The classic RPG Breath of Fire has hit Game Boy Advance and is essentially a port of its SNES offering. The title feels a bit dated and offers standard RPG fare that’s as basic as it gets.
The back story to BOF involves the Dragon Tribe. The Dragon Tribe governed the world peacefully until the evil goddess Milia split the tribe into two warring factions. A hero and seven companions appeared and rid of Milia, sealing her in a dungeon with six keys. The two dragon tribes – now the White Dragon and Dark Dragon Tribe, with the two sides about to erupt into battle again.
Players take control of Ryu, a descendant of the White Dragon Clan, is destined to rid the land of evil. Ryu wakes up to find his village burnt to a crisp and leaves to find out who’s behind the madness.
The gameplay is basic. Players start out with a sword and cloth armor and level up and gain experience. Ryu walks around on an overhead map with random battles, and heads from location to location to learn more about the violent events and rid of monsters that are attacking villages. There’s also a bit of old-school dungeon crawling to get your RPG juices flowing.
Ryu is a standard warrior type fighter, but he later meets up with Nina, a specialist in healing magic. A cast of eight rounds out BOF, with four party members able to battle at once. Each party member has a personal action. Ryu has the cool ability to fish, not to mention transform into a dragon, while Nina can turn into a giant bird that can take the party to previously unreachable places.
The visuals are great in BOF. Everything is painted with vibrant colors and the locals are very detailed. The animation is standard and doesn’t excel at any one point. But the game looks clean and sharp. The music is great and dramatic melodies keep the story afloat.
Breath of Fire isn’t going to blow you away. The title is a standard RPG across the board, but is a decent ride if you have time for it.
