Yoko Taro is something of a modern artisan, prioritizing bizarre stories and demented character exploration over accessibility. It is difficult to rank the quality of his games, as they are all so different from one another. However, there is one quantifier that acts as an important through line between most of taro's games. Baby murder.
4. Drakengard 3: Drakengard 3 is taro's weakest game in multiple areas. It has perhaps the most simplistic game play in his entire oeuvre. It is a mechanical mess, sometimes operating at a frame rate of roughly 10-15 frams per second. It is linear, it is poorly written, it has the weakest soundtrack- the list goes on. It is fitting, then, that it also has the least amount of baby murder. In fact, it barely has any whatsoever. The closes you truly get to proper baby murder is when you kill several large stone creatures that are made to resemble human children. Sadly, these are not real children. Instead, they are but pale imitations made of clay. They aren't even living things. The second closest we get to child murder is the death of our young dragon ally. Sadly, not only are we not the ones to kill the creature, but the game actually expects us to be sad about it. Drakengard 3 gets a resounding 2 dead babies out of 10.
3. Nier Automata: This is where Taro begins to show his quality. While his latest game sadly does not have the quantity of baby murder that fans have come to expect over the years, it still outperforms the vast overwhelming amount of the competition. The game play is flashy, even if it lacks the actual depth of Nier, and the story is solid, even if it lacks the quality of Drakengard. Players of Nier Automata will have to be patient with their baby murder, but for those willing to wait, the game pays off. About half way through, players will be treated to a scene where a robot baby is impaled by a sword. Near the end, players will get to see an entire village of robot children get cannibalized by their friends and family. The children who survive kill themselves with knives. The only downside to this title is that, sadly, you are not allowed to participate in the child murder. Some may complain that all of the children that die are robots. After all, how can I criticize Drakengard 3 for letting you kill fake children if I am going to praise Automata for letting you kill machine children? The reason is that, in Drakengard 3, the children were simply golems that had the appearance of children. Automata, on the other hand, asks complex questions about the nature of life. What is life? What is sapience? Is an artificial machine a living thing if it is self aware? In the case of the child like machines that are eaten and killed, the answer seems to be yes. All in all, this is a superb introduction to the Yoko Taro universe, and to those who want to dip their toes into video game child murder. 7 dead babies out of 10.
2. Nier: This is where Taro starts to get truly interesting. Within the first 15 minutes you will already have committed your first baby murder, as you are sent by your village to go kill a series of monsters called "shades" outside your town. Child murder will thankfully by blood and frequent throughout the game, and the cast of characters will share your enthusiasm for baby murder as the game progresses. This is a welcome improvement over other titles. You will have the opportunity to kill wolf babies, kill a shade baby and his innocent robot friend, watch children get crushed to death under falling debris, and see a child get his arm ripped off by his brother after he is killed. Furthermore, Nier potentially has the highest body count of dead babies out of all of the taro games, as the protagonist, in the end, causes the extinction of all humanity. The only downside is that, while the game boasts the most child murder in the series, most of it occurs off screen. As a result it must sit in second place.
1. Drakengard: Taro's first game is also his best. While the game lacks the overall body count of dead babies that Nier has, it makes up for it by having far more on screen baby murder. Furthermore it gives you many more options for murdering babies then other games. In this game you can help a cannibal eat armies of babies. You can help a catholic priest murder child soldiers. You can burn babies. You can fight babies with swords, axes, and spears. You can crush babies with a Golem. You burn babies with a dragon. You can call on friends and allies to kill babies with the power of friendship. And make no mistake, Drakengard does not skimp on the baby murder. There are HUNDREDS of babies for you to murder. In fact, babies are the primary villains of the entire game, and it is your job to save the world from their evil grasp. Furthermore, Drakengard does not pretend that what you are doing is wrong. Your characters LOVE baby murder. Maybe as much as the player. Overall, Drakengard is the Magnum Opus of baby murder. I award it 10 dead babies out of 10.
Honorable Mention: Thou Shalt Not Die
Despite the title, a lot of people die. Most of them are children. Sadly, they are all in their teens, robbing it of its impact. Furthermore, it is a mange, not a video game, which removes the interactive element. Despite this, it is still a worthwhile read for those interested in child murder. 5 dead babies out of 10.
