Breath of Fire

"Before Breath of Fire 2 there was Breath of Fire!"

Breath of Fire has been one of my favorite series since the days of the SNES. I've played them all and beaten them all. Breath of Fire 2 has went on to become one of my favorite games of all time and Breath of Fire 3 isn't far behind. Before those two games were released there was the original Breath of Fire, the game that started the whole story of Ryu and the dragon clan.

Breath of Fire starts out with a blaze engulfing a town and a woman turning all the townspeople into stone to protect them from the Dark Dragons who have come to destroy the town and kill it's people. After turning the townspeople to stone the woman who is named Sara goes out and attacks the soldiers trying to protect the town. She is stopped in her tracks by a powerful man named Jade who then takes her away. It then cuts back to the townspeople as they are breaking out of there stone shells. A young blue haired man who was Sara's brother plans to save her and get revenge. Throughout the game the plot will thicken and you will come to know the Dark Dragons true plans. It's a very in-depth story with some great character development.

The gameplay is one of the better aspects of Breath of Fire because of how it works. Each character you get has a special field skill. For example, Ryu the main character can fish. Bow, a wolf-man can hunt and walk through forests. Each character has a special ability and each character will be useful to you at some point in the game. So unlike other RPGs you just don't get characters and never use them or see them again in this one you'll use everyone. Another neat thing added was how Karn and Ryu get magic. Ryu learns magic by visiting dragon shrines a defeating a boss and then he will acquire a new spell. Karn on the other hand fuses with characters but to fuse you need to acquire the spell first which can be done by talking to thieves hidden throughout the land. Once fused Karn gains new abilities and becomes stronger. It was an amazing idea but personally I don't think Capcom though it through because not many people will even find one of Karn's spells.

An upgrade from the Super Nintendo version is the fact that EXP and Gold are now doubled after defeating enemies which makes leveling and getting new equipment less tedious. However it did take the challenge out of the game and that is really what set Breath of Fire apart from other games. Some people will like it but others won't. Another thing added to the Gameboy Advance version is the option to run. This is by far the biggest and best thing that they updated. No longer do you have to tediously walk through a dungeon encountering battle after battle now you can zip through while being interrupted by battle after battle.

The graphics haven't been updated from the SNES version but the battle menu has been completely redone. Personally I hated the new menus at first and wanted the old ones back but after playing the game more and more I've come to the like the menus. Other aspects of the graphics are top notch. Some of the coolest designed enemies you'll find in a RPG are in this game. The battle animations are colorful and crisp and magic spells are just nice to watch. Not much could of done to improve the graphics because there was nothing wrong with them to begin with.

Now it's time to get a little nasty and take plenty of digs at this great game that isn't flawless. The flaws, yes the flaws and there were plenty of them. First off I want to take Capcom and just beat there heads against the wall for releasing this remake on the Gameboy Advance with the poor translation it had on the SNES. Come on people this game was released in 2001 and you can't even translate it properly. Reading the dialogue is often hard because of this. I just found it annoying that the game is being re-released and only gets a run button. That's not it, the game just feels out of place when items and other crap are abbreviated. KNGKEY! What the hell is a KNGKEY? Annoying, very annoying. This took a lot away from the game and I was very disappointed with Capcom's lack of effort in the re-release. Other flaws is the lack of direction. Plenty of times you'll be left sitting there scratching your head wondering "Well, gee where do I go now?". Nothing more annoying then a game that doesn't give you any hints as to your next destination.

Anyways Breath of Fire is a classic RPG but it most definitely has it's problems. Lack of direction and translation being it's two biggest flaws. However if you like your RPGs and are looking for a good one to buy then I'll have to suggest this great game. It has a fantastic story with plenty of great characters that you'll come to love. Breath of Fire on the Gameboy Advance receives a 7/10 from me.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/06