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Vagrant Story

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 85 / 90
Date: May 25, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been a console RPG fan for many years now. From Dragon Warrior to Final Fantasy I have played most all of the popular games that have long been the catalysts for mass obsession. Vagrant Story is no exception to this rule. I purchased this game right as it hit the shelves, not knowing what to expect...but knowing that I was not to be disappointed by the divine power of Squaresoft. This is perhaps a game that could be referred to as "video gaming's first successful gene splicing experiment." Combine a pinch of the dungeon roaming found in the old Zelda or Diablo games with a dash of Tomb Raider and you have the beginnings of a great game. Now, mix in one part Final Fantasy and set in a rich, dark, gothic environment...and voila!...you have quite possibly the world's perfect video game.

The battle system in Vagrant Story is like none that I have seen before...it is possible to target your opponents body parts separately in order to perhaps find a weakness. There are also real time functions that you learn called battle abilities which allow you to make your attacks more effective. You don't necessarily find complete weapons in this game either, you make your own...and then name them!

Let's not forget the monsters...there are more than I can count. Dragons, zombies, lizard-men...all of these and more haunt the complex dungeons you will explore on your quest. In fact, as an added point of challenge for the game, the weapons you use will eventually developing a liking to the flesh of the creature you most often attack and will become more effective against others of its kind...but beware!...your weapons may become ineffective against those monsters of an opposite persuasion.

In closing...get this game...period...no questions asked. If you can look in a mirror and say with a straight face that you are a serious console RPG fan, you have absolutely no choice...no...you owe it to yourself to give this game a try!

Pure brilliance, fatally flawed

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 28 / 37
Date: August 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is about to get a lot of attention, more attention than it's had in the years since its Spring 2000 US release. Final Fantasy XII looms on the horizon, and it's the creative vision of Yasumi Matsuno. Vagrant Story is another of Matsuno's brainchildren. Once FFXII has been out for a couple of weeks and everybody's beaten it, a lot of those people are going to find out about Vagrant Story for the first time and go scrambling over to eBay to get a copy. This review is for them.

Almost everything about Vagrant Story is par excellance. The story, the script, the characters, the graphics, the soundtrack... The English translation is especially spectacular, due to its masterful coloring with "Olde English" which adds so much flavor to the tone and atmosphere. This is one of the ultra rare cases where the English translation is arguably far superior to the original Japanese script. Unfortunately, all of these shining examples of fine craft and "video game design as true art" is all for naught because of one single fatal flaw: The game simply isn't fun to play.

Where the game ultimately fails is in the game play. First of all, the game is extremely focused. It's all dungeon crawling and fighting. There are no towns to explore and shop in, no NPCs to talk to, no minigames. Once you enter the dungeon, that's it. You will progress through different areas and get a change in scenery from time to time, but there is almost no variety in the gameplay. You move from room to room, you solve the occasional crate puzzle, and you fight enemies. End of story.

The battle system in and of itself is fine. It's an interesting hybrid cross between standard real time action combat and traditional RPG turn based combat. The problem is, at the very heart of the battle system is an abysmally UN-fun weapon and armor system. There are several (eight?) classes of enemies in the game- Beast, Human, Dragon, Undead, Phantom, etc. The enemy classes are paired off into diametric oppositions. e.g. Using your weapon against a human enemy will make it stronger against humans, but weaker against phantoms. (sic) On top of that, there are specific weakness ratings. An enemy might be weak against blunt weapons, but almost totally impervious to edged weapons or piercing weapons. And then there are the usual elementals as well- fire, ice, earth and so on. Finally, each of your weapons has its own "wear" rating. The lower the rating, the more worn out the weapon, the less damage it does. You must repair your weapons in workshops, which are few and far between in the game. Another thing you can do in workshops is disassemble your weapons and reassemble the parts to make new weapons. Whether the new weapon will be better or worse than the weapons you sacrificed to make them involves much trial and error. The end effect of all of this is that as you play the game, you are literally constantly changing weapons. Yet the creators of the game didn't bother to implement any sort of quick menu for weapon switching, a la Secret of Mana. You have no choice but to spend 45% of your game time opening the main menu, opening the weapon menu, finding the right weapon, opening the accessory menu, changing the elemental jewels on the weapon, etc. etc. etc. All they had to do was come up with some sort of quick menu for changing weapons, as Seiken Densetsu 2 did seven years earlier. As it stands, Vagrant Story is a micro-management nightmare. To call the game tedious is an understatement of epic proportions. There are those who insist that a viable alternative is simply slogging your way through the game using whatever weapons you happen to have, whether they're effective or not. It can be done, but it makes the game even less fun. Why anyone would want to take on a boss with several thousand HP by doing only 1-3 points of damage per hit is beyond me.

