Azure Dreams

"A Labor Of Love...."

Azure Dreams stands out as a true anomaly among RPG's. Although most of the standard role-playing elements (magic, monsters, turn-based battles, etc.) are to be found in this game, it nevertheless just PLAYS differently from all others that have been placed in the same category. For this reason, many RPG fans have a thorough disdain for Azure Dreams. They say it's boring. They say it has no point. They say it has a weak plot. They don't like the fact that it's open-ended, and contains no cut scenes. Etc, etc....
Well, I'll be the first to admit that all of the above things are technically true. The game CAN be boring; it CAN seem pointless; it DOESN'T have much plot development; and it is indeed DECIDEDLY open-ended.
That's why I love it so much.

Bear in mind that this isn't Final Fantasy, and if you're looking for something along those lines, you've come to the wrong place. Azure Dreams doesn't involve any kind of epic struggle between Good and Evil to save the world. Nor does it allow you to travel across a vast fantasy realm, visiting different towns and gradually increasing your magic power. In fact, your character can't even perform magic in the FIRST PLACE (*more detail on this later on in the review).
Rather than dealing with any of the above concepts, Azure Dreams is centered upon the idea of building a LIFE -- in this case, the life of your character. You take over just about every aspect of his existence, ranging from his familial obligations to his romantic pursuits and beyond. Thrown in, of course, is no small amount of adventure of challenge; but that's all really just there to provide a means by which to elevate the status of your hero.

You begin the game as Koh, a rambunctious lad living in the remote frontier town of Monsbaiya, renown for its proximity to a legendary ''Monster Tower''. To be found living inside this massive structure are countless magical creatures -- put simply, ''monsters'' -- who can be both tamed and fought; loved and feared; bought and sold. The brave souls who dare to venture into the Monster Tower are known by the locals as ''Tamers'', and they are the lifeblood of Monsbaiya's economy. Tamers come from miles around to try their hand at exploring the Monster Tower, and though most of them fail, some of them end up becoming highly accomplished and respected members of society by virtue of their successes in the Tower. The best way to do so is to find unhatched monster eggs. These can be either sold for a hefty profit in town, or hatched by the Tamer himself in order to create a whole new type of tamed monster, which I will discuss in greater detail later in this text.
Legendary in the town of Monsbaiya is one Tamer in particular, Koh's long-lost father, Guy. You see, Guy was once known far and wide as one of the greatest Monster Tamers in all the world, until one day he departed on a trip to the tower and never returned. Since this all happened when Koh was still very young, he was forced to grow up in near-poverty, with only his mother to raise him.
When you start the game, it is Koh's fifteenth birthday, the day upon which he becomes an adult. He is now free to venture into the Monster Tower on his own, following in his father's footsteps, to seek out his destiny.

Blah, enough rambling. Let's break it down....

GAMEPLAY: 9
Azure Dreams takes place in two different environments: the Town, and the Tower. In the town, Koh interacts with a number of local citizens -- some friendly, and some hostile. At the beginning of the game, Koh is looked down upon by many of Monsbaiya's residents due to his poverty and immaturity. When you go into the town's various shops and restaurants, the employees treat you with disdain, as they know you can't afford to buy anything. The local elders may crack jokes at your expense and shoo you away. Even your friends don't have many positive things to say -- instead, they just complain about the state of the town, which unfortunately provides very few sources of recreation. Well, that's got to change....
And it can. One of the unique things about Azure Dreams is that you have the ability to actually improve your town. Not only can Koh expand on his own homestead and purchase countless luxury items at the general store, but as he amasses more and more money from his excursions into the Monster Tower, he can also pay to have a variety of entertainment venues and civic centers built around Monsbaiya. The better Koh does on his adventures, the better the town does. Also, as Koh finances the construction of new buildings around town, his prestige among the citizens increases correspondingly. This enables him to meet new people...mainly, girls.
Ah, yes -- the girls. As the game progresses, Koh can encounter a number of local females, and actively pursue romantic relationships with them. Each one has her own distinct personality, and must be won over in her own way. One of the harder things to do in this game is choosing just which girl you want to make your own, as they're all just so darn pretty and likable. ''Should this one be my main squeeze, or should we just stay friends???'' Decisions, decisions....

As for the Tower -- that's where all the action takes place. When Koh ventures into the Tower, not only will he do battle with a myriad of monsters, but he will also catch and befriend some of them. These friendly, tamed monsters are known as ''Familiars'', and they are essential for success in the Tower. Since Koh himself cannot perform magic, he must find monsters who can, and then train them to fight on his side as he makes his way up, floor by floor. Without a good familiar, you're not going to make it very far. One of the best aspects of the game is trying to acquire all of the different types of monsters to see how well they work as Familiars. This enterprise in and of itself is probably worth 50 hours of gameplay alone.
The battles that take place within the tower are turn-based, but not in a traditional RPG way. The main difference is that they're much more fast-paced, and so in my opinion, less tedious. You'll also find countless weapons and other items lying around which can either be sold in town, or put to good use while fighting monsters in the tower. The game engine also randomly generates tower levels each time you enter, so it's almost never the same experience twice.

The control scheme is very well thought-out, and the game provides a great deal of difficulty, but not to the point that it becomes unbearably frustrating. Also, the game has limitless potential for replayability because even after you beat it, you can continue playing. So far, I've logged over 100 hours on Azure Dreams....

STORY: 9
I more-or-less explained the basic story in my introduction, but there is indeed much more to it. I'll spare you the long-winded explanation, but I WILL say that the plot development depends primarily upon your interactions with the game's NPC's. You'll come to truly like and care about many of them, and I personally found the story of this game to be highly charming and with a lot of ''Soul''. The mere recollection of Koh's dear, loving mother makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and his various girlfriends leave me with many fond memories.
Oh, and there are also a few surprises, too....

GRAPHICS: 8
This game wasn't designed to have mind-blowing graphics, and the developers' primary concern was obviously the gameplay; but nevertheless, Azure Dreams does feature some pretty nice visuals. The character models are well done (especially the monsters), and the environments have a slightly-cartoonish (but not kiddie) look to them. There are those who would say that Azure Dreams could have had better graphics, but I honestly can't imagine how else they could have been handled. The bottom line is that they are fitting for the particular game, and I like them just fine.

SOUND: 7
There are no voice-overs to speak of, but the music is well done...and it'd better be because you'll be hearing a lot of the same songs over and over (and over) again as you play this game. Personally, I like the music, but it's possible that it may start to get on your nerves after you've been wandering around the Monster Tower for 2 hours, listening to the same darn song repeating incessantly in the background.

OVERALL: 10* (*Not an average, obviously.)
Let's get one thing straight: I'm not the type of reviewer who goes around giving Tens to every game I enjoy. In fact, Azure Dreams is one of only about five games I've ever played to which I'd give such a high rating. What I'm saying is, I REALLY LOVE this game...and you should as well. Azure Dreams stands out among other RPG's because of the way that it seems to just throw all of the most common elements of such games together in a blender to produce a final result that is so familiar, and yet so unusual. If you give this game an honest chance, you'll love it; but be warned -- it's a real emotional involvement, and you may just end up losing a lot of sleep over it.
This game's got so much character and soul that it's one of my all-time favorites. A definite Ten all the way....

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/03, Updated 02/04/03