Music of the Drakengard series
Multiple composers shaped the experimental and varied soundtracks of Drakengard.
The music of the Drakengard series, known in Japan as Drag-On Dragoon, has been handled by multiple composers since the original game's release in 2004. The series' soundtracks have received mixed to positive reviews from dedicated video game music outlets and critics, with the first game noted for its experimental and disturbing style, the second for a more traditional approach, and the third for its quality despite critiques of variety.
- first_game_composers
- Nobuyoshi Sano and Takayuki Aihara
- second_game_composers
- Ryoki Matsumoto and Aoi Yoshiki
- third_game_composer
- Keiichi Okabe
- notable_theme_song_artists
- Mika Nakashima, Eir Aoi, Onitsuka Chihiro
- first_soundtrack_release
- October 2004 (Vol.1), November 2004 (Vol.2)
- series_spin_off
- Nier
Lore & Background
The music of the first Drakengard was composed by Nobuyoshi Sano and Takayuki Aihara, who sampled excerpts from classical music and rearranged them to emulate the game's hack-and-slash gameplay and dark narrative theme of 'madness'. The score was performed by a full orchestra and inspired by the soundtrack for The Exorcist. The theme song 'Exhausted' was composed by Sano, written by scenario writer Sawako Natori, and sung by Eriko Hatsune.
For Drakengard 2, Ryoki Matsumoto and Aoi Yoshiki composed the soundtrack under the supervision of Sano as sound director. Producer Takamasa Shiba brought in Matsumoto due to his work on non-video-game J-pop songs, aiming for a fusion of J-pop and video game music. The third game's soundtrack was created by music studio Monaca, with Keiichi Okabe leading composition. Okabe sought to match Sano's work without rehashing it, and at director Yoko Taro's request, separated the style from that of Nier by including both soft and intense tracks.
Reader's Guide
The Drakengard series' music is significant for its experimental approach, particularly the first game's use of classical samples and disturbing atmosphere, which drew both criticism for repetitiveness and praise for suiting the game's tone. The second game's more traditional soundtrack received a more positive reception, while the third game's score, composed by Keiichi Okabe, was praised for quality but critiqued for lack of variety. The series also featured theme songs by Japanese pop artists, all of which charted in the top 40 of the Oricon charts. Multiple soundtrack albums were released, including a chiptune compilation as part of the 10th anniversary box. The music's legacy lies in its evolution from experimental to more conventional styles, and its connection to the spin-off Nier, whose composer also worked on Drakengard 3.
Did You Know?
- The first game's composers sampled excerpts from classical music selected by Takayuki Aihara.
- The soundtrack for The Exorcist inspired Sano and Aihara's work on Drakengard.
- Drakengard 3's theme songs 'Kuroi Uta' and 'This Silence is Mine' were both composed by Keiichi Okabe.
- A chiptune remix compilation titled Drag-On Dragoon Chips Music was released in December 2013.
More in Music by video game franchise 1-18
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record