Breath of Fire II

"An Overlooked and Solid Sequel"

Often overlooked, but still quite a solid console role playing game of its
time. Breath of Fire 2 was released for Super Famicom and SNES during the prime
of the system, but still toward a point where not many RPGs were released in
the US because of little popularity and huge translation scripts that bogged
down publishers. Capcom released what is to be my personal favorite game of
the series.

The story, like the others in the series, tells the tale of a boy named Ryu
and his journey to find out who he is. He encounters several friends through
his journey to help find out more about his story and help cleanse the world
of evil. What's unique about the Breath of Fire series is that most characters
have a particular skill they can do, like walking through trees.


The Magic system in Breath of Fire 2 is somewhat simple, but still unique.
Normal spells are gained through levelling, but you encounter several Shaman
during the course of the game. Shaman are spirits that you can infuse with each
character to change your look and stats, and mold your powers. In this way,
the game is pretty customizable and it's a good idea to experiment with Shaman
combinations. Some Shaman can make a character extremely powerful, and some
have little effect at all.

One thing that has made the Breath of Fire series delightful to play has been
the battle animations. Ever since Breath of Fire, a lot has been put into what
characters look like in battle. The slashing of swords and battle animations
look very nice for the time. Also the sound effects are done quite well.

Capcom obviously put a lot into the storyline of this game. During this period
most games strayed from the cliche "save the world" campaign, but
Breath of Fire 2 utilizes mythology and religion themes to make the player more
interested in the game. A lot of things in the story made the game very enjoyable
past what is expected in a good game. There is also a fair amount of plot twists
through the game that keep you playing. Also, Breath of Fire 2 is a lot longer
than Breath of Fire. There are also fun side events like an ability to create
your own player made town, and customize it to your liking.

I would say that the music in Breath of Fire 2 is fairly average for a console
role playing game. There are a few songs that stick out in the game, but the
overall soundtrack is not the best I've ever heard. This is one of the only
points I feel the game is somewhat mediocre upon. Other things I feel that are
slightly annoying about the game are the amount of random fights in the game.
There is definitely a lot more random fights in Breath of Fire 2 than most RPGs,
and this could potentially annoy some players. Breath of Fire since the start
has always been pretty challenging compared to other role playing games as well,
and some of the boss fights definitely show that. Even normal enemies can knock
of half of your party's entire hit points at times through the game, and this
could potentially turn gamers new to role playing games away.

Breath of Fire 2 is a great game that continued the series as a solid traditional
role playing game. Capcom has proven that they don't just make fighting games,
but quality role playing games as well. An interesting story and fun game in
general makes Breath of Fire 2 a treat to play for any console role playing
game fan. A notable game for me and my favorite of the entire series, but not
one of the system's best.

Graphics: 8

Music/Sound: 8

Gameplay: 9

Challenge: 9

Replay Value: 6

Overall: 8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/02, Updated 01/29/02