Some role-playing game franchises can seemingly go on forever, like Final Fantasy and The Elder Scrolls. Others are doomed to play out like the Breath of Fire franchise, where you have a couple big hits early on, only to eventually fizzle out after a handful of increasingly disappointing sequels. All this talk about Breath of Fire made me wonder what Electronic Gaming Monthly thought of this fan-favorite RPG back in the day. What was their favorite installment?
Now, before you ask, EGM managed to review seven games in the Breath of Fire franchise. That is to say, they reviewed all five console games, as well as the two ports that hit the Game Boy Advance in the early 2000s. The only game they did not cover was Breath of Fire 6, which not only came out seven years after the magazine folded, but was a mobile phone game that never made its way outside of Japan. Thankfully, they reviewed everything else, which should make for a really fun list. What we're going to do today is count down the best and worst Breath of Fire games using Electronic Gaming Monthly's own words and scores. There's no editorializing here, we're going to focus on what the critics said back when these games first came out. So, go and figure out what dragon you want to morph into, because that's going to be surprisingly important in this episode of EGM Ranks Breath of Fire.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (PlayStation 2)
#7
“I've played through a lot of role-playing games over the years, so it's awfully hard for anything in the genre to surprise me. Well, Dragon Quarter did just that, throwing me for a loop and leaving me for dead with its obscene difficulty and whacked-out gameplay innovations. Be prepared – this game is insanely and unfairly difficult by design. Chalk it up to the blasted Scenario Overlay System, wherein you restart the game from scratch and keep all your experience and items after you die. The game doesn't force you to SOL, but realistically, you'll have to do it in order to beat the game. In my opinion, it's a cheap trick that ekes extra replayability out of a fairly short RPG. As it stands, Dragon Quarter remains a broken attempt at changing the RPG rules. Try before you consider buying.” (7.3 out of 10)
Breath of Fire IV (PlayStation)
#6
“Yikes! What's with all these mini-games? I can't take anymore! Some were fun, but most just made me feel like I was completely wasting my time. Minigames fans, this is your RPG. Certainly not mine, though. I also wasn't too keen on constantly falling into battles while running around areas that require exploration. Still, Breath of Fire IV has a lot of things going for it, like solid graphics and music, and some nifty combat ideas. The swapping of characters during battle is an excellent addition to the genre. Overall, Breath of Fire IV is a pretty solid RPG that should keep you busy if you've already played through better stuff, like Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross.” (7.5 out of 10)
Breath of Fire II (Super NES)
#5
“I don't often have time to play role-playing games, but I found Breath of Fire 2 by Capcom to be a good, well-rounded RPG. The graphics fall short compared to SquareSoft's Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. But they make up for it with such features as the Shaman Elementals, in which you can combine your characters with shamans to produce up to 20 different combinations of characters. With hours of gameplay and a good storyline, many RPGers will enjoy this title.” (7.5 out of 10)
Breath of Fire (Game Boy Advance)
#4
“This holiday season a few role-playing games are finally hitting the Game Boy Advance, but Breath of Fire is the only console veteran among them. As a faithful port of a 1994 Super Nintendo title, it undoubtedly subscribes to a host of hackneyed RPG cliches, yet Breath of Fire's vibrant visuals, charming demi-human characters and speedy battles remind us what's great about 16-bit RPG gaming. Overall, Breath of Fire exemplifies handheld role-playing done right. The game's initial difficulty can be a bit daunting and the battles a tad too frequent, but players who stick with it will enjoy a solid, enjoyable and lengthy quest.” (7.5 out of 10)
Breath of Fire II (Game Boy Advance)
#3
“Capcom's second Super Nintendo-to-GBA RPG port sports all the enhancements as the first Breath of Fire – new character art, a faster walking speed, two-player item trading and a nifty quick save feature for shutting it down on the go. In several aspects, this sequel out-classes its predecessor as a quality role-playing experience. An astounding nine playable characters join the team, and the Fusion system allows you to combine them to form powerful super-fighters. However, one element mires this otherwise great game – a clunky translation. Confusing dialog and incorrect grammar taint the plot. I was often unsure where to go next because the townsfolk's advice was so poorly written. My advice? Grab a walkthrough and tackle this quality quest.” (7.5 out of 10)
Breath of Fire (Super NES)
#2
“The folks at Square know a good game when they see it. They did role-playing game fans a great favor by buying this game from Capcom of Japan and bringing it to the States. Even if you are not a big fan of these kinds of more deliberately-paced strategy games (as I am), you'll still get hooked on this one! This game has hours of play involved, and just when you think you've played it completely, something new pops up! Excellent graphics and sound make this a winner.” (8 out of 10)
Breath of Fire III (PlayStation)
#1
“As far as traditional, linear RPGs go, you really can't go wrong with Breath of Fire III. However traditional, the twists and turns in the story keep the game fresh, in addition to your character's ability to morph into a variety of different dragons. The graphics and sound are above-average (with particularly cool spell animations), but there isn't anything too aesthetically mind-blowing. Nevertheless, this is a long and satisfying RPG.” (8.1 out of 10)
