Saiyuki: Journey West

"Don't Were me down!"

In a day where 3-d, nearly-seamless graphics are the norm in the video game industry, is it possible to make people want to go back to their old Playstations and give one last new game a try? The developers at Koei obviously believe so. I'll have to agree.

Saiyuki: Journey West is a game based on a Chinese legend of a young monk's voyage from his monastery in China to deliver a sacred staff to a temple in India. Along the way, his enemies (the devils) will try to thwart him at every turn. But our protagonist isn't too down on his luck, because he is joined by people who share his cause. Saiyuki: Journey West features a brilliant storytelling element and infectious characters that always seem to have something to say. It's not surprising that the story is so involving... after all, it IS a legend.

The very first thing one will notice when you start playing through it is its distinct semblance to Squaresoft's Final Fantasy Tactics. Obviously, Koei saw a winning formula here and banked in on it. But they brought a little extra to the table, as well. The main gameplay element are the ''Werechanges,'' in which the monk Sanzo's allies (and enemies) become gigantic animal version of themselves. The Weres gain experience separately from their human counterparts, though, which adds depth to the strategies involved. Sanzo is unable to become a Were, but don't feel too bad for him, because Sanzo has the ability to summon Gods to give him and his allies the edge in a fight.

Many side-quests are featured, and despite Saiyuki's last-gen 2-d characters, has some wonderful spell animation. Often half the battles are fought merely by how well prepared you are. You only have a certain amount of slots for spells and special items; and you're often running low on cash until you perform odd jobs for towns to earn a little extra green. You'll also need to keep your weapons tempered at a Smith and go into training at a Dojo to keep a fighting edge in the battles; many of which you're outnumbered at least 2-to-1 in.

The music is very well orchestrated (although a tad repetitive), and there are a few occasional voice-overs thrown into the mix as well. Other customization options, such as choosing the main character's gender (take that, Pok'emon!) also increase the replay value of this title.

There's also a plethora of side-quests and mini-games to be seen in this game; some of which reveal hidden characters or special weapons. This adds several hours of extra gameplay to the mix.

It's very hard to make the transition from one console generation to another. It's games like Saiyuki: Journey West that make it just a little bit easier to let the old system go out on a high note.

Concept: 10
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Playability: 9
Entertainment: 10
Replay value: Moderate
Overall: 9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/02, Updated 03/26/02