From what I have heard, the sequel is the better game; however, I have only played a bit of it and have no memory of it other than getting stuck in a dungeon. This one, though, I enjoyed quite a bit back in the day. It is not on par with say Final Fantasy II (or IV), but it has a nice simplicity to it that makes it very enjoyable to play. I do intend to play through the second game; granted, if it plays out like the beginning of this game then I already know the ending...
The story, four fiends sit within a flying fortress and four heroes go to stop them and succeed. The island plummets and two of the heroes are lost, while two live on. Many years of peace later a mysterious young girl comes into a village and her and the protagonist of the game grow up together. All is not well, as the Sinstrals seem to be returning. The young man goes to a kingdom where rumors spread that monsters have invaded and comes face to face with one of these beings. Being a descendant of Maxim, one of the four brave warriors, our hero with Lufia at his side decide to begin looking for a way to stop the beings once again. They will also get help from a mighty warrior named Arguro and Jerin and half elf girl. They will progress through many towns and brave many dungeons, caves and towers to try and restore peace to the land once again.
The game play is standard turn based battles, visiting towns and so forth. It really brings nothing new to the table; however, it is still a fun title as it does feature some cool underwater levels to the mix. There are a lot of towns in this thing too, and nearly all of them have some sort of quest ready for you! Still, you battle your way through the enemies and you will not have to stop progressing and just try to level up. Just exit a dungeon, go back to town and heal occasionally and you will be powerful enough to defeat most of the bad guys in this one.
Playing a game like this almost makes me sad that game developers have, in large part, abandoned the whole turn based combat. There are a few indie games that still feature them and a title here and there, but for the most part a lot of games feature active combat. I just prefer the turn based as I find it more strategic and less annoying as it is so hard at times trying to get NPC characters to do what you want when you are not in direct control. I also miss the visuals of back in the day. I like games that look like SNES era games, I just do not need to see the most realistic looking person imaginable, seeing them sweat is not as important as good game play! Do not get me wrong, I still enjoy games of today, I just look back on the time this game was released both fondly and melancholy as my days continue to race forward to an end.
So, a very good and simplistic game. There is a point in the game that is like a stopping point for me. The three towers quest has stopped me cold in my tracks two or three times. I will do something and mess up a save or I just feel this section is a bit of a drag, but if I get by it, then it is clear sailing! Same with the first Breath of Fire game, as a portion near the beginning of the game feels like a chore to get through, but once it has been completed the rest of the game is great. So this one is a nice little gem and I look forward to completing the second game and see what all the fuss is about.
