The battle system in Vagrant Story is like none that I have seen before...it is possible to target your opponents body parts separately in order to perhaps find a weakness. There are also real time functions that you learn called battle abilities which allow you to make your attacks more effective. You don't necessarily find complete weapons in this game either, you make your own...and then name them!

Let's not forget the monsters...there are more than I can count. Dragons, zombies, lizard-men...all of these and more haunt the complex dungeons you will explore on your quest. In fact, as an added point of challenge for the game, the weapons you use will eventually developing a liking to the flesh of the creature you most often attack and will become more effective against others of its kind...but beware!...your weapons may become ineffective against those monsters of an opposite persuasion.

In closing...get this game...period...no questions asked. If you can look in a mirror and say with a straight face that you are a serious console RPG fan, you have absolutely no choice...no...you owe it to yourself to give this game a try!

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:


An Unknown Classic  Apr 26, 2002
This is my favorite video game of all time. That said, it's not for everyone. The graphics/ animation are top notch, but you can certanly do better in this age of PS2, Xbox, etc... The control system and interface are great but definately take some getting used to. The game uses a strange hybrid of menu driven combat, combined w/ "chain attacks" and "reaction abilities" that involve split-second timing.
The plot is top-notch, absolutely the most engaging story-line from any game I've ever played. It's a shame that this game never took off to reach the popularity of Squaresoft's flag ship Final Fantasy series, because it would have probably made for a much better movie.
All that aside, what secured this game as my #1 favorite of all time is the totally unique character progression system. No "gaining levels" here, to increase your stats you simply need to locate various potions that will each give you a permanent boost of a few points to one stat.
But that's just the begining, the real meat of the character progression system resides in the weapon system. There is a huge assortment of weapons in this game, from war mauls, to katanas, to cross bows and beyond, and each comes with a huge number of statistics. Each weapon can have any number of elemental strengths and weakness, as well as relative powers vs. diferent enemy types. And weapons evolve with use, so if you bust out the same trusty sword each time you come across an undead enemy, you'll soon find that blade has increased its power against that enemy class and has grown weaker vs. others. Add to this the ability to combine blades and armour and reassemble weapons at blacksmith shops throughout the game, and you've got everything you need for hours and hours of character-tweeking dorking-out time. Did i mention that if you beat the game you can start over with all of your weapons intact? This, along with some areas only accessible on second play, give this game a lot of re-play value.

OK, so like i said, it's not for everyone... but if you appiciate a fine plot, original game play, or an infinately tweakable progress sytem, this game won't dissapoint.

18 of 20 found the following review helpful:


The best Action/RPG on the planet!  May 30, 2000
This is one of the best games I have ever played, and one of Squaresoft's best titles. This blows all other Action/RPGs out of the water. First off, the graphics are THE best the Playstation has ever seen, without a doubt. Second, the story. It is better than half of the movies at the Academy awards, (definately better Titanic or Shakespere in Love!) and is cinematic all the way through. The battle system is like none before, and perfect for this game. It encourages you to play it over and over trying to beat records of time, chest percentage, etc. Zelda? What Zelda? Vagrant Story is THE game, and with this, Legend of Mana, Threads of Fate, and Chrono Cross ( I MUST HAVE THAT GAME! ) this will be the best summer in Squaresoft, no Video Game History!

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:


Finally, finally, finally...  Jun 14, 2000
There are many good games. "Resident Evil," "Siphon Filter," "Metal Gear," "Tomb Raider," "Tekken," "Parasite Eve" all come to mind instantly for most of us. As good as they are, they all have blemishes. The machinegun you're holding mysteriously changes to a glock when FMVs play between rooms in "Resident Evil." The backrounds are stunning in "Tomb Raider" but many of the characters are animated so poorly it's distracting. The combat system in "Parasite Eve" is great, as far as RPGs go, but hardly involves the excitement that live combat controls bring. The grammar, acting, and backstories in most videogames... well, they're awful.

Enter "Vagrant Story."

The animation (mosters, humans, animals, elementals, water, magick) is better than any Playstation game yet; from the twitching ears on the Ogre to the slack jaws of the goblin kings. The combat system is perfect. Not being able to customize the key set is somewhat annoying, but it's so well designed you forget quickly and learn to lean on the O for combat instead of the X. The system is a perfect blend of RPG style (think of the "Parasite Eve" ranging system) with live buttons for defense and special attacks (there are about a dozen special attacks and defenses which you gain with experience and assign to 3 keys for live combat). The score and sound are fantastic as well. It's one of the few games you can play with headphones and not notice glitches or poor mixing in the sound and music.

Load times are good and always smooth. Bosses are extremely tough (and there are many of them) but not impossible to beat on the first try if you're in the swing of the game and know how to use all your resources.

All that and a story that's interesting *and* sensical. How often does that happen?

You know you've bought the right game when watching the initial FMV. Ashley Riot (the hero) is told, "...we need to wait for reinforcements." He replies, "Reinforcements? I am the reinforcements."

Buy this game. PS2 games will look better but it will be awhile before they play better. They finally, finally, finally got it all right.

15 of 17 found the following review helpful:


Finally! A Worthy Fantasy !  May 30, 2000
Wow!. At long last my hat is off to Square. I have seen the future of Rpgs, and it is a third person view from behind. (A cross between Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy. I was impressed by this game. If you know any of my reviews, you know I don't enjoy some of this company's other, more popular series of games. I am happy to say That Vagrant Story makes up for the inadequacies of the FF series. When you pop this game in the consol, you will discover; a new combat system, that makes it easy to take on a very difficult set of dungeons, a system for equipping and using items that is a dream to use, lots more fun than filling materia slots. The Art, music and plot of this game are all worthy of a great Rpg. The only detractor in my mind is this: The designers of this game thought it would be neat if the charactor spoke in voice bubbles like comic book charactors. They were wrong. The baloons cover up some of the best video game art ever while the charactors are speaking. As good as this game is, I think Square could have invested in real voice, for at least part of the game. Enough for the detractors! This game has it all, good plot, good action, frequent saves, and no bad guy, whether it's a run of the mill zombie, or a boss is too hard to kill. Hard enough, but not impossible. Hats off to whoever it was that said, " Hey, if the story is good, they'll play it over and over, instead of trying to kill the same boss again and again and getting disgusted." The cobat system is different than anything you've played before, but once you're used to it, it's a dream. Keep using those healing items, there's plenty of them. This game is about paying attention and thinking as much as it is fighting. You'll get hung up on the map and the puzzles more than you will tough enemies.

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