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BREATH OF FIRE Company: SquareSoft Released: August 1994 Genre: Turn-based RPG Graphics: 8.5 Control: 7.0 Sound/Music: 8.0 Storyline: 8.0 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

There were so many outstanding rpgs available for the Super NES system that it's only natural that some remain more popular in the hearts of gamers than others. Breath of Fire is one such game that no matter how much times goes by, it still enjoys quite a loyal following around the rpg gaming community. While Capcom is the company that developed the original title, it was rpg specialist Square that published the release in the US. Breath of Fire didn't try to reinvent the wheel, instead it relied on the tried-and-true console rpg formula that had proven so successful in many other releases on the Super NES system. Some rpg fans complain that the combat system used in the game was a bit too sluggish considering the consistent enemy encounters in the game, but it's the engrossing storyline that's thought to be most responsible for the long-running success of the Breath of Fire series and this first game is a shining example of just why that is. Breath of Fire might not be quite on par with some of the more spectacular Super NES rpg releases, but it's still a solid and enjoyable adventure that any true rpg fan should experience at least once. Considering that Breath of Fire was originally developed in 1992, the visuals are actually quite impressive. The world is vibrant and really comes to life on screen with the solid use of the Super NES system's huge color palette. While many Super NES developers went out of their way to make use of the system's Mode 7 scaling and rotation capabilities, the developers of Breath of Fire chose to instead put the Super NES processor to good use creating extremely sharp and detailed graphics throughout the game's many areas. Even the enemies look terrific, although there's not much animation to be found in them. They look so good, it's difficult to complain since most battle scenes in rpgs of this time period rarely featured much in the way of animation anyway. Each and every area you visit has its own distinct look and feel, which gives the game a very spacious and epic feel to it. While the game is certainly not on par with later rpg releases, Breath of Fire shows a lot of flash for such an early rpg entry. Probably the single most impressive facet of Breath of Fire is its beautiful soundtrack. There are some absolutely fantastic musical tracks throughout the game, and even the battle music, which you'll hear so often that you'll be hearing in your sleep, is very melodic and catchy. Even 20+ hours into the game and having heard the same battle music hundreds of times, it still remains quite pleasant. There's also a huge amount of variety in the songs as not only will you get a song variation when switching towns, but many times you'll get a new song just by entering a new portion of the overworld map. Games such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III are generally considered the elite of the Super NES rpg soundtracks, but it's safe to say that Breath of Fire isn't too terribly far behind them in terms of overall quality and variety. About the only complaint that is generally vented about Breath of Fire is the somewhat sluggish play control within the combat system. While sluggish might be a bit too harsh of a description, it is worth noting that when compared to such outstanding turn-based combat engines as those found in Lufia 2 or Chrono Trigger, the one used in Breath of Fire does feel a little clunky at times. That's certainly not to say that it's bad, in fact it's a solid and very playable battle engine, it just takes a little getting used to for rpg players that like to make their combat menu selections in a rapid-fire manner. After an hour or two of playing time, you'll feel right at home with Breath of Fire's battle system. Maneuvering the many areas in the game is a fairly smooth experience as well, although the lack of a dash button and diagonal movement might prove to be a slight hindrance for gamers who've become spoiled with the rpgs that do feature them. Even with these minimal shortcomings, Breath of Fire still proves to be a surprisingly high quality rpg game play experience. The hesitation for many rpg fans to rank Breath of Fire as one of the elite Super Nintendo rpg titles is understandable, but if you're going to come away from this review with one conclusion it should be that while Breath of Fire might not be the cream of the crop as far as Super NES rpgs are concerned, it is still an outstanding rpg experience and one of the better ones available for the system. Fans of the Breath of Fire games owe it themselves to experience the game that kicked off the successful rpg series, as it's easily as good as any other game in the series. And for anyone that's somehow missed this charming title, you should also at least give it a try as well. Breath of Fire isn't perfect, but it's got it where it counts.