Saiyuki: Journey West

"Great game based on the legendary Journey to the West"

Saiyuki is one of the latest Playstation that has been released. It's uniqueness is that it is loosely based on the centuries old Chinese story, Journey to the West. It is known over many parts of Asia. This game has strategy type battles similar to games like Final Fantasy Tactics, but other than that it is very different.

Graphics: 8/10
This game is a 2-D game. The game graphics are colorful and very simple and nothing too exceptional. I would say that they are almost as good as a game such as Breath of Fire IV. So don't expect prerendered backgrounds and polygonal characters. This game is sprite-based with small bodies and big heads. When the characters are speaking, there is a nice little cartoon portrait next to their dialogue boxes. The graphics will not blow you away, but they are not disappointing either.

Story: 8/10
If you have some knowledge of Journey to the West like I did, then this game will be somewhat familiar to you. The game begins as a monk named Sanzo is given the task to take a sacred staff to India. Along the way you will meet the mischievous Monkey King, Son Goku, as well as other companions. This is the REAL Son Goku, not the Saiyajin. Demons, magic, and dragons await you on this journey. This story was very interesting to me and keep me engrossed. There is not too much character development though because this game is based more on the places you visit and the things you encounter.

Music: 7/10
Music was catchy at times, but is not the absolute best. Some of the music like the battles themes will get repetitive. The music has an unique Asian style to it, which is something you won't find in most other games.

Gameplay: 8/10
This game has it's normal RPG elements. You go to towns, explore places, and gain levels, items, experience, HP and MP. Nothing ground-breaking.
The layout of the battlefield as I said earlier is similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. It is turn-based strategy. In the battle, you have the choices to move your character a number of spaces, to attack, use a spell, use a potion, wait, or to werechange. The werechange command of this game is unique because you can transform your character into a more powerful being. A different thing is that the objective of each battle is not always to kill all the enemies on the screen. Sometimes it is other things such as protecting someone.

Replayablity: 6/10
This game is pretty linear. As you move forward in this game, you progress forward with the story. The only reason you'd want to play this game is to relive the story again. This is the kind of game that I only play once and then maybe in a few months to a year, I might play it all over again.This game will take around 25 hours to finish so it is long enough for the first playthrough.

Overall: 8/10
Saiyuki was a very good game for me to play. I was in a store and happen to see it. Seeing a game based on Journey to the West, I picked it up for $39.99. this game may not be too costly for some people. In that case, this game is at least worth renting. It will not disappoint!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/02, Updated 01/18/02