@Passerby #161576
I’m pretty sure Drakengard was meant to show the logical conclusion of protagonist-centered morality; a main character who in any other context would be the frontline villain, because Caim is basically a blood psychopath who moves from battle to battle because he enjoys killing and doesn’t care who he’s fighting as long as he gets to do it, and one of the most horrible parties ever formed in RPG’s (the only one who I think isn’t completely awful is Seele). Why are they the good guys? Because you control them. And that’s not even getting into the multiple endings where Caim is perfectly willing to end the world as long as he gets what HE wants…
Nier, on the other hand, is supposed to show what happens when two sides who both have valid reasons for fighting come into conflict. Both Nier and the Shadowlord ultimately want the same thing (to save Yonah), but only one Yonah can survive. The issue, as you mentioned, is that a lot of the backstory of Nier is not in the game, and thus following it becomes difficult unless you seek out Grimoire Nier.