Breath of Fire III

"A worthy sequel"

When this game hit American shores in early 1998 I was psyched up to play it. For the most part, it didn't disappoint.

Story-7/10

The story in this game isn't that bad. It's kind of like a coming of age story. Ryu, the main character, has to find out why his race was destroyed, why he is the only one remaining, and what is his purpose in life. The stories in the first two games are similar to this. This isn't necessary a bad thing but it should be revamped somewhat when they make the next game.

As for the your allies, half of them are likeable. Garr; with a hidden agenda, Rei; a well-to-do thief with a cool catch phrase, and Nina; the somewhat stereotypical rebellious princess but she sticks with Ryu no matter what. Unfortunately, the other half are either forgettable or downright annoying. Teepo; the theif who acts like a brat, Peco; the 'onion' that makes weird noises that you can't understand what they mean, and Momo; the obnoxious engineer who cares about little else than mechanical gizmos. The worst of this bunch would have to be Momo. At many times, the game forces you to put her in at parts to fiddle with machines. This is either because Capcom wanted her to have an important reason to be in your team, or because if she wasn't forced into your party, nobody would use her.

Graphics-9/10

Instead of going with polygons, BoF3 mainly uses sprite-based, anime-style graphics. The result: a colorful, vibrant world that is some great eye candy. In addition, you and your allies have a very fluid look to their actions. Ryu and Co. just wringing water out of their hair is a great example of this. Not only are your characters and, in general, the people of the world a treat to look at, the backgrounds are also done fairly well. I marked off a point though because some areas don't have as much detail as they should. Overall, though, this game has beautiful graphics even compared to games of today.

Music-6/10

Don't get me wrong, this game has some memorable music to it. It's just that there are a bunch of stinkers in this game as well. To start off with the good, this game has one of the best town musics in an RPG, Wyndia's music. The battle music is also done fairly well. Personally, I like the slight metal ambiance that accompanies it.

There are many tracks in this game, though, that overshadow the good. For instance, any music involving Momo makes me want to gag and rip out the volume control to my TV. There are also many other sappy, obnoxious tunes to this game but they are too numerous to mention.

Sound-9/10

There are few games around where characters are actually vocal in battles. This is one of those few games. Not only do your characters grunt accordingly when you attack or take damage, they also speak aloud the name of the spell that they cast. The voices are Japanese, but the effect is still the same. The rest of the sound effects is standard stuff: sword swipes, explosions, etc.

Gameplay-8/10

This game has a fairly complex battle system. There are the standard commands of attack, defend, item, escape, and magic. There is also a new command called Examine. It lets characters use their turn to watch what the enemy does. If the monster does a special attack, there is a chance that your character might learn it. Many of these enemy skills are also worth getting. One minor complaint is that random battles tend to happen often at regular intervals. While it's not that hard to run away, it can still be somewhat annoying.

Another great feature to the battle system is gene splicing. As you travel through the game, you'll find crystal-like objects called 'Dragon Genes'. With these, you can transform Ryu into a more powerful dragon. However, there are 18 genes in total and you can mix up the combinations to get some useless and very useful combinations. Some forms, though, suck up AP faster than a Hoover vacuum. The possibilities are endless!

Yet an additional positive feature of the battle engine would be the master-apprentice system. Some NPCs that you meet in the world are willing to apprentice some of your characters. Not only will this master teach that character new skills as they increase in level, that character's stats will also be affected. Some masters increase magic power and AP but decrease attack and defense power. Other masters do the opposite. It is deceptively simple at first but it can have a huge impact on how your party is down the long run. Once I had Ryu be a powerhouse when it came to physical and defense power while another time he had a massive amount of AP so he could maintain dragon form for sustained periods of time. It is up to the player to decide how their characters should be.

There are also a couple of fun 'mini-games' in BoF3. One is fishing. Not only is it easy, you can also either use the fish you catch to heal yourself or to trade them in for better equipment. The other mini-game here is that you can create your own town. While not as deep as BoF2, it can still be fun.

Not everything, though, is perfect with this game. BoF3 has some of the most annoying and ridiculously hard puzzles in an RPG to date. Just mention vinegar to any players who have completed this game and watch them sob uncontrollably in a corner. These puzzles really bring an otherwise fun game down a notch.

Difficulty-7/10

The main reason for the high score here is because of the aforementioned puzzles. They can really suck your willpower dry. Some bosses can also be a pain to fight sometimes but aren't nearly as difficult as some of the puzzles.

Overall-8/10

Despite some flaws (puzzles, high rate of random battles, Momo) this is still a very fun game. I would recommend it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/08/00, Updated 11/08/01