As is always the case, no matter how flawed a game may be, there will be a small niche group of vocal supporters who insist that it's the greatest game ever created, and that people who don't like it just don't "get it." Beware of misguided fanatics. But hey, then again you just might end up being part of the 5% of people who play this game and come away thinking it's the bee's knees.

EDIT- Apparently the star ratings aren't displayed exactly as they were input. I gave Vagrant Story ** (2/5) for "Fun" and **** (4/5) "Overall."

The best Action/RPG on the planet!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: May 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best games I have ever played, and one of Squaresoft's best titles. This blows all other Action/RPGs out of the water. First off, the graphics are THE best the Playstation has ever seen, without a doubt. Second, the story. It is better than half of the movies at the Academy awards, (definately better Titanic or Shakespere in Love!) and is cinematic all the way through. The battle system is like none before, and perfect for this game. It encourages you to play it over and over trying to beat records of time, chest percentage, etc. Zelda? What Zelda? Vagrant Story is THE game, and with this, Legend of Mana, Threads of Fate, and Chrono Cross ( I MUST HAVE THAT GAME! ) this will be the best summer in Squaresoft, no Video Game History!

Better 'n Final Fantasy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 38
Date: June 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been an FF fan for years, and never thought I'd see a better game come out, but this is it! Good story line that doesn't get in the way of game play, well though out abilities and tricks, lots of skills to learn. Things don't pick up until you enter the city of Lea Monde, but once things get going, you'll love it! Different from most RPG's, there is no experience point system; rather, you pick up some combat skills from practicing other skills. You're stats grow by baby steps from finding potions or fighting bosses. The real method of growth lies in weapon development, which is done by creating or finding unique weapons, then fighting specific enemies with them. Your weapon will develop an affinity to fighting a specific type of monster, and as it grows, will be able to wipe out monsters of that type easily with enough practice. Add in a few Square Soft break arts and other tricks, your character can be very powerful (or weak) with the right development. One point - make your 'evil' weapon a two-handed type, or your in big trouble in the final battle... Enjoy!

Finally! A Worthy Fantasy !

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 16
Date: May 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Wow!. At long last my hat is off to Square. I have seen the future of Rpgs, and it is a third person view from behind. (A cross between Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy. I was impressed by this game. If you know any of my reviews, you know I don't enjoy some of this company's other, more popular series of games. I am happy to say That Vagrant Story makes up for the inadequacies of the FF series. When you pop this game in the consol, you will discover; a new combat system, that makes it easy to take on a very difficult set of dungeons, a system for equipping and using items that is a dream to use, lots more fun than filling materia slots. The Art, music and plot of this game are all worthy of a great Rpg. The only detractor in my mind is this: The designers of this game thought it would be neat if the charactor spoke in voice bubbles like comic book charactors. They were wrong. The baloons cover up some of the best video game art ever while the charactors are speaking. As good as this game is, I think Square could have invested in real voice, for at least part of the game. Enough for the detractors! This game has it all, good plot, good action, frequent saves, and no bad guy, whether it's a run of the mill zombie, or a boss is too hard to kill. Hard enough, but not impossible. Hats off to whoever it was that said, " Hey, if the story is good, they'll play it over and over, instead of trying to kill the same boss again and again and getting disgusted." The cobat system is different than anything you've played before, but once you're used to it, it's a dream. Keep using those healing items, there's plenty of them. This game is about paying attention and thinking as much as it is fighting. You'll get hung up on the map and the puzzles more than you will tough enemies.

The Perfect Game from the Perfect Company

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 15
Date: June 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Square outdid itself again. A few months ago they released Front Mission 3, which I thought was great, if somewhat of a niche-game. Though not as popular as some of the more mainstream games like Final Fantasy, it had great gameplay and was loads of fun. I thought, "Man, how is someone going to top this?" Well who better to do it than Square themselves. Vagrant Story is the single greatest and most complete game I have ever played, saved for one. That one game could be its brother; Metal Gear Solid. The comparisons are extreme; both have a very cinematic, polished feel. A great story (better than any movie in the theater)with unbelievable gameplay and graphics. Each gave me this feeling that it wasn't someone's plan to get rich but like an artist, painting with his soul. Just completely unbelievable. Anyone who knows a Playstation, or even knows someone who does or did, should get this game anyway possible. If not, then what in the world are you doing with a PSX?

