The Strange Works of Taro Yoko: From Drakengard to NieR: Automata

I pre-ordered this book expecting a lot of illustrations, behind the scenes concept art and well, mostly images. Imagine my surprise when I received it and realised it's pure writing from beginning to end! The first chapter or so was tough to get through but soon enough I realised that this is a fantastic book.The author has compiled a thorough outlook on the creation of the Nier and Drakengard series. Here you'll find information on the gaming industry in Japan in the late 90s all the way to the 2010s. You'll find out how people came together to create these games, the challenges and the obstacles, the inspirations. I loved reading about how Nier: Automata only exists because of a stroke of luck. After the creators had lost hope, it just so happened that the right people and opportunities came together to create one of the biggest gaming successes in the last decade. The best part is that it focuses not just on the game developing process, there's a whole section dedicated to the music too which is one of the best parts of these games!For those who struggle to understand the timeline in the Yoko Taro games, this book also has a section where it tells the stories of every game in a concise and easy to understand manner, so if like me you didn't have a chance to play Drakengard, don't worry. You'll be up to speed after this.That's how far I've got in the book for now, I totally recommend it for those deeply interested in the gaming industry and the process behind the entire universe of Yoko Taro. Just keep in mind, it's a lot of reading and lot of words with no pictures lol It's worth it!Edit: I've finished the whole book. The latter half focuses on analysis of the story and themes, so a lot of deep theories about existentialism and such are discussed in the context of the game. A hard read but very interesting indeed.

As someone who played Drakengard (Drag-on Dragoon) back on the PS2 and fell in love with it's bizzare designs, dark outlook and less than common band of 'heroes', I quickly came to recognize and follow the lead creator - Yoko Taro. His games are close to my heart, and incredibly interesting in theme and continuity. How they connect is very subtle or outright non-existent at times... until you start theorizing.He's an enigma that this book tries very hard to look into, and perhaps enlighten you to his creative thought process. I'm super happy with the cover and presentation, and the foreword by Taro himself is a delight!

Writing this mostly to counter the low score review that's there purely because the person didn't check what they were buying. This is a great book (although spoiler heavy) if you're interested in Yoko Taro's work and want to read an in depth analysis of themes in the games he's directed. Again, however, be warned that out of necessity it contains a large number of important plot points from both the Drakengard and NieR series.It doesn't have any artwork other than the one on the cover, since the subject matter is the creations of a game director who is not a graphical artist.

i was expecting this to be an art book but it's not disappointed ? yes but i didn't read the other reviews so i guess that's on me i don't have the time or inclination to read it (just look at visual works yourself and form your own opinion) so i'll be returning it

Do not buy this book - it is not an art book...it’s just a normal book with no pictures of art work what so ever! Very misleading in the way they have titled the book - using the word “works” which usually suggests that it’s an art book! Avoid this book!

Really thought this was an art book, disappointing, but the book itself is interesting

A good book if you're interested in how Nier's timeline and Yokoverse came to be. Ignore the review about the huge scratch on the cover, that's literally the book's design

No es lo que creía

Incrível. Para quem gosta de NieR e Drakengard, irá adorar

Great overview of the origin, history and themes of the games. Given that especially the drakengard games didn't age (and probably never were) that well gameplaywise, reading this book was even more worthwhile.

I thought his name was Yoko Taro. That's how I always heard it in the gaming world. Is there a way you're supposed to write the names of Japanese people that I'm not aware of? For example, if I was writing a book about Yoko Ono, would I call it "The life & Times of Ono Yoko"?