Breath of Fire

"Old game gives a breath of fresh air"

Breath of Fire is a classic, and there's just no getting around it. Some might deny it since it's different from a lot of the things Square had done in the past, or maybe because Capcom got their grubby mitts on it, but there may be some with legitimate reasoning.

One of the faults with Breath of Fire that people like to point out is that its interface isn't very good. It isn't. It's barebones to say the least, and it often shortens the names of items into slightly-less-than-comprehensible rubbish. Well, at least it's easy to understand and it works. Maybe my standards are a little too low though.

Another thing I can see wrong with the game is that it just isn't that creative. All the characters fit into an RPG stereotype. There's the hero, the thief, the tough guy, the jolly one, etc. It's a very linear plot, and just generally lacks imagination.

But the pros far outweigh the cons. The game is a winner, definitely. It easily holds its own in the graphics department. The towns are quite lovely, as well as the world map. The characters look great. They're cartoony, but they're professionally done. The characters personalities are well-reflected by their appearance. Combat scenes are fun to watch and are actually somewhat impressive. I especially like the monsters in this game though. They look terrific.

I also enjoy the audio. While some of the instruments used in the music leave something to be desired, I found that for the most part the music sounded good. The action sounds are also quite good.

Above all these though is that the game is just really fun to play. Sure, it can be predictable at times, but it returns more to you than you put into it. A ''good investment'' as some like to call it. I can remember many nights spent laying on my bed half-asleep and playing that game like I wasn't going to wake up the following morning. When I did wake up, I was right back to playing it. It was absolutely addictive, and while I did say that it's not very inventive and is somewhat predictable, it draws the player in in an exceptional fashion. There is something to be said for simplicity in RPGs, I suppose.

The bottom line: It's a classic. It has some clunky interface aspects, but overall, the game is great.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/17/01, Updated 08/17/01