main series of missions beginning after an opening tutorial. The game features ground-based hack-and-slash gameplay and aerial combat. In ground combat, the player controls multiple characters, switching between them via the pause menu in order to use their different weapons. The characters use physical attacks using character weapons for short-range battle, while magical attacks are used for long-range attacks and groups of enemies. The magical attacks vary between the playable characters. Weapons, characters and magical abilities leave up and grow stronger as the player gains experience points in combat: weapons have a four-level cap. Aerial gameplay puts the main character atop his dragon, which is guided round by the player to attack enemy formations and large structures on the ground or enemies and airships in the sky. The player can also jump between the dragon and the ground during ground-based missions. The dragon has the ability to launch two types of fireballs: a homing variety that deals damage to single enemies, and a widespread attack which does higher damage to groups. Alongside this, the dragon can perform a special attack called "Dragon Overdrive", which kills many normal enemy units outright and deals high damage to stronger units and bosses. The dragon also gains experience and levels up through combat, dealing more damage in its attacks as it grows stronger. It also evolves and grows stronger at points directly linked to the game's narrative. Story Setting and characters Drakengard 2 takes place in an unnamed land nearly two decades after the events of Drakengard: originally said to take place after the game's first ending, it was later retconned so it took place in an isolated timeline following events similar to Drakengard. In the original game, two powers, the Empire and the Union, were engaged in a religious war over the Seals, magical bindings tied to a chosen Goddess of the Seal that kept dark entities known as the Watchers from appearing in the mortal world and destroying humanity. Caught up in the conflict were Caim and Angelus, a human and a dragon who had made a pact (a magical ritual that linked their souls), and fought to try to keep both the Seals and the Goddess safe. Though they ultimately failed, Angelus became the new seal, averting the end of the world. Eighteen years later, the Seals are protected by the Knights of the Seal, who eventually grow to become a