Make Way for Blue Dragon

 Published June 29, 2007

The versatility of the role-playing game genre is legendary. On one hand, you have titles such as The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™ that provide a free-roaming, real-time combat adventure set in a traditional medieval-themed world. And on the other hand, you have Blue Dragon™ for Xbox 360™, offering a turn-based, anime-themed experience to fill out the other end of the spectrum.

Hello, Shadow creatures.

Top Talent
There are few more respected developers than the RPG masters at Square Enix, and developer Mistwalker brings two of these elite minds to bear on Blue Dragon. Hironobu Sakaguchi—former president of Square USA—serves as head producer (as he did on several Final Fantasy projects), and acclaimed Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu is handling the musical composition.

Beyond the two major Square alumni lies the powerhouse artistry of the much beloved Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball Z fame. He's been tapped to provide the character design for, among other things, our trio of heroes in Blue Dragon.

The Beginning
Young Shu, and his friends Jiro and Kluke, are frustrated. Their small village has long been tormented and destroyed repeatedly by a mysterious "land shark." Now they must swallow their fear and stand firm against the terror, determined to remove the evil and save their village.

There is simply nothing quite like it on Xbox 360, or any other console for that matter.

Though the attack doesn't go as planned, and our young heroes are dragged far away from their homes across the desert floor, they discover an important truth. The land shark isn't a living being at all, but instead is mechanized. It is but a single part of an army of sinister technology known as Mechat that surrounds them, and they must now explore and thwart this new threat.

So begins Blue Dragon.

Our heroes aren't bickering, are they?

Shadow Power
Blue Dragon uses many classic role-playing game elements, including turn-based battles with spells, special attacks, items, and even formations. But it also utilizes a very unique game mechanic. Early on, in a desperate attempt to flee a flying mechanical fortress, Shu, Jiro and Kluke swallow three glowing "pills" at the behest of a mysterious voice.

The voice claims the power held within will allow them to utilize the nearby Mechat ship to retreat from the fortress. While this is true, it also awakens Shadow creatures