Introduction

Developer: Squaresoft
Vagrant Story official page: http://www.vagrantstory.com/

Editor's Note: We don't make a habit of reviewing console games on FS, but once in a while we think it's a nice change of pace from PC this, PC that. Our friends over at Square were nice enough to send us a copy of Vagrant Story, their latest RPG/adventure for the Playstation. It's not available for PC, and we don't know of any plans to have it ported, but it's always a possibility (like Final Fantasy 7 and 8). We had one of the console experts over at Gamers.com, Gabe Lai, do the review for us. Enjoy!

Introduction

For all well-versed console players, SquareSoft is a name as common as the word "Mario". Its "Final Fantasy" franchise has spawned several games across several platforms and generated not only millions in revenue but also the number of fans eager for more. However, SquareSoft isn't just known for its Final Fantasy games; the quality of its role-playing games spans across different series and games. Gamers galore cannot deny the excellence of Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger from the Super Nintendo days and more recent titles such as Xenogears and Front Mission 3 for the PlayStation.

on a dark stormy night

1 on 1 talk

One of SquareSoft's more recent entries into the console gaming market, Vagrant Story, is no different. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, this adventure RPG gives players the chance to savor a different way of gaming. What caught the eyes of the Japanese market after its February release was the perfect score it received from the Famitsu, a hardcore weekly gaming magazine whose authors and editors are hard to please in today's competitive gaming market. Two previous titles have received such a score - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 and Soul Calibur for the Sega Dreamcast (and players know how awesome those games are!). No other game - not even the highly regarded Final Fantasy games -- has received a perfect score. Naturally, news of this kind migrated over towards the states and has caught the interest of many RPG fans and gamers alike. In fact, people could feel the anticipation for this game like the humidity in Taiwan.

Popping in the disc

After pressing the POWER button of the PlayStation, players are treated to a beautiful (and only) CG opener filled with images of a some random, scantily clad woman ("required" according to the textbook "What to put into Japanese RPGs") dancing around interposed with a dragon and a character (presumably our famed protagonist Ashley) fighting and using his weapon. However, unlike popular previous SquareSoft titles such as the recent Final Fantasy games and Parasite Eve, Vagrant Story does not blatantly use monster-sized full motion videos (FMV) throughout the game. Allowing the game to sit idle during the title screen reveals not only the prologue and the beginning of a truly amazing story but also the beauty of illustrating the cinematics of the game through just the use of the game engine.

smoking is bad for you

lovely architecture

Players will immediately be able to discern one of Vagrant Story's unique storytelling aspect - the use of "speech bubbles" similar to that of comic books. Unlike many other companies, SquareSoft has yet to employ the use of voice actors in its games. With its cinematic look and feel, it almost seems as if Vagrant Story was meant to have voice actors especially with Vagrant Story's focus on character interaction and development. All in all, this approach still works and some fans may argue that the "silent film" route is still the best way to go in telling the story. Another feature players will notice is the common use of medieval-"speak" among the characters. Surprising for a SquareSoft title, the localization of the translation in Vagrant Story is quite good except for a few grammatical mistakes ("The scum make two demands…"). The script flows well from one conversation to the next.