One of the great things about my job is that I get a free vacation
at the end of the year. One full week without the constant stress of work…I
had hoped that I would be able to catch up on my stack of unplayed games, possibly
finishing a few of the titles that I’d put off for a few months when new releases
took center stage. This, unfortunately, was wishful thinking. I was only able
to play a single game during my holiday break–not because I didn’t have time
to play more, but because it was such an incredible experience that I didn’t dare
take it out of my Playstation console. As the title of this review indicates,
the game that stole my free time was Vagrant Story, probably the best game
Square has ever made. Just about every aspect of the game made me proud to own
a Playstation, so I’ll do my best to fill you in on the greatness of the game.

What’s
Going on Here?

The basics of the story: A cult of religious fanatics,
known as Müllenkamp, have seized the manor of Duke Bardorba of Valendia Kingdom.
The leader of the cult, Sydney Losstarot, was known to have participated in the
attack but has not been seen since. The Duke, fortunately, was away from the manor
at the time, so he was not subject to the whims of the assailants … but a week
later, he was assassinated.

Ashley Riot, a Riskbreaker in the Valendia
Knights of the Peace, has been named as a suspect in the killing, although he
has also mysteriously disappeared. Strangely, during the week following the incident
at the manor, Ashley made a mysterious journey to the deserted city of Leá
Monde, a dilapidated ruin destroyed by an earthquake 25 years before. Water entering
the earthquake’s wake cut off Leá Monde from the rest of the world, and
rumors abound regarding the ghostly fate of the city’s residents.

In Vagrant
Story, you play Ashley Riot in the week following the manor incident. Your
goal is to find out the truth about the attack, about the assassination of the
Duke, and about yourself. Vagrant Story boasts one of the most richly detailed
plots in any Playstation game–so complex, in fact, that there have been game
guides specifically written about the plot alone. The characters in the story
are finely detailed, and they act true to form throughout the game. There is no
voice acting in the game, which almost makes the story more believable–it’s like
reading a good book instead of having to listen to one being read to you. The
plot is revealed in a series of cut-scenes with text balloons, much like a comic
strip. I won’t reveal any additional plot details, but I will say that at the
conclusion, you question the events that you have just witnessed–this game makes
you think. Some of the younger folks might have some difficulties understanding
the finer parts of the story, so keep that in mind if it matters to you.

Overall
Plot Grade: A+

How Did it Sound?

If a game is really, really
good, I don’t usually notice the sound. I was lucky enough, though, to get
a pair of wireless headphones from my wife for Christmas, so I was able to turn
them up and listen to this game at a much higher volume than I’m used to–and
it was worth it. The sounds of battle and magic are excellent, much better than
many of the PC RPGs out there. What sold me, though, was the dark, semi-metal
background music coupled with the environmental screeching of birds, quiet roar
of waterfalls, and distant unholy groans. Music in a game should not intrude into
the gameplay; it should complement the actions of the player, unobtrusively adding
suspense or a false sense of security at appropriate times. This technique is
mastered in Vagrant Story and should not be missed.

Overall Sound
Grade: B+

How Did it Look?

Where do I start? There are
so many positive aspects to the graphics in this game that I will never be able
to list all of them–so I’ll talk about my favorites, and touch on some others.

First
impressions are very important when starting a role-playing game–it’s like a
first date. If the game seems somewhat dull after a few minutes, chances are that
you’ll play it a few times without much optimism and then send it to the only-if-I’m-truly-bored
bin and move on. My first impression of Vagrant Story was one of the most
amazing experiences I’ve ever had, and I hope that all PSX owners will play this
game just for the first ten minutes. Not only is there an amazing cinematic introduction
(aside: all of the cinematic sequences in the game are rendered using the game
engine, so there’s a sense of continuity in everything that’s seen) that explains
the story, but also sequences in the introduction that allow you to participate.
When I was suddenly thrust into the action during the opening movie, my heart
was pounding and my fingers were twitching as I frantically grabbed the manual
in search of control configurations. The ten or so minutes of game introduction
are better than many whole movies that I’ve seen in theaters–it’s really that
good.

Although Ashley Riot would win a “wildest hair” contest–hands
down–the skins on the many characters and creatures found throughout the game
are surprisingly detailed given the available resolution of the Playstation. In
fact, even the larger boss creatures (dragons, phantoms, minotaurs, etc.) are
very finely detailed. The motion of these characters is simply fascinating to
watch. The background artwork in the game is unparalleled–the manor, the many
dungeons, collapsing mine tunnels, castle walls, and wine cellars are presented
with details that raise the bar an order of magnitude for other RPGs. There’s
a sense of “realism” that I’ve not experienced often in my twenty plugged-in
years of gaming that oozes from every corner of Vagrant Story.

There
are also wonderful waterfall and stream effects, lighting tricks, graphically
unique weapon and shield models in animation, smooth camera angle motion, a unique
and easy to navigate mapping system … I could go on and on. Graphics aren’t
everything in a game, however, so we’ll move on to gameplay for the real meat
of Vagrant Story.

