Breath of Fire II

"Great plot and wonderful cast make this a must see!"

Imagine if you awoke from a nap in the woods and headed back home, only to find no one knows who you are and your family is missing! This original story is what starts you out in Capcom's Breath of Fire 2.

Everything about this game is amazing. The story line follows the hero as he grows into a young man with his friend Bow and what starts out as a mission for a local rangers guild soon becomes a quest to find out exactly what happened to your family so many years ago. In the meantime you'll meet up with a huge cast of lovable and interesting characters, fight dozens of monsters, and perhaps even catch a fish or two!

The best part about this game is the wide variety of characters and the sub plots for each. each character has their own story that unfolds as you help each in their own crisis. There is Katt, the tomboyish gladiator cat-girl; Nina, the exiled but kind hearted princess of Windia; Jean, the absent minded frog prince; Sten, the monkey man who learns to be brave; as well as many others. You can even find a high level Blue (from the first BoF series) if you look carefully.

In combat your hero soon finds he has the ability to morph and unleash the powers of dragons, a skill you will need to fight the many bosses and creatures along the way.

Magic is gained through level, but the real treat is when you begin to collect the spirits of the Shamans, girls who can unite with you to boost your power or completely change the way you look and act!

Of course, all work and no play will make gamers bored, so why not stop to fish and relax, or hunt for game with Katt or Bow in your lead? You can even help build Hometown, your very own city, and fill it with shops and citizens. Better yet, if you can find the secret to make your city into a floating island, you get a whole different ending!

The game is unlike most RPGs in that there isn't this looming “you must save the world or everything will die a horrible death -- and get it done in three days” mood that infuses so many other games. You are just going from place to place, often helping your friends while piecing together your past and the world's future.

There aren't too many incredible places to visit, however. With the exception of some odd places like the Wildcats Club and Monster Island, every place doesn't seem that different from the last. Cities have their own look to them but not much else.

I cannot express who well done the story line is. Even small characters stick with you and pop up in all sorts of places. You feel jealous when Katt runs off to help Tiga, the head of resistance. You feel sorrow when someone you know sacrifices themselves to grant you the ability to fly. Even your mother, who doesn't appear except as a flashback that you control, wins your heart with her bravery and love.

All in all, this game took me quite a long time to beat, and I wish I could have put more people into my town, since only certain people can be put into certain houses. I didn't really use much of the town's resources, except for cheap resting and in the style of town I chose (you get to choose from three separate types of towns) I had a kitchen that cooked up status items for me.

A game like this I would definitely play again. Some people may not want to go through the whole thing over, since the impact of a lot of the plot isn't as shocking when you know it, but nevertheless it was a lot of fun even doing nothing but fighting monsters and playing with my dragon spells.

A last note is to anyone who was disappointed in the first Breath of Fire like I was; don't be fooled by this one! In closing all I can say is this game will keep you guessing, laughing and cheering for all your hero's friends, and take you on a journey unlike anything you've played before!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 09/29/01