In preparation for my Breath of Fire replay, here's a repost of a review I wrote nearly four years ago. I completed the game then, and, if I recall correctly, I was pretty thorough - I had everyone's best weapon/armour, and I'd completed every subquest (to be fair, there weren't many, beyond the best weapons/armour. Maybe not any, I'm not sure).
I liked this game much better than some of the later Breath of Fire's, although it's difficult to analyse why. Possibly because it's much shorter than the others. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent playing it, but it was only about six days, and I was working over four of those, so it's really not long.
The plot isn't overly complicated. War between Dark Dragons and Light Dragons, last surviving member of the White Dragon Tribe sets out on a journey to save the world, picks up many interested and varied team mates on the way, kicks the ass of a goddess, etc, etc. Ladon, the Dragon God, who appears in many Breath of Fire games is worshiped throughout the world, and his statue forms your save points. Maria - also known as much Myria, Tyr and Myllia throughout the series - is the main antagonist, as per usual.
It's a pity, to be honest, that more time couldn't have been spent on plot, especially back story for some of your teammates. You have eight of them, but only three are really developed, and you can only use four in a team at once, so it's almost impossible not to ignore or forget about some of them. Characters gain exp and level up whether they're in your party or not, so you don't even have to keep them around for that.
The characters are Ryu, of course, the infamous blue-haired, fishing Dragon boy who returns in every Breath of Fire, even Dragon Quarter (which varied from the others in the series in many ways, said to be because of the death of the original creator). Later in the game, he gains the ability to transform into various dragon forms, as per usual. He does actually speak a little in this, although it's a blink and you'll miss it kind of thing. He fishes, too, and I find the fishing mini-game much more enjoyable than in the other games of the series, simply because there's far less of a random factor. Use the right rod and fish in the right place, and you get the item you want, first time, no fuss. Due to the nature of the story, Ryu must go through many changes and emotions, but unfortunately he's his usual stoic self, denying access to the reactions that would give him more character.
Instead, as usual, the role of main protagonist falls to Nina, the winged Princess of Wyndia. She's her normal blonde, short-haired self, and, as always, is one of your party members from the beginning. Once again (I played IV before this one), she's a useful white mage, although at least she gets a rapier rather than a rod. Later on she gains the ability to transform into a giant bird, the 'airship' of the Breath of Fire series.
Then there's Bleu, otherwise known as Deis (a mistranslation from the Japanese). The same beautiful Naga Mage/Goddess who has also graced games I through IV with her gliding, blue haired, slightly naked presence. She's a strong black mage in this incarnation, and I adore her just as much as ever.
The other characters, as I said, are not given much characterization, although they are given useful skills. There's Bo, a hunter, who can hunt on the world map (a skill more annoying than it is useful, to be honest). Gobi, a Manillo (a species you may recognise from other games in the series), who can walk underwater (allowing you access to a greater part of the world map), and who can open a stall in the marketplaces in two of the cities (which allows you to, with luck, find some of the best weapons in the game). Mogu, a mole-person, who can dig on the world map, allowing you access to certain treasure vaults and dungeons. Ox, who can break certain objects and walls, and knock things off trees. And finally Karn, a thief who can open various locks and remove traps from chests, although he cannot actually steal anything from anyone. Karn has the ability to merge with other teammates into a powerful warrior. There are four different versions of this spell, the most powerful of which merges Karn, Bo, Gobi and Ox, making choosing your battle party much easier (since these four merged warriors only take up one place).
The random battle system in the game is a tad overenthusiastic, pulling you into fights every five steps or so. Luckily, the area of the game is small, and there is an item, which can be bought cheaply from about halfway through the game, which prevents random battles for a short while. There is also the 'auto' option in battle, which will cause your characters to attack repeatedly, with no intervention from you; the lazy way to win (although you do need to be fairly confident in the strength of your party). Auto is such a great idea, as anyone who has played through random RPG battles simplyby holding X, without even looking at the screen, will know.
A little more expansion of the plot would have been nice, as I've mentioned, especially since a lot of the time, your next location is fairly obscure and barely mentioned unless you pay close attention. Without a guide, you'll spend a lot of time wondering around, frustrated. However, the few slightly emotional scenes that there are, especially towards the end, are very sweet, and you do become fond of the characters. As in most Breath of Fire games, there are two endings. The 'bad' ending is short, and not nearly so interesting, although there is a slightly chilling segment which was a nice touch. The 'good' ending provides a much better explanation of what happens next, and is far more dramatic. The endings aren't difficult to get - I managed to see them both within ten minutes of each other, and that includes the time taken to get through the final dungeon.
There's also a cute little cameo of Ryu from Breath of Fire II shown at the end of the good ending, as a really adorable sneak preview of the next game.
This game isn't as good as many, but it does have the traditional Breath of Fire charm. It's not as long or complex as many modern RPG's, but parts of it are still original and idiosyncratic, even so long after the original release, and Bleu/Deis is a gorgeous as ever. All in all, it won't be disappointing to a fan, and it's a good game for someone new to the series too.
