Developer: Capcom Publisher: Square Soft Released: August 10, 1994 Genre: RPG
Capcom is one of the most versatile developers in the world. From platformers to shooters and fighting games in their heyday they covered nearly every genre. The one notable exception would be role-playing games. Destiny of an Emperor is probably the closest and even that is a strategy game. Breath of Fire would be their first stab at the genre and it’s a good one. The series would have its growing pains but overall this is a solid game with a unique world.
Thousands of years ago the Goddess Myria offered to grant any wish to the Dragon clan. This caused a war within the clan and they split forming the Dark and Light Dragons. The war threatened to destroy the world until a hero among the Light dragons sealed Myria using six keys. But now the Light Dragons have been hunted to near extinction and the Dark Dragons begin their plan to dominate all clans and revive the Goddess. One lone light dragon is all that stands between their plans for world conquest.
It’s a well-worn premise and one that is very familiar. For as much as I like Breath of Fire it is a bit generic overall. The localization is very dry and straightforward. Due to space limitations names have been abbreviated and there are typos throughout. Sadly the abbreviation also affects the game’s interface. With item names shortened you will spend far too long in the menu’s figuring out what they are and who can equip them. Considering Breath of Fire released in 1994 (in the US) alongside Final Fantasy 6 it pales in comparison from a front end perspective. That extends to the game’s story. Although you have a suite of potentially interesting characters they receive little characterization overall. The main reason Breath of Fire remains compelling is because of its fascinating world.
Capcom have done an excellent job creating a fantasy world unlike anything else at the time. Breath of Fire is a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, each distinct from the last. The six clans that populate the world each possess unique abilities that you gain access to throughout the game. Some of these are almost minigames in themselves; hunting in the overworld can net free healing items while fishing is necessary to find some of the game’s best equipment. The overworld and dungeons are full of secrets that are visible from the start but are not available until later. It gives reason to revisit prior areas once you have gained new party members which would not be so bad were it not for the slow pace. But more on that later.
While the cast have little personality their powers are part of what make Breath of Fire special. Some of these come into play during battle while others are used on the overworld. Ox can break walls with his fists, Mogu can dig in certain spots on the overworld and Nina will eventually turn into a giant bird, making traversal less tedious. Ryu will master many dragon forms and Gobi is critical to the underwater sections of the game. Karn is possibly the best character in the game. Not only can he pick locks and disarm traps but he later learns how to fuse with other characters to become overpowered. To find the best secrets in the game you need his fusion forms. Capcom have done a great job creating a likable cast that stays relevant to the game’s conclusion thanks to their abilities.
To get the most out of Breath of Fire you will have to tolerate its slow pacing. You walk slow, battles are frequent, and accomplishing simple objectives requires multiple unnecessary steps. Although the game has auto battle option (that is a god send) random battles are still a chore. The leveling curve rises sharply but experience and gold don’t match leading to excessive grinding. Dungeons are long and with limited inventory space trying to keep healing items in stock becomes hard. The absolute worst are the boss battles. Nearly every boss has a ridiculous amount of hit points and unless you over-level can take close to ten minutes. Even worse, they each have a second wind, meaning once you have drained their life bar they still keep fighting. It’s ridiculous.
That Breath of Fire still remains compelling is a testament to the foundation that Capcom built. The various characters skills give reasons to use almost everyone in your party. By making the numerous secrets visible from the start you are compelled to revisit nearly every part of the game later. Had they tuned the various aspects of the game such as the encounter rate and experience gain Breath of Fire would have been spectacular.
In Conclusion
In spite of its issues Breath of Fire is a solid RPG. For a first effort Capcom knocked it out of the park in some areas with room to improve in others. They would (with some growing pains) in future sequels.
