Stop me if you’ve heard this one: two large armies square off against each other in a massive power struggle. One side is poised for utter domination, until a mysterious savior and his allies decimates their enemies with their magical abilities. Granted, that general description could encompass everything from Star Wars to The Matrix, so let’s focus that sketch down a bit. Well, what if 1) that hero and his allies were symbiotically tied together in a soul sharing ritual, and 2) the protagonists were a knight and his dragon mount? Welcome to Square Enix’s latest title, Drakengard. Drakengard revolves around the conflict of the Empire and the Union, two powerful armies locked in a civil war for control over an entire world. Formerly part of the Union, the Empire has suddenly amassed a large number of soldiers and threatens to overwhelm the Union forces. One day, a young Union prince named Caim discovers that his castle (and more importantly, his sister) is being sieged by Empire forces. Fighting valiantly, Caim is mortally wounded and stumbles upon a red dragon that’s similarly injured. In order to save each other and enact their revenge against the Empire, they have to bond their souls together. While the demo we had was limited, it did highlight two separate phases of action for Caim and his mount. There are a number of aerial stages that Caim and the dragon will engage a number of airborne and ground based threats a la the Panzer Dragoon series. Your dragon is incredibly agile and responsive in midair, and can perform a number of speed boosts, dodges and strafes to avoid incoming fire. The dragon can also lock onto multiple targets and deliver scorching payloads of homing fireballs. However, unlike Panzer, Drakengard provides free mobility through each environment instead of simplistic rail based shooting. This allows players to soar above targets before dive-bombing them with screaming flames from above. Ground levels also seem to take pages from another honored series, Dynasty Warriors. Caim will often be dispatched to eliminate a number of military leaders on large battlefields within a certain time period, all of which are protected by a phalanx of bodyguards and minor soldiers. Slicing through each soldier quickly powers up a special attack meter, which can be used to strengthen combos or obliterate large groups of enemies. However, unlike the simple horses or elephants that charge opponents in Dynasty Warriors, Drakengard allows players to immolate foes at any point in time by jumping onto the back of your dragon and scorching the ground below. It’s not a surprise considering it comes from Square Enix, but the graphics of Drakengard are simply breathtaking. Environments and characters, as well as cutscenes appear as sharp as those from the Xbox Panzer Dragoon Orta title. How the designers squeezed the processing power out of the PS2 to deliver these textures is truly incredible. Sound, while somewhat limited by the demo, is still bolstered by a cinematic soundtrack and subdued voice acting which implies that the focus is more on letting actions speak louder than words. Considering that Drakengard is merely the American name of Drag-On Dragoon (its original Japanese title), its merely going to be a matter of weeks before this sets PS2s ablaze. Check back soon for a full review! Questions or comments about the upcoming release of Drakengard for the PlayStation 2? Talk to us! [ E-Mail Jeff 'Linkphreak' Haynes ] [ Comment in our Forums ]

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