The Biggest Game Project on this Planet

Breath of Fire IV

I tellz ya, I just couldn't get enough of this wonderful series, so I went ahead and bought ANOTHER one, despite the foul taste left behind by 2 and 3. Why? Why, indeed.
Because I'm an RPG nut, most likely, or because I had money and time to spare at that time. And because I'm a relentless believer in Capcom, no matter how much crap they throw at me.

BUT! Every once in awhile the people behind a particular series screw up, and do something totally different from the previous instalments, and actually make something that is REALLY REALLY good. That, my friends, is Breath of Fire IV.

I was amazed myself, at how much I loved this game. But then, what's not to like? EVERYTHING that bugged me about the prequels has been fixed. The difficulty is more balanced, the encount rate is toned down, the story is more interesting and the music is great too. But above all else, what I liked about this game, is the tremendously tranquil atmosphere it breathes. No "OMG! WE HAVE TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, KILL THE EVIL ZOLBROD AND SAVE THE PLANET!", but instead you get a wonderfully laid-back, deep, mythological story, taking place in a rustic Middle-East/Ancient China-like environment without any explosions and big School buildings duelling out in mid-air.

Once again, as the staple of the series, you play as Ryu, the spikey blue-haired boy, who can change into a Dragon at will. This time though, you also get to play as his Alter Ego Fo Lu, an ancient Dragon God that has been revived for some reason or other. What I love about this villian is that he too stays so calm throughout the story. No insane random killings and big Meteors and whatnot, just this very relaxed guy, in no particular hurry. And the fact that you actually get to play as him, shows that he has problems of his own, people trying to kill him, but also people who help him when he's hurt, and he DOES get hurt. He's a weak and vulnerable person, as opposed to all those invincible Demi-Gods you tend to get everywhere else.

The Battle system is also great. Your entire party consists of 6 people, who are with you at ALL times. No changing parties or anything, everyone is always there, which is good, because some characters have field abilities, like cutting grass, pushing crates and banging agains walls (I like that last one). And this feature extends into the battle scenes as well. All your party members are THERE at all times, but you only have to worry about 3 people fighting at the same time. If one of them gets hurt too much, just immediately exchange with someone waiting in the back. It's similar to Final Fantasy X, offering ready exchange of party members, but it's different in that the members not on screen, are still actually there.
Occasionally, someone in the back will perform Auxiliary skills, like support attacks, or random healings, depending on what Master they are studing under.

Add to that the fact, that dungeons are a lot more fun this time, no stupid mazes, but plenty of nice gimmicks and puzzles, and that this game has a plethora of subgames, which not only earn you items, but actually help making your Dragon Forms stronger, and you've got yourself a total winner.

In short, a very well-worked out RPG, for the gourmet player, offering a unique peaceful way of story-telling, that actually allows you to see it all from the other guy's point of view too. I love it. A 9.0

posted by Ingen! @ 11:45 AM