by Jody - July 24, 2003

Capcom�s anxiously anticipated Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is the fifth installment in the long-running BoF series and yet another excellent RPG released exclusively for Sony�s PlayStation 2. Having played through my share of previous Breath of Fire games on the Super Nintendo I was quite excited to finally get my hands on Dragon Quarter (as I�m sure many others who have also played those games are) � and while, after playing Dragon Quarter I am far from disappointed, it did come as something of a shock to discover that it shares little resemblance with the past games in the series. But is resemblance to heritage needed in a next-gen RPG sequel in order to be fun? I think not. In the world of the RPG it�s all good, innovation is encouraged and only the truly original games in the genre ever really get recognized. BoF: Dragon Quarter is one of those truly original games that, while a tad liberal in the innovation department, manages to keep you entertained all the way through thanks to one of the best battle systems ever to grace an RPG (the Grandia games are still tops in my book for that award), a Now and Then, Here and There-esque anime-influenced presentation, and some of the most challenging moments a hardcore RPG gamer could hope for.

Breath of Fire is still strong.

But as I mentioned, it does have a tendency to go a little sideways in the so-called �innovation� department. Three letters: SoL. That is the acronym of Dragon Quarter�s new Scenerio OverLay system that forces players to restart their game all the way from the beginning should they be met with an unexpected demise, as RPG gamers usually are at some point. The catch is that every time you restart you�ll be able to keep all the skills and party experience points (which I should note, are completely separate from character ExP that aids in the process of �leveling up�) you�ve acquired up to that point. So, in theory, you�ll have an easier time of getting farther thanks to the carried over stats. You�ll scoff at and curse this concept the first few times you get 5, 10, or 15 hours into the game and be forced to restart from the beginning. It is actually pretty annoying, after all.

The gameplay in BOF is a mix of real time and turn based strategy. Running through the underground tunnels of Deep Earth is like navigating through a mini-maze. You�ll have a map with you at all times so it�s not too difficult to see your way through. In the tunnels you�ll spot enemies traversing the halls. There are a few ways to deal with them. Ryu and crew and run into them and start to attack, or you can set up enemy traps. Traps include tossing some fresh meat on the ground to keep an enemy occupied while you sneak by, or tossing a bomb or dynamite to injure an enemy before a battle. If you strike an enemy before running into it, you�ll also receive a first strike advantage.

After you run into an enemy the battle turns to a turn-based system. Players can still move their characters around an allotted area, but the fights themselves are all menu based. The battle system uses AP (active points). Every move uses a certain amount of AP and you can save AP for the next turn to unleash bigger attacks. You�ll have an assortment of attacks linked to each button, with some allowing multiple strikes and combos. During a turn you can use or equip items as many times as you want before ending a turn. If you need to escape a battle you can, but at a price � deduction of your zennys (money).

With the new battle system is an all new look for the series. The game�s futuristic technology mixed with the subtle, bleak caves is a stark contrast to anything else on the market. Characters are cel-shaded with deep black outlines to separate them from the background. Ryu and crew look like doe-eyed fighters, ready to battle. The enemies are comprised of ogre-like creatures to round bird balls to big mechs. All the characters are very well animated and lively. The underground world itself is bleak, dirty, with nicer city areas to buy gear and talk to town folk. Dragon Quarter runs clean at a brisk 60fps.

In the world of Dragon Quarter every soldier is known by their D-rank, which is basically a status symbol that tells people around you whether you are just a smalltime cadet or a revered leader. Ryu starts the game with an incredibly low D-ranking, but as he defeats more monsters, accumulates experience and skills, and generally progresses through the game his D-rank will gradually raise. What�s cool about this is the fact that new areas, sub-quests, and conversations will open up as you rise through the ranks. Even after you�ve beaten the game you�ll still be able to start again with your D-rank fully intact, which gives Dragon Quarter�s replay value a major adrenaline shot. (A good thing since a scant 10 hours to beat the game is like a slap in the face to most any RPG gamer.)

Not as clean as Dark Cloud 2�s cel-shading, but it�s nice.

The character models are about one notch above that of Skies of Arcadia, which isn't saying much. The cel-shading method that the developers went with lends itself to some interesting style, but the end result is far from impressive. Every now and then you�ll notice a fancy visual feat that the developers threw in � and to be fair, the somewhat simple character models are offset by the incredible architecture (that rarely repeats) and slew of special effects strewn throughout the experience. If I have one complaint though, it�s the often-annoying camera system that is nearly useless in claustrophobic corridors, frequently making enemies imperceptible during combat.

I knew Hitoshi Sakamoto had to play a part in this.

The musical orchestrations are magnificently composed, not wandering too far from established RPG-style yet being something completely new and original in its own right. But when you�ve got Hitoshi Sakamoto (Final Fantasy!) and Yasunori Mitsuda (from Vagrant Story and Chrono Trigger fame, respectively) kicking out the jams, to expect anything less would be an insult. This is one videogame soundtrack that I�m actually interested in obtaining. What seems to be lacking, however, is voice acting. To release a sequel to a well-known and respected RPG series post-FFX without full-on voice acting is mighty ballsy. Luckily, the conversations are kept short and sweet. The traditional sound effects that help to somehow validate an RPG, seemingly since the dawn of hit points, are all intact, everything from choosing menu options to performing a critical hit has that trademark old-school RPG sound to it.

This has to be one of my favorites in the series.

If you have never played a Breath of Fire game before, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is going to feel like something of a Dark Cloud spin-off with less emphasis on pick-your-own-path-adventure and more emphasis on traditional dungeon crawling coupled with off-the-wall dynamics. But as you open up new areas, and discover pivotal points in the storyline from having to start over enough times, you start to realize that Dragon Quarter isn�t a knockoff with a spin but rather a genuinely bold attempt at mixing up the established RPG genre, which actually pays off in the long-run. It feels nothing like the games on which it is based, which isn't a bad thing per se', but potential buyers should have some semblance of forewarning lest they expect something drastically different. But besides that, fans of the BoF franchise can sleep well knowing that Nina isn�t the pathetic waste of space she has been in every other BoF iteration.

If you�re new to the series, look for a copy of Breath of Fire 1 or 2.

I had a lot of fun playing this game. Even though it lacks a lot of mini-games, I can�t really bash it for that because the entire series has. (It�s no Dark Cloud 2) I think it�s a good thing that I played all of the games in the series � I may have been confused with this one if I had not. I don�t really know if just anyone should play this without checking out its predecessors first. Unlike Dark Cloud 2, the prequels play a part in understanding what the game and the series is all about. All in all though, the game was a lot of fun. The storyline is really addicting and the audio/visuals just add-on to it.

It might take you awhile to beat it, but try it out.

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is one of the most unusual and different RPGs to ever be released. It has many small problems that could have easily been fixed if given a bit more time, and is truly a game you must have patience for. But if you can look beyond the bizarre style, and the overly tough difficulty of battle planning, you will find one of the most innovative RPGs to come out in years.