I have only one complaint with the graphics–sometimes
(I’m sure to conserve space on the CD) rooms are repeated within a particular
area. After walking into a room, you’ll notice that it looks exactly like a room
that you went through a few minutes ago, although it might have a few different
monsters in it. I understand the need for this in a one-disc game, but it was
plainly obvious that the rooms were repeated (down to the broken furniture and
treasure chest placement) causing the only hiccup in my suspension of disbelief.

Overall
Graphics Grade: A

Was it Fun?

Vagrant Story has
one of the most complex, and yet easy to use, battle systems that I’ve ever seen.
At the outset of the game, it’s very simple–there’s a basic targeting system
that allows Ashley to hit different parts of the enemies’ bodies. Certain parts
are easier to hit than others, and each part has an estimated damage associated
with a hit. As Ashley gains experience, he remembers skills that he learned sometime
in his past adventures, and he can use them in the form of defense abilities or
chain abilities. By pressing the buttons on the controller at the exact moment
of contact (whether magical or physical) Ashley can “chain” attacks
together (and inflict status abnormalities) or defend himself in many different
ways (reflecting damage, absorbing damage, etc.). Using these abilities is not
free, however–it comes at a cost of risk points. The higher Ashley’s risk, the
less likely he is to hit his target during an attack. Risk decreases slowly over
time but can be reduced faster with magical items or by putting his weapon/shield
combo away. There are also special attacks available for each weapon called Break
Arts, which inflict more damage than regular attacks at the cost of hit points.

The
equipment Ashley uses evolves over time as well. By using a particular weapon
against a single type of enemy, the weapon becomes more and more powerful against
them, causing more damage and increasing hit percentages. Armor and shields work
similarly, although they take up more room in Ashley’s inventory and therefore
are harder to specialize.

As Ashley progresses, he finds new, more powerful
weaponry in the form of blades and grips. In special workshops found in the city,
Ashley can build new weapons and armor from the pieces that he finds through exploration.
But what about that special weapon that works well against phantoms? Ashley can
also combine different blades and shields, resulting in more powerful equipment
with similar affinities. He can also combine armor for different parts of the
body, sometimes resulting in armor for a totally different body part.

On
top of all of this, there is a well-organized magic system divided into four categories–Warlock
(attack magic), Shaman (recovery magic), Sorcerer (aid/status magic) and Enchanter
(affinity magic). With a simple two-button combination, the player can not only
access each type of magic, but different parts of inventory, speeding up the battle
process (but only when the player is comfortable enough to use it!). The graphical
effects from the magic spells are very good, slow enough to watch but fast enough
to keep the action flowing.

But wait! There’s more! Some of the most devious
sliding box puzzles I’ve ever seen can be found in Vagrant Story. By allowing
different types of cubes (indestructible, magnetic, sliding, move-limited, etc.),
an amazing variety of puzzles are present in this game. Make a mistake? Leave
the room and come back, and the cubes have reset to their original positions.
Want to try to solve them faster? Returning to a puzzle room will allow you to
beat your best time. Tired of the darn things? You can set an option to leave
the puzzle solved once completed. Many of these are simple, but some took some
very careful thinking.

The best part of Vagrant Story is replayability.
When I completed the game the first time, I had only seen 75% of the total world
map! Certain areas are only accessible during replays, where more monsters and
powerful weapons can be found (and you start the game with everything you accumulated
during previous games). I’m in the process of playing a second time, and I know
exactly where to go for the hidden areas–and I’m loving it even more the second
time! I usually hate replaying games, but Vagrant Story is a very notable
exception.

There’s only one thing I found hard to deal with in the game–there
are a limited number of “Save Points” where your progress can be saved
for a later day. There were only one or two places that made me wish for more
save spots, but I’m nitpicking. Even the interroom delay was amazingly short,
considering that the camera angle can be changed at will–smoothly–to one of
eight directions. With games like the horrendous Galerians on the market,
developers should take notice.

Overall Gameplay Grade: A

I’m
sure I’ve left some things out of this review, but that’ll make it that much more
fun for you, the reader, to explore and discover. Vagrant Story is probably
the best game I’ve played, or ever will play, on the Playstation console. I may
even make it part of my permanent collection (it would be the first in that exclusive
club). Highly recommended.

(Note: I felt very deceived after purchasing
Vagrant Story due to the prominent “2 DISCS” indicator on the
jewel case, when the game is actually only one disc. The other CD is a demo disc
containing playable demos of Chocobo Racing, Threads of Fate, and Front
Mission 3, as well as preview movies of Chocobo’s Dungeon 2, SaGa Frontier,
Chrono Cross, and Legend of Mana. I’d like this to be clearer on the
box, but given the depth of the game, I don’t have any problem with it now!)

Final
Grade: A