PREVIEW: Drakengard 3 Announced for 2014

The long awaited Drakengard 3 is actually happening - serving as prequel to the original.

Ten years after the release of Drakengard on the PlayStation 2 back in 2003, Sony US have announced that the a third game will be making its way to shelves next year, with no specific date in mind.

Although it's the third in the series, Drakengard 3 will serve as a prequel, offering gameplay and narratives leading up to the original, deeming it ideal for both fans and new-comers.

Sony has said the following:

"Drakengard fans, rejoice! We’re proud to announce that Drakengard 3 is coming to North America next year for PS3.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Drakengard series, and it’s been seven years since the launch of Drakengard 2. Producer Takamasa Shiba is back to bring you along on another incredible and twisted journey.

Never played the original Drakengard? What many people don’t know about Drakengard 3 is that it’s actually a prequel, and leads up to the events of the original Drakengard. So this game is quite perfect for all fans — new and old."

Personally, I love the Drakengard series and have been waiting for this a very long time, and now it's finally happening. 

A glimpse of what Drakengard 3 has to offer - intense ground and air gameplay.

The trailer reveals Zero, the main protagonist in the narrative - possessing incredible sword skills and access to the huge dragon Mikhail's fire-breathing aerial combat skills, she will prove a worthy challenge to any opponent. 

Other characters shown are Five, Four, Three, Two, and One - it's probably safe to say they aren't their real names, but act as code names, rank names, etc.

Considering "pacts" don't yet exist, it will be interesting to see how the narrative plays out, considering the first two games were strongly focused on the character's sacred pacts with their respective dragons.

Whilst the trailer shows no glimpse of actual gameplay, it should be assumed it will contain similar elements from previous games, including both ground and air combat on large-scale maps with RPG elements thrown in.

If you can read Japanese, feel free to try and digest more information at the official site - other than that, check out the trailer below and leave your comments.