An Unknown Classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: April 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is my favorite video game of all time. That said, it's not for everyone. The graphics/ animation are top notch, but you can certanly do better in this age of PS2, Xbox, etc... The control system and interface are great but definately take some getting used to. The game uses a strange hybrid of menu driven combat, combined w/ "chain attacks" and "reaction abilities" that involve split-second timing.
The plot is top-notch, absolutely the most engaging story-line from any game I've ever played. It's a shame that this game never took off to reach the popularity of Squaresoft's flag ship Final Fantasy series, because it would have probably made for a much better movie.
All that aside, what secured this game as my #1 favorite of all time is the totally unique character progression system. No "gaining levels" here, to increase your stats you simply need to locate various potions that will each give you a permanent boost of a few points to one stat.
But that's just the begining, the real meat of the character progression system resides in the weapon system. There is a huge assortment of weapons in this game, from war mauls, to katanas, to cross bows and beyond, and each comes with a huge number of statistics. Each weapon can have any number of elemental strengths and weakness, as well as relative powers vs. diferent enemy types. And weapons evolve with use, so if you bust out the same trusty sword each time you come across an undead enemy, you'll soon find that blade has increased its power against that enemy class and has grown weaker vs. others. Add to this the ability to combine blades and armour and reassemble weapons at blacksmith shops throughout the game, and you've got everything you need for hours and hours of character-tweeking dorking-out time. Did i mention that if you beat the game you can start over with all of your weapons intact? This, along with some areas only accessible on second play, give this game a lot of re-play value.

OK, so like i said, it's not for everyone... but if you appiciate a fine plot, original game play, or an infinately tweakable progress sytem, this game won't dissapoint.

Finally, finally, finally...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: June 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

There are many good games. "Resident Evil," "Siphon Filter," "Metal Gear," "Tomb Raider," "Tekken," "Parasite Eve" all come to mind instantly for most of us. As good as they are, they all have blemishes. The machinegun you're holding mysteriously changes to a glock when FMVs play between rooms in "Resident Evil." The backrounds are stunning in "Tomb Raider" but many of the characters are animated so poorly it's distracting. The combat system in "Parasite Eve" is great, as far as RPGs go, but hardly involves the excitement that live combat controls bring. The grammar, acting, and backstories in most videogames... well, they're awful.

Enter "Vagrant Story."

The animation (mosters, humans, animals, elementals, water, magick) is better than any Playstation game yet; from the twitching ears on the Ogre to the slack jaws of the goblin kings. The combat system is perfect. Not being able to customize the key set is somewhat annoying, but it's so well designed you forget quickly and learn to lean on the O for combat instead of the X. The system is a perfect blend of RPG style (think of the "Parasite Eve" ranging system) with live buttons for defense and special attacks (there are about a dozen special attacks and defenses which you gain with experience and assign to 3 keys for live combat). The score and sound are fantastic as well. It's one of the few games you can play with headphones and not notice glitches or poor mixing in the sound and music.

Load times are good and always smooth. Bosses are extremely tough (and there are many of them) but not impossible to beat on the first try if you're in the swing of the game and know how to use all your resources.

All that and a story that's interesting *and* sensical. How often does that happen?

You know you've bought the right game when watching the initial FMV. Ashley Riot (the hero) is told, "...we need to wait for reinforcements." He replies, "Reinforcements? I am the reinforcements."

Buy this game. PS2 games will look better but it will be awhile before they play better. They finally, finally, finally got it all right.

Good Start for Squaresoft's Summer

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: May 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Squaresoft is widely known to stun everyone with the unique RPG genre, and with Vagrant Story, they did it again.

The game starts off with Riskbreaker Ashley Riot, a VKP (Valendia Knight of Valendia). He was assigned to solve a mystery involving Sydney, a mysterious, dark person and leader of the Mullenkamp cult who starts causing havoc in the Valendia Kingdom. At the same time, the Duke of Valendia was murdered. Ashley was framed and escaped to the deserted city of Lea Monde to clear his name and find out what Sydney is up to.

Like Parasite Eve, Vagrant Story concentrates on action and has the similar battle system, except with the addition of the Chain Abilities. This addition allows you to hit a target more than one time with just a simple carfully timed push of a button. Unaccurately pushing the button ends the streak. The action in this game is probably the best feature in this game.

Preventing this game from being perfect is the balance of the bosses. It's like when you reach a boss, it can take one or two hits just to kill you rendering you to constantly heal over and over. And to add to that, some players may have a difficult time with the Chain Abilites; not everyone has a good hand-to-eye coordination.

Overall, this game is great, but hard at times. So I would recommend this game to people who have had experience playing Parasite Eve. The story is easy to get into, and a lot of practice is necessary if you ever want to see the conclusion of this Squaresoft near-perfect game.

hmmm

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 16
Date: June 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I played it and it was ok. Yeah the fighting was good. (think parasite eve). But i guess its just me. It gets boring staying in a dungeon for the whole game.(25-30 hours). I like people interaction. Going to towns and cities with lush colorful environments. I just didn't like the atmosphere and the feel. If your ok with that, then the game is a blast. But I wasn't ok with it. If your like me, there is better stuff out there like legend of mana or or saga frontier 2. But like i said this is a great game if you can get over the dull atmosphere.

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