Here there be Azure Dragons

With my first re-subbing of Conan finished (I'll let you know where to get it, if you're interested in seeing it), it is now time to finish my promised blog post: namely, my impressions of Blue Dragon.

Firstly - and most importantly, perhaps - I finished Blue Dragon a long time ago. Probably been over a month since I played it. I can still say, without a doubt, it is one of the better RPGs that I have played in my lifetime.

To compare it to Chrono Trigger would be a great disservice to ChronoTrigger, as that game is one that will stand the test of time as one of the great RPG classics. However, to completely ignore their similarities would be unfair to Blue Dragon. Of course, one would expect Blue Dragon to be similar to Chrono Trigger since it is essentially the same creative minds working on those two games (composer, character designer and game designer were all the same... and all very famous in the RPG genre, although I suppose I can spare you the details if you didn't already know that). So, if you think of Blue Dragon as an 'HD' version of Chrono Trigger... well, you wouldn't be far off. Just do not mistake yourself into thinking it will be a timeless classic. I loved it, and will certainly play it again in my lifetime, but it still won't compare to the likes of FFVII or Chrono Trigger. However, there is nothing wrong with be a "really good RPG", now is there?

Perhaps the two most important elements to an RPG are it's story and characters. With a few exceptions, Blue Dragon excels at neither (I do like the enemies and a few of the major plot twists) but that does not mean that it fails at them, either. The characters fit the style; that is to say, they are your basic anime characters transposed into a video game. They are young (at first glance, exceptionally so, although you come to learn they are much older than they look... somehow), stubborn, and very expressive. What is unique, I feel, from many RPGs of late is that the main character is not "emo". He isn't pouting or complaining or thinking the world is unfair or out to get him. In fact, Shu (the main character) is unervingly upbeat. When he's down he doesn't sulk or cower, he just yells "I won't give up", gets up, and tries again. Compare this to, say, Squall or Tidus, who were more prone to whining and sulking, and it makes for a much cheerier mood. Of course, given the light, cartoony look everything has to it, it is rather difficult to see something as sad or depressing. Expressions and Voice Acting help to overcome this, adding to the depth of emotion available, but compared to a more "realistic" and bland style, Blue Dragon is a much more light hearted experience.

The characters themselves are not as iconic or loveable (no Robo, no Frog, etc) as ChronoTrigger, but the vivid expressions and acceptable voice acting (save marumaro, who sounds more like someone dragging their nails across a chalkboard than anything else) help to give the otherwise bland characters a bit more life. The use of the "Dragons", which more or less act as your actual fighting force (your characters themselves do not attack save for a few special instances, and instead the dragons to everything you command) helps to set the characters apart even more. I wish they had made the 'minotaur' dragon look less emaciated and more powerful, but that doesn't fit Jiro's character. By the end, when you obtain the characters "limit-break" like power, and the dragons go from being ethereal shadows to actual mortal beings, the graphical detail and the power of HD really shine through to give you one of those "wow" type moments that I haven't really felt since first watching a summon in FFVII. I have no idea why you cannot access this power until very, VERY late in the game... but, hey, that's how it is.

Perhaps the worst part about Blue Dragon is that the story starts out very, VERY slow. Between the bland characters, the constant loading and the erratic pace, it is really hard to get into it. The game tries to be epic from the start - you begin the game sitting under a windmill with a calm sky and lullabye-like music, and then 15 seconds later (almost all of which is loading) you are being attacked by a land shark (very FFX "Sin"-esque). By the time you've met all the characters, gotten dragged away from your home and tried to go through all the tutorial type stuff... you start to wonder where this is going or why you care. Nothing seems to really click in the beginning. Even I, as desperate as I was to play a JRPG, was wondering why I had thought I wanted to play one of these kind of games again. Give it a few hours, though, and the game finally starts to take on a life of it's own. I can't tell you where, as it will more than likely differ on when you are finally piqued by the characters or the story, but once you are hooked the mix of character interaction, plot and just standard RPG-faire "level up" gameplay will keep you wanting to come back for more. I can't claim that the story is very original (although, to it's credit, a good bit of it is) and it is by no means complex or thought provoking, but as a mechanism for driving you to want to get farther and see more of it... well, once it gets going, it takes off and keeps going even until the very end.

