"Disappointing if you've played the original....."

I enjoyed playing the original Azure Dreams for the Playstation, so I naturally hoped that the GameBoy translation would be just as good. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to its Playstation counterpart. There are a few added extras, but too many things from the original have been scrapped.

Gameplay 5/10
The game goes smoothly and the controls are very simple. The Monster Tower always generates a new layout whenever you enter, and many monsters from the original game make another appearance. Dungeon crawling and monster breeding are still a big part of the game, but it lacks the love interests and town building features that made the Playstation version so much better. The GBC version also has new characters that aren't in the PS version, adding a little depth to the story. Most gamers will find this game easy, but it the game gets monotonous like the PS version, but even more so because it lacks special features that broke the monotony in the PS version.
The battle system is your simple hack and slash idea. You find a monster and press the A button to attack it with your sword. Sadly enough, the screen is constantly flooded with information such as experience points, who hit who, etc. Konami should have deleted all of the onscreen information so the game could move at a much faster pace. Battles with large groups of monsters could take almost ten minutes to get through, depending on your level and trained monster's level. This really takes away from what little fun the game could actually provide.

Story 7/10
The story remains the same as the PS version. A boy becomes of age and is able to enter the monster tower where he lost his father many years before. He goes on to explore the tower and unravel the mystery behind his father's disappearance. I still think that this story is rather original, even if it's a little old.

Music and Sound 5/10
Some of the tracks from the PS version re-appear on the GBC, along with several new tracks. Unfortunately, the music can get just as annoying as the PS version because it goes on and on with little change. Even the town music will eventually drive gamers insane. The music just isn't as lively or as catchy as other games, such as the Zelda games. The sound effects are very basic and very dull. Not much to write about them.

Graphics 5/10
The graphics were decent, but they could have been much better. Azure Dreams pales in comparison to the newest Zelda games. Each of the main characters have an animated portrait, which helps to lighten the game's rather dull atmosphere. The monsters are nicely drawn, but the battle sequences with them are really horrible. You or your monster stand opposite of the enemy and trade blows. Nothing spectacular; although some of the spells are nicely animated. One major thing that really peeved me was the fact that your main character never stops walking, even when he's standing still. This makes the battle animations hard to see, since you can't tell when he attacks monsters. His sword slash is barely visible. I think Konami could have fixed this and made it much more enjoyable.

Replayability 4/10
I don't know why anyone would want to play this game again, even if they last long enough to go through it once. Still, many die hard fans of the series may want to play the game again just to collect all the different monsters.

Buy or Rent?
RENT this game first, if you can. Borrow it from someone, if you must. Make sure you actually like this game before you buy it, otherwise it'll be a waste of your time and money.

Conclusion-
Overall, this game is okay. I know I gave it many negative remarks, but I have played the original and I can't help but compare the two. The game is decent for first time Azure Dreams players, and it's decent for a GBC game. If you have played the original, though, don't get your hopes up. Just stick with the PS version and enjoy the fact that Selfi loves you.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 06/08/01, Updated 06/08/01