4. Drakengard 3: Drakengard 3 is taro's weakest game in multiple areas. It has perhaps the most simplistic game play in his entire oeuvre. It is a mechanical mess, sometimes operating at a frame rate of roughly 10-15 frams per second. It is linear, it is poorly written, it has the weakest soundtrack- the list goes on. It is fitting, then, that it also has the least amount of baby murder. In fact, it barely has any whatsoever. The closes you truly get to proper baby murder is when you kill several large stone creatures that are made to resemble human children. Sadly, these are not real children. Instead, they are but pale imitations made of clay. They aren't even living things. The second closest we get to child murder is the death of our young dragon ally. Sadly, not only are we not the ones to kill the creature, but the game actually expects us to be sad about it. Drakengard 3 gets a resounding 2 dead babies out of 10.
3. Nier Automata: This is where Taro begins to show his quality. While his latest game sadly does not have the quantity of baby murder that fans have come to expect over the years, it still outperforms the vast overwhelming amount of the competition. The game play is flashy, even if it lacks the actual depth of Nier, and the story is solid, even if it lacks the quality of Drakengard. Players of Nier Automata will have to be patient with their baby murder, but for those willing to wait, the game pays off. About half way through, players will be treated to a scene where a robot baby is impaled by a sword. Near the end, players will get to see an entire village of robot children get cannibalized by their friends and family. The children who survive kill themselves with knives. The only downside to this title is that, sadly, you are not allowed to participate in the child murder. Some may complain that all of the children that die are robots. After all, how can I criticize Drakengard 3 for letting you kill fake children if I am going to praise Automata for letting you kill machine children? The reason is that, in Drakengard 3, the children were simply golems that had the appearance of children. Automata, on the other hand, asks complex questions about the nature of life. What is life? What is sapience? Is an artificial machine a living thing if it is self aware? In the case of the child like machines that are eaten and killed, the answer seems to be yes. All in all, this is a superb introduction to the Yoko Taro universe, and to those who want to dip their toes into video game child murder. 7 dead babies out of 10.
2. Nier: This is where Taro starts to get truly interesting. Within the first 15 minutes you will already have committed your first baby murder, as you are sent by your village to go kill a series of monsters called "shades" outside your town. Child murder will thankfully by blood and frequent throughout the game, and the cast of characters will share your enthusiasm for baby murder as the game progresses. This is a welcome improvement over other titles. You will have the opportunity to kill wolf babies, kill a shade baby and his innocent robot friend, watch children get crushed to death under falling debris, and see a child get his arm ripped off by his brother after he is killed. Furthermore, Nier potentially has the highest body count of dead babies out of all of the taro games, as the protagonist, in the end, causes the extinction of all humanity. The only downside is that, while the game boasts the most child murder in the series, most of it occurs off screen. As a result it must sit in second place.
1. Drakengard: Taro's first game is also his best. While the game lacks the overall body count of dead babies that Nier has, it makes up for it by having far more on screen baby murder. Furthermore it gives you many more options for murdering babies then other games. In this game you can help a cannibal eat armies of babies. You can help a catholic priest murder child soldiers. You can burn babies. You can fight babies with swords, axes, and spears. You can crush babies with a Golem. You burn babies with a dragon. You can call on friends and allies to kill babies with the power of friendship. And make no mistake, Drakengard does not skimp on the baby murder. There are HUNDREDS of babies for you to murder. In fact, babies are the primary villains of the entire game, and it is your job to save the world from their evil grasp. Furthermore, Drakengard does not pretend that what you are doing is wrong. Your characters LOVE baby murder. Maybe as much as the player. Overall, Drakengard is the Magnum Opus of baby murder. I award it 10 dead babies out of 10.
Honorable Mention: Thou Shalt Not Die
Despite the title, a lot of people die. Most of them are children. Sadly, they are all in their teens, robbing it of its impact. Furthermore, it is a mange, not a video game, which removes the interactive element. Despite this, it is still a worthwhile read for those interested in child murder. 5 dead babies out of 10.
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