Azure Dreams

"Love pets? Seek adventure? Have the curiosity to find out about new things? Well then, this is the game for you..."

The game's graphics might be outdated in a sense, but nearly everybody doesn't care about graphics when the game boasts great gameplay, right? Well then, this is a game with really good gameplay, nice music, and cool storyline.

Your father was one of the greatest monster tamers in the world, and he was one who could understand what his familiars (tamed monsters, in a sort of way] tried to say or when they were trying to communicate. He also had great strength, and courage. One day, your father entered the tower. On this fateful day, he died, leaving an unknown mystery of why he died to be solved by you. As your source of income was now gone (your father), your mother had to raise you on a strict basis of money by selling your father's familiar. Anybody beyond the age of 15 is strictly forbidden to enter the tower, and you have only dreamed of entering the tower and gaining the monster eggs and collecting money for your family. The time has come, and you can now enter the tower.

Whou, that was long. But what's the really good thing about this game? Easy to understand storyline, yet original and creative. In this game, it's just like a life simulation. You can get girlfriends, seek money or eggs in the monster tower. You can even build enhancements to the town, or to your house! For example, in your house there is a monster hut to keep all your monsters hatched at home. If you go to the carpenter, he can upgrade your monster hut's size or the house's size. You can even build upgrades to the town, for example, enlarging the temple for the use of everybody, or donate to the building of a fountain, enlarging the library/hospital, etc., and those are only a small part in the game!

But one cool thing that I love in this game is the ability to get girlfriends. Yep, everybody has a different personality. From a tomboy to shy to loud-mouthed to kind, everything is included here, and this game makes it really play like a life simulation game. There was one girl by the name of Cheryl, and she was a weak child since birth. The time I met her, I found out that I needed a Healing Herb to cure her disease. Guess what? I really felt sorry for her, even in a game! So I went into the monster tower, and tried over and over to get the Healing Herb. It was like 5 minutes later when I looked up to the clock, 2 hours had passed. Man, was I engrossed to this game. When I got it, I gave it back to Cheryl, and when she healed completely, I was like, uh, jumping around for the satisfaction for having helped someone. And there's a total of 7 girlfriends in this game.

Familiars? They play a VERY important part in the game, for without them, you wouldn't even survive the 3rd level (note: there are 40 levels in the monster tower). They play a part as helpers, helping you with magic, or by just attacking alongside you. Mind you, they also have levels, and if exit the tower, they will still keep their level, but you will go back to level 1 if you exit. Every monster has a different type of power, from 3 elementals power. Wind, Water and Fire. For example, a Dragon is a Fire-type monster, so it can belch out flames or attack directly. And mind you, Dragons only eat metal, so you can only feed them coins or swords/shields, or if you have nothing else to give, a Pita fruit which recovers MP will be eaten without being enjoyed. There are practically lots of monsters in this game, and if you manage to collect all of them, you will be able to feel a satisfaction for the collection.

And now, for what you've all been waiting for: the objective of the game. Well, you need to find out what killed your dad in the tower, since he died with a mysterious way, since if he faints in the tower, he'll be brought back home by his familiar. And of course, you also want to find out how those high level monsters look like, and collect special items, and gain the Ultimate Egg on the top floor, but before being able to do that, you'll have to fight the cause of your father's death (can't reveal who, it'll spoil your game).

Special items? Example, if you build a pool, you need a Water Medal to be able to have water, so you need to kill a special type of monster to gain the Medal. Or finding the Guru's Pot which generates a special kind of oil to restore the windmills. There are about 6 special quests in this game.

Oh, and I nearly forgot? Music and sound? They are great! I love the music, I was actually humming to it, and it sounds like an Arabic-type of music. The sound is pretty much OK, but certainly not the best of quality. It's sort of, not too good. All in all, this is a REALLY GREAT game. If you want what's called adventure, curiosity, and new ideas, then this is the choice for you. It's a 9/10, so don't think it's bad! BTW, this game was made by Konami, producers of Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill, so you oughta know that this game is good.

© 1999 Wan Zafran. All rights reserved.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99