Breath of Fire: DQ is a breath of fresh air for any washed out RPG player. It is both unique and innovative. Read on.
User Rating: 8.8 | Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter PS2
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter was originally going to be called Breath of Fire V, but it is less of a sequential Breath of Fire than it is its own expierimentation on the Breath of Fire formula. To avoid confusion it was instead called Dragon Quarter. That said, there is a reason for it. Breath of Fire V, as I choose to call it regardless of the numbering, is a very solid RPG. However, it is also one of the most challenging and sometimes frustrating games I have ever played. This is not an RPG for one new to the genre, but it is certainly for genre veterans who have gotten sick of the same things over and over. It is not traditional in either story or certainly not in gameplay. Keep this in mind. Gameplay: It is truly hard to describe the gameplay of Breath of Fire. I will make my best attempt. First, let's look at many of the various things in the game. The D-Ratio is how good you are as a Ranger. It starts off at 1/8192 and by doing various things, such as doing exceedingly well in combat, finishing the game in a very short amount of time, and multiple playthroughs, you can get it up to 1/4, hence the "Dragon Quarter" which is a perfect game. I will now tell you what you need for a perfect game, so *SPOILERS* 8 hour clear time, (which is possible, read later), 0 saves, 95% extra turn rate, reach the highest floor in Kokon Horay, 98% map completion, your average level is added to your score, 42+ treasure chests open *end spoilers* So as you can see you'd have to be either insane, or just really darn good at the game to get this. There is also a Dragon Counter. Basically once you get a certain ability in the game, which happens to be EXCEEDINGLY powerful, you get this counter, that counts down the entire game... well counts up, to 100%. If it reaches 100%, you lose. Game over. Using this special ability raises the %, as does merely walking around. Don't get too upset though, restarting the game from the beginning happens often. Once you get used to it, you are able to get back to where you were very quickly. And that brings us to the SOL system, which I, and I'm sure many others who have played the game, like to call S*** Outta Luck system. It's real name is Scenario OverLay system. Basically this makes it worth while to actually restart the game, as it constantly adds new things to the storyline as you restart. New scenes appear nearly every playthrough. All cut scenes are skippable as well, so you don't have to watch the same ones again and again. You also get to keep party experience, weapons, and items when you use SOL. I think that basically covers most of the elements. Your characters can also use skills, which must be threaded into a weapon or shield in order to use. There. Now we can actually talk about the gameplay and storyline. The battle system is a lot like Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits. It is a strategy type battle system, that allows for free movement. It is quite an interesting system. You can see enemies on the field screen, and when you battle you start off basically where you did when you ran into the enemy. You can kick the enemy, or swing your sword, and if you hit it, you get an extra turn. You can also use certain items to distract the enemy so you can easily sneak past, or use bombs to bring their health down and weaken them up a bit. You have a certain amount of points to spend, or you can save them. You can attack with several different types of attacks, and as you gain more AP, you can string attacks together to get huge bonuses on damage and experience. The storyline is actually superb. The main characters are all very interesting, and the SOL system keeps it amusing through multiple playthroughs. It is nothing like any previous BoF game at all. Oh, and Lin is the coolest chick ever... or at least one of. Graphics: Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter features cel-shaded graphics which are good, but some things are just bland, and I personally don't like the eyes. But it's all preference. The Graphics won't detract from your enjoyment of the game. Sound: Dragon Quarter features a superb soundtrack, with tons of great music. The sound effects are also quite well done. I really don't have any complaints here. Value: Well it's hard to judge. The replay value is insane, but that's because you're basically forced to play through again and again. The gameplay time can vary. It took me about 42 hours to actually beat it the first time. I plan to go back and beat it a few more times, Dragon Quarter! Tilt: Well seriously, if you are an RPG gamer who thinks that no new ideas have been thought of this gen with RPGs, then this is exactly the game you are looking for. It is not only unique, but also highly innovative. It is not only fun, but also fun to play through many times. This is the perfect RPG for the jaded RPGamer. Hopefully a new Breath of Fire will be made.