Gameplay is rather standard by RPG means - nothing fancy like the gambit system or strange like the junction system - but the way you can customize your dragon's class and the fact that you can "power up" your moves so they take longer but pack a bigger punch means that there is a large amount of strategy involved in how you plan your attacks. In most turn based RPGs, battling is rather one sided. You either attack almost all the time, because magic is too costly to use on anything but a boss, or you use magic and summons constantly because it is in great abundance and just attacking would take forever (less damage, single target). Very few RPGs can mix these two perfectly to create a true "strategy" to battling - that is to say, not just repeatedly choosing the same option - but the jobs and skills available to you in Blue Dragon combined with the "power up" make it to where you won't often find yourself "just pressing a" over and over.

Speaking of battling, the level pacing is actually rather lenient, given the genre. I never ran into a boss that was so difficult that I just had to 'grind' and level my characters for hours, which is pretty impressive given that - like Chrono Trigger - you can choose to evade enemies if you so choose. Usually, that means that you end up being under leveled since you skip as many enemies as possible because battling becomes repetitive. The fact that battling involves actual strategy and is more involved - makes it to where I didn't find myself skipping battles too often, so I was always prepared. The only time I had to "grind" was for those extra hard bosses that you can beat after the last boss, and since those are really side quests meant for those who an infatuated with the game and want to do everything and overcome every challenge (read: me) I don't find it very fair to fault the game for that. You'll find that you spend more time enjoying the game than you do mindlessly leveling... always a plus in a game this long. You will get your money's worth out of this game. It was a good 40 hours for the whole game, not including a few miscellaneous side quests and except for those first few slow hours, it is very enjoyable.

Music for the game is, in my opinion, some of Nobuo Uematsu's best work to date. While it may not become as nostalgic as Final Fantasy VII's soundtrack, and nothing can even begin to touch the majesty and power of "One Winged Angel", especially orchestrated or in it's Advent Children form, but the Blue Dragon soundtrack still gets quite alot of playtime on my ipod. From the gentle piano of "Waterside" to the all-out rockin' boss battle music "Eternity", Uematsu really goes all out in his compositions and each song finds it's own way to move you. The music goes very well with each character (the Devee dance music is both catchy and hilarious) and really helps to set the mood throughout the game. Audibly, you couldn't ask for better.

Really, what else is there to say? Gameplay is "old school" but involved, music is superb, the graphics are crisp and refreshingly not brown, the story (eventually) grips you and there is alot of replay potential (did I mention a New Game + option?). Sure, it's nothing new or innovative. Yes, there's some graphical slowdown and tearing. Yes, there's tons of loading. Yes, the game is story is slow. Like any game (even the coveted FFVII), there are faults. But the overall experience far outweighs any of the negatives.

In case you are wondering, no, this game is not quite good enough to be tossed around with games like FFVI, FFVII, or Chrono Trigger. Someone who does not play JRPGs will find almost nothing of interest here, and it's not something they will have heard or perhaps even be interested in playing (as opposed to something like FFVII or Mass Effect, which are either "Timeless classics" or "Action Games with RPG elements"), but for anyone who enjoys a good JRPG I can not stress enough how much you should play this game. You will not regret it, and if you do, I can't imagine how you enjoy other JRPGs... unless you just really, really hate an anime style. So do yourself a favor - go play it. Buy it, even. You won't regret it.

-- Edit --

I forgot to add... what would you like me to review next? Take just about any game I've mentioned in previous posts (Enchanted Arms, Phoenix Wright, etc), or you may also choose Saint's Row (just finished yesterday), Smash Brothers Brawl, my early impressions of Fire Emblem Wii, or my final impressions of Advanced Wars. I haven't decided if I'll start Lost Odyssey or Mass Effect next, but those are possible candidates, too).