Saiyuki: Journey West

"Come on everyone! Let's go west!"

My brother had the honor of getting this game. I just watched, but I decided to write a review anyway because Saiyuki: Journey West is a nice game.

Story, 8/10:
A little baby named Sanzo was found traveling down the river. A monk picked him up just in time! The monk raises Sanzo to become a fine young man. As he grows older, Sanzo begins to see visions of Lady Kannon. So he sets out on a quest, and meets the monkey warrior Goku (not to be confused with the crap that is DBZ...). Together with Goku, the two will meet legendary warriors in hopes of finding out what these visions mean. The story is based off of Chinese folk-lore. While the story in itself is good, it's missing a certain something that could've made it even better.

Gameplay, Field 10/10:
If you've ever played a strategy game, none of this should be new to you. You travel across the world map from key location to key location. At some locations you will fight enemies, and at towns you can do many things. There are jobs to go on, magic spells to buy, you can train your party, you can upgrade your equipment...the basics. When you enter a town or dungeon for the first time, you will get the opportunity to watch events that involve the story. These events play out really well, considering how different each character is. The controls are easy to learn, so no one should have trouble.

Gameplay, Battles 10/10:
Just like strategy games, your characters fight enemies on a large grid. They have a certain range of movement, and can attack and cast spells when it's their turn. What's really fun about the battles are the Were-forms. Each character (except Sanzo) can transform into a humongous beast that deals A TON of damage to enemies. Each beast is different and has their own special attacks. Sanzo has the ability to summon spirits of the elements! Each spirit has it's own personality, attack, and amazing animation. Sometimes, you can deal extra damage to the enemy when attacking from behind, giving the game a bit of a realistic sense. I wish there was a job system like in Final Fantasy Tactics, but since the characters are so diverse, you really won't care...especially if you never have played FFT.

Gameplay, Character Development 9/10:
Each character develops really well over time. All of them are different, and not cliche in the slightest bit. What is a bit unfortunate is that you won't learn that much about the characters you get way late in the game. But still, the development is really well done.

Graphics, 10/10:
This is my favorite part of the game. During conversations, each character has their own face portraits that portrays their current mood. Each character sprite is colorful and highly detailed. I also should mention that players get blessed with some very nice anime cut scenes. The spells are dazzling, and the enemies are all creative. The graphics are one the game's highpoints (among other things of course!)

Sound, 10/10:
It's their. There really isn't any voice acting, and that's a good thing if you ask me. During some of the anime scenes, you get spoken dialogue, but the voices fit perfectly. And as far as sound effects go, everything sounds like it should.

Musicj 10/10:
I love the music in this game! It has this really awesome oriental feel to it, and their are so many tracks! Should you someday come across the OST, buy it! The music in Saiyuki: Journey West is really great.

Replay Value, 3/10:
Other than the fact that you can choose Sanzo's gender from the beginning of the game, this game has no replay value at all. There are no extras or sidequests to really speak of, but that's what is expected in most strategy/RPGs. You may play this game after some years on the shelf.

Difficulty, Medium:
Some of the battles are really easy, especially if you train. Some of the battles, on the other hand, require you to think and plan properly. This game has a good challenge level for RPGers all over.

Buy or Rent? Buy:
Totally buy this game. This is one of those games that may disappear from stores everywhere. I recommend buying it and never letting it go. It's a great game that you are sure to enjoy.

That's it. Saiyuki: Journey West will take you on a great journey that you will greatly enjoy. With so few GOOD RPGs out, it's a real pleasure to know that companies are still making good, classic typed games.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/03, Updated 03/27/03