The twists the story takes are really satisfying. Many things remain unclear until the very end, and a few even afterwards. Ultimately, the game struggles to keep the “awesome” factor as high as the standard set early on, but it is an ambitious effort nonetheless. Mysticism also plays a major role, but it wouldn’t be a Square game without some magic now, would it? Some of the cutscenes, especially in the beginning, suggest vast potential. Several different parties struggle for power, and the hero is trying to do the right thing in the midst of it all. The Ivalice team (Tactics, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII) really likes exploring those themes. Political intrigue is at the centre of the story, much like in Final Fantasy Tactics. As Ashley confronts the Mullenkamp cult leader, Sydney Losstarot, he quickly realises that this won’t be just any ordinary mission… As Sydney escapes, Ashley must follow him towards the ghost city of Lea Monde, the cult’s stronghold. Obviously, many interests are clashing, and, since hostages are involved, the situation is very complicated. The Duke is an incredibly powerful man, holding the parliament in the palm of his hand, Mullenkamp cultists are known for their ruthlessness and dark rituals, and the Cardinal has sent the Crimson Blades without consulting or even informing the VKP. The Valendia Knights of Peace (VKP) send agents Ashley Riot, a Riskbreaker, and Callo Merlose, an Inquisitor, to investigate the situation. The Cardinal’s organisation, the Crimson Blades, launch a counterattack, aiming to destroy the invaders, free the hostages and reclaim the manor. Weapon crafting is a cool feature, but doesn’t yield anything amazingĪs the game begins, we see the flames of battle, as Duke Bardorba’s manor has been taken over by Mullenkamp cultists, who take his family hostage.Occasional entertaining puzzles bring variety to the gameplay.Experimental battle system that works great.Fascinating characters pursuing their own goals. You encounter them occasionally, and solving them is necessary to progress further in the game. An interesting thing to note is that Vagrant Story features a bunch of fascinating cube puzzles. Nevertheless, once you get used to that, you can immerse in the really rich gameplay and start looking for the best ways to use the particular mechanics for your purposes. You do not have party members to revive you. You take the role of a single protagonist named Ashley Riot, and that sets Vagrant Story apart from most other RPGs – you have to watch over your character carefully because, if he dies, it’s an immediate game over. There is, of course, also magic, and already in the intro you see some very strange things happen that make you wonder just what kind of world is this game throwing you into. The setting is medieval, with dukes, knights, swords, all that jazz. Vagrant Story is set in Ivalice, the world of Final Fantasy Tactics, however, it takes place many years in the future and the two games are practically unrelated. Platforms: PlayStation PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita (PSOne Classics) Playing through it was a very interesting experience, and I will elaborate why. It’s also not a very long game – it took me under 30 hours of playtime to beat. It is a single-person dungeon-crawler action RPG with a really unique concept and design choices. Like Xenogears, Vagrant Story is one of the less known Squaresoft gems. The second review of a game on the original PlayStation I will do is of a game that came out relatively late in the console’s lifespan.
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