Archive EntryPreservation Record
Drakengard
Shelf markLIB-0001
Editorial StandingCatalogued · Permanent Record
2003Game
Catalog Information
- Original Title
- Drag-on Dragoon
- Release
- 2003 (Japan) · 2004 (North America)
- Developer
- Cavia
- Publisher
- Square Enix
- Platform
- PlayStation 2
- Region
- NTSC-U/C · North America
- Medium
- Pressed optical disc · PlayStation 2 retail edition
- Subjects
- Action RPG · Dark Fantasy · Yoko Taro · Lineage · Preservation
Archival Status
- Custody
- Permanent archive holding
- Reference Copy
- Complete in box: case, pressed disc, manual, and original cover insert
- Condition Report
- Complete in box. Light shelf wear consistent with age. Preserved as a playable reference copy.
- Acquisition
- Private acquisition · June 2026
- Filed
- June 9, 2026
Curator Notes
I spent years thinking of Drakengard as a game I would own eventually. It was never entirely out of reach; it was simply passed over whenever another work felt more urgent. Copies were uncommon in the places I looked, and the search remained open.
What changed was the purpose of the shelf. The aim was no longer to own everything, but to keep a smaller group of works whose histories deserved attention. Drakengard belongs here because so much followed from it. Nier inherited ideas, images, and unease that Yoko Taro and Cavia first committed to this game.
It is a difficult work in every sense: mechanically uneven, severe in tone, and often uncomfortable. Those qualities are part of the record. This copy is preserved not as an endorsement or a score, but as the beginning of a lineage that became more important with time.
Collection Documentation
Acquired in June 2026 while completing the Drakengard 1–3 shelf. The North American PlayStation 2 edition is retained as the reference copy for this filing.
The acquisition marked a change in collecting practice: away from accumulation and toward deliberate custody. Drakengard was among the works that clarified that distinction. The copy remains complete in box and is kept with its original manual and cover insert.
The acquisition photograph records the three principal Drakengard releases together at the moment the lineage was completed.
Preservation Notes
- Access Hardware
- Sony PlayStation 2; compatible North American PlayStation hardware
- Original Hardware
- Sony PlayStation 2 · NTSC-U/C
- Playback Compatibility
- Pressed for North American PlayStation 2 consoles. The retained disc remains the primary access copy.
- Preservation Concerns
- Optical-disc aging and surface damage remain the principal risks. The disc is stored upright in its original case under stable, dry conditions; printed materials remain housed with the copy.
- Edition History
- First issued in Japan as Drag-on Dragoon in 2003. The North American localization followed in 2004 under the title Drakengard.
- Access Status
- The original physical edition is out of print and circulates through the secondary market. No current digital edition replaces this reference copy.
Connections
- Archival Lineage
- LIB-0001Drakengard (2003)this filing
- LIB-0002Drakengard 2 (2005)
- LIB-0003Drakengard 3 (2013)
- Collection Record
- Acquisition Reference
- Editorial Record
- Reserved for future critical writing in Bloodsoaked Media.
Artifact Documentation
Reference photography of the preserved copy held by Bloodsoaked Media. Each view records the edition, materials, and condition of the work in custody.
Drakengard, Drakengard 2, and Drakengard 3 together on the archive shelf at the completion of the lineage. Reference photograph, captured June 2026.
- Captured
- June 2026
- Resolution
- 4096 × 2394 pixels
- Edition
- North American retail copies · Drakengard lineage
- Region
- NTSC-U/C
Stewardship History
A permanent chronology of this archival record — filed, revised, and tended over time. Entries accumulate; none are erased.
Collection photography added
Collection Documentation entered
Connections established
Drakengard / Nier lineage recorded.
Curator Notes entered
Filed into the Library
Accessioned as LIB-0001.
Preservation Notes entered
Published to the public shelf
Editorial revision