple new storylines that greatly enhance the game. The shockingly out of nowhere Ending D and E storylines resulted in Drakengard 1 gaining a dedicated fan base. The very end of Ending E would go on to become one of the most important events in the series lore, as it was a massive influence on the entire story of the first NieR, and even Automata references it.
3Drakengard 3
If it wasn’t for an incredibly inconsistent frame rate, Drakengard 3 would have nice gameplay comparable to NieR’s. The quicker missions and less grinding result in it being vastly better than Drakengard 1 and 2. The only other big flaws are the final ending’s difficulty and the lack of quality-of-life improvements that newer games have, but considering its age, the latter is more understandable.
The characters, narrative, and humor make Drakengard 3 the most hilarious game in the series, yet it somehow still contains a very dark and serious narrative. The beginning is the fastest any DrakeNieR game is at throwing players right into the action. Within 30 minutes of playing, the protagonist Zero has already slain an army of soldiers while attempting an assassination on her holy sisters. If a remake fixed its frame rate, Drakengard 3 could be one of the best Yoko Taro games, but as it currently is, it is just a solid game with noticeable flaws.
2NieR Automata
The quality of life improvements in Automata makes it the best game in the series from a gameplay standpoint. There are more combos and fast travel. The genre-switching segments aren’t as drastic, and the way it handles multiple endings is the best. Route B does have you replay the same story, but now with a different protagonist. This results in different gameplay and new dialogue. The follow-up endings have entirely new storylines. There are also many joke endings that add to its charm.
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Automata focus a lot more on deep psychological concepts like the meaning of existence and the concept of morality. The combination of better gameplay and storytelling that focuses on life lessons has resulted in it quickly becoming the best-selling game in the series. Automata’s biggest flaws in comparison to some others installments are its cast having less depth and a lack of humor to relieve the stress placed on players after intense story sequences.
1NieR Replicant
Replicant may lack many of Automata’s psychological themes, and the combat may not be as good, but its character writing is much better. Automata’s playable cast doesn’t have much depth to them until Route C, while Replicant has four main characters who are some of the best in the series. Nier Brother has a clear goal and personality, unlike 2B, who is more basic. Kaine has a deep backstory and is one of the few intersex characters in the media. Also, her foulmouth provides excellent comic relief. Emil and Weiss are also very interesting characters that make Replicant’s cast the best in the series.
Replicant also benefits the most from connecting to other installments. Drakengard 1’s final ending lore and Automata’s many callbacks expand on how much players will appreciate Replicant’s world. While almost all the games connect, it feels like Replicant is the centerpiece that brings them together. The remake even adds a new storyline to increase its connection to Automata further. This story route also has a new playable character, making it very refreshing.
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