I liked this game much better than some of the later Breath of Fire's, although it's difficult to analyse why. Possibly because it's much shorter than the others. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent playing it, but it was only about six days, and I was working over four of those, so it's really not long.
The plot isn't overly complicated. War between Dark Dragons and Light Dragons, last surviving member of the White Dragon Tribe sets out on a journey to save the world, picks up many interested and varied team mates on the way, kicks the ass of a goddess, etc, etc. Ladon, the Dragon God, who appears in many Breath of Fire games is worshiped throughout the world, and his statue forms your save points. Maria - also known as much Myria, Tyr and Myllia throughout the series - is the main antagonist, as per usual.
It's a pity, to be honest, that more time couldn't have been spent on plot, especially back story for some of your teammates. You have eight of them, but only three are really developed, and you can only use four in a team at once, so it's almost impossible not to ignore or forget about some of them. Characters gain exp and level up whether they're in your party or not, so you don't even have to keep them around for that.
The characters are Ryu, of course, the infamous blue-haired, fishing Dragon boy who returns in every Breath of Fire, even Dragon Quarter (which varied from the others in the series in many ways, said to be because of the death of the original creator). Later in the game, he gains the ability to transform into various dragon forms, as per usual. He does actually speak a little in this, although it's a blink and you'll miss it kind of thing. He fishes, too, and I find the fishing mini-game much more enjoyable than in the other games of the series, simply because there's far less of a random factor. Use the right rod and fish in the right place, and you get the item you want, first time, no fuss. Due to the nature of the story, Ryu must go through many changes and emotions, but unfortunately he's his usual stoic self, denying access to the reactions that would give him more character.
Instead, as usual, the role of main protagonist falls to Nina, the winged Princess of Wyndia. She's her normal blonde, short-haired self, and, as always, is one of your party members from the beginning. Once again (I played IV before this one), she's a useful white mage, although at least she gets a rapier rather than a rod. Later on she gains the ability to transform into a giant bird, the 'airship' of the Breath of Fire series.
Then there's Bleu, otherwise known as Deis (a mistranslation from the Japanese). The same beautiful Naga Mage/Goddess who has also graced games I through IV with her gliding, blue haired, slightly naked presence. She's a strong black mage in this incarnation, and I adore her just as much as ever.
The other characters, as I said, are not given much characterization, although they are given useful skills. There's Bo, a hunter, who can hunt on the world map (a skill more annoying than it is useful, to be honest). Gobi, a Manillo (a species you may recognise from other games in the series), who can walk underwater (allowing you access to a greater part of the world map), and who can open a stall in the marketplaces in two of the cities (which allows you to, with luck, find some of the best weapons in the game). Mogu, a mole-person, who can dig on the world map, allowing you access to certain treasure vaults and dungeons. Ox, who can break certain objects and walls, and knock things off trees. And finally Karn, a thief who can open various locks and remove traps from chests, although he cannot actually steal anything from anyone. Karn has the ability to merge with other teammates into a powerful warrior. There are four different versions of this spell, the most powerful of which merges Karn, Bo, Gobi and Ox, making choosing your battle party much easier (since these four merged warriors only take up one place).
The random battle system in the game is a tad overenthusiastic, pulling you into fights every five steps or so. Luckily, the area of the game is small, and there is an item, which can be bought cheaply from about halfway through the game, which prevents random battles for a short while. There is also the 'auto' option in battle, which will cause your characters to attack repeatedly, with no intervention from you; the lazy way to win (although you do need to be fairly confident in the strength of your party). Auto is such a great idea, as anyone who has played through random RPG battles simplyby holding X, without even looking at the screen, will know.
A little more expansion of the plot would have been nice, as I've mentioned, especially since a lot of the time, your next location is fairly obscure and barely mentioned unless you pay close attention. Without a guide, you'll spend a lot of time wondering around, frustrated. However, the few slightly emotional scenes that there are, especially towards the end, are very sweet, and you do become fond of the characters. As in most Breath of Fire games, there are two endings. The 'bad' ending is short, and not nearly so interesting, although there is a slightly chilling segment which was a nice touch. The 'good' ending provides a much better explanation of what happens next, and is far more dramatic. The endings aren't difficult to get - I managed to see them both within ten minutes of each other, and that includes the time taken to get through the final dungeon.
There's also a cute little cameo of Ryu from Breath of Fire II shown at the end of the good ending, as a really adorable sneak preview of the next game.
This game isn't as good as many, but it does have the traditional Breath of Fire charm. It's not as long or complex as many modern RPG's, but parts of it are still original and idiosyncratic, even so long after the original release, and Bleu/Deis is a gorgeous as ever. All in all, it won't be disappointing to a fan, and it's a good game for someone new to the series too.
No comments:
Post a Comment