Breath of Fire II - Review

Tradition

By: CLOUDBOND007

Review Breakdown
Battle System	9
Interface	8
Music/Sound	9
Originality	4
Plot	7
Localization	4
Replay Value	5
Visuals	8
Difficulty	Medium
Time to Complete	35-45 hours
Overall
Criteria

   Breath of Fire 2 was released by Capcom for the Super Nintendo several years ago after the success of the original. It took many of the elements that made the first one great, and improved upon them. It also added some new minor, but interesting features.

   This is a traditional RPG, and doesn't really do anything drastically different from other games in the genre with the battles. Enemy encounters occur at random while you are walking on the overworld, or when you're going through an area such as a tower or a cave. By looking at your menu, you are able to get a rough idea about how many random battles there are likely to be in the particular area you are in. Though they occur more at some areas than others, there will be many enemies to fight. This can become frustrating, particularly when you are in a confusing area or maze. Most characters have abilities unique to them that can be used during fights. For example, some characters can use magic to attack the enemy, and to cure the party. As the game goes on, Ryu, the game's main character, can transform himself into various kinds of Dragons to use extremely powerful attacks. Spar can call on the powers of Nature for help during battles. The abilities of some characters are more useful than others, and it may take you a while to find an extremely effective party. It would be wise to keep them all leveled up though, because you never know when you might need to use a particular one to finish a dungeon.

   There isn't that much that is original about the Breath of Fire series. It adds some small things to the genre, but for the most part, it's based upon many other excellent games that came before it. There may be some who would prefer this, rather than having a game that changed things around to a point where the game isn't as enjoyable as it could have been.

Some new faces...

I can't give the game a high score for originality, but I don't believe that is going to hurt the playability or enjoyment of the game for most people.

   It seems to me that RPG's have some of the best music of any kind of videogame. Breath of Fire 2 is really no exception. The battle music is very good, and doesn't tend to get very annoying. This is fortunate, considering how many battles you will fight by the time you beat the game. I also think the overworld, town and dungeon music is excellent. There isn't any that I could say I disliked much, and some songs are really excellent. The sound effects in battles are generally effective, but not very memorable.

   The story was very interesting, but it does have some flaws which keep it from really becoming great. I won't go into any detail in the review, but the story picks up almost immediately after the game begins. It's really not one of those games that you have to play for hours and hours to be interested in what's happening to the characters. The story gets even more interesting and complicated later on, and I enjoyed almost all of it. I mentioned that the story had some flaws. The dialogue itself isn't written very well, and doesn't seem to flow. Much of what the characters say seems too simple. It may sound like a minor issue, but sentences are very short, and there aren't that many long conversations between characters. This can become slightly annoying at times.

   The game was not localized very well. There are many grammar mistakes in the dialogue, and it can become slightly annoying at times. Also, because the names of items in the game are often shortened or abbreviated, it can be confusing to find and use them in the menus.

...and some familiar ones.

   Like many other games in the genre, replay value isn't very high with this one. Even really big fans of the game will only go through it two or three times. There just aren't enough hidden items and areas to make it worthwhile to spend all the hours going through it again. There is also a lot of leveling up to be done, and that can get very, very tedious even the first time through.

   Breath Of Fire 2 has very nice graphics compared to many other Super Nintendo RPG's. Walking on the overworld looks very similar to most other games in the genre, and I really see no problem with that. There is a standard overhead view in all towns and other areas. While they are simple, these places look very nice, and have a lot of detail and color. The graphics during fights are probably the best of the game. Spell effects look very nice, considering that this is an older game. Enemies and your characters are detailed, and look very impressive at times. And so, if you like the graphics of games like the original Breath Of Fire and Final Fantasy 4, you should really like these as well. As with any classic RPG, the graphics can take some time to get used to if you've only played RPG's for more modern game systems.

   This is not a very challenging game, but there are some difficult boss fights. Leveling up is a very important factor in this game. As I mentioned earlier, it is a good idea to level up all characters, not just the ones you are using at a particular time. Odds are, you will need to switch at some point, and it's best to be prepared for that.

Come be the valiant hero!

   This game is longer than the average RPG. It took me about 35-40 hours, and I was moving through it at a somewhat quick speed. Those that really like to take their time with the game will probably spend several more hours on it.

   Overall, Breath of Fire 2 is a great traditional RPG. It can be somewhat expensive, especially with the instructions and maps, but I still recommend a purchase. For most gamers, it will be well worth the price for this long and intriguing game.