Breath of Fire
Looks great. Plays mehGenre: rpg - japanese
Publisher: Squaresoft
Year: 1994
System: SNES
Gameplay Score: 3
Gameplay Notes:
Similar to so many other RPGs of the era - lots of grinding, lots of mashing, slow movement, no ATB, and poor translation. One positive is that you've got a very easy first area with springs that restore HP and cure status effects for free. I love when an RPG gives you training wheels as you learn the game. Again, the problem is that there isn't much to learn - the RPG mechanics are unremarkable. Menus are confusing. The menus themselves are tiny. This is accomplished by using icons instead of text. There's also strange hierarchy of menu items, such as making Items, Magic, and Defend sub-items under a Fight option. It takes soooo long before you gain even a second party member. Seriously, I'm almost 4 hours in and still alone. Maybe it picks up soon but dang this is slow going. All enemy health bars are visible! I love it when RPGs do this.
Level Design Score: 4
Level Design Notes:
I feel like I haven't seen much of the game, but what I've seen I really like.
Theme Score: 4
Theme Notes:
You're a blue-haired kid whose magician sister has been captured by a bad guy. Yup, Chrono Trigger seemingly stole this plot for their Magus and Schala sub-plot. Heck, they even used a similar name (Sara/Schala). I enjoy the anime styling and a consistent look between the avatar and sprites.
Art Style Score: 5
Art Style Notes:
Looks fantastic. Battles feel dynamic with sprites that feature a ton of animation. Wonderful use of colors. Everything from the overworld to the dungeons and sprites look vibrant and interesting. The sprites in particular have a nice 3D look. Impressive visual language of giving and taking damage and how much health is remaining. The health bar for you and enemies changes from green to blue, then orange and red as it approaches zero.
Audio Score: 4
Audio Notes:
Nice music. Typical Capcom styling and sounds
Overall Score: 72
Review ID: 77
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