Saiyuki: Journey West

"Excellent with a few minor complaints."

Overview:
This isn't FFT Jr. this isn't FFT2, this isn't FFT period. It's not the same sort of game despite using a similar battle system and graphical look. This is very different from FFT and that'll become apparent after about ten minutes into the game. Tactics was a political story with mystical undertones. It featured the hiring of soldiers, purchasing dozens of items, learning dozens of skills and a job system. Saiyuki is a mystical story with an upbeat mood. It features a party united by story, not hired. It involves purchasing a few items, learning a few skills, nothing major. And there's no job system, forget that. Although it uses FFT's look and battle style, it's not FFT at all. It's a game all its own and an RPG that should be in every gamer's library.

Story:
I've read various translations and seen various adaptations of Journey to the West. By far the best version has been by Anthony C. Yu, since it keeps both the story and philosophy intact along with the respect for the Buddha. A lot of versions have been mangled thanks to the Communist Chinese government, who insisted that the Buddha and spirituality in general be cut out of the story. However, Saiyuki is thankfully the Japanese adaptation, and while it's not as good as Yu's version, it holds its own. It loses a ton of the philosophy, but for an RPG adaptation, it's not to be missed. Some of the names translated into English aren't all that accurate ( Sagyo Jyo becomes Sa Gojo, etc), but they're good enough. Oh yeah, Son Goku is not the same guy in Dragonball Z, this Son Goku is way cooler and far truer to the original. He actually looks like a monkey for one thing, and he isn't a goody two-shoes.

Mood:
This has always been important to me; the mood of a story. Well the mood in Saiyuki is mystical and upbeat. It's not a kid's story, but it doesn't get heavy and contain a load of twists like FFT or Vagrant Story. It's easy to follow, it's enjoyable and that's what counts. The mood is quite good, it keeps you interested and the jokes are actually quite funny, a seldom seen occurrence in video games today. The mood never gets too lighthearted, but it never gets too serious as to the point that you feel weighted down. All around, it's well done.

Music:
The music is a mixed bag. Some themes, such as the opening and the temple themes are gorgeous, while others (particularly a couple of the battle themes) get monotonous after awhile. It's nothing bad, just not every single song is enjoyable. It's about on par with Suikoden II's soundtrack, minus the symphony intro.

Sound:
Nothing wrong here, the sounds are quite good and they match what their function requires. Every smack of Goku's staff, every whizz of healing energy from Sanzo, every pounding rock spell from Hakkai are perfectly accompanied by a fitting sound.

Control: This is sort of a pointless category, save for the fact I have one small complaint. While you won't encounter this much, on occasion the menu changeovers seem a bit slow, particularly on the start screen. Otherwise it's a great run.

Graphics: Considering these were done in 1998, they're excellent. However, today one can't help but feel like they could have done a bit more work. The highlights of the game are fantastic however, such as the anime sequences and particularly the character designs. I was quite happy with the Japanese characterizations of my childhood heroes and various Buddhist deities. Being a Buddhist myself, I can well appreciate the work put forth.

Conclusion: A worthy member of any gamer's library and one of the RPG classics-to-be. It's not something that'll blow you out of the water like Final Fantasy 7 when it was first released, but it's far from a downer like SaGa Frontier. A 9/10 for me.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/01, Updated 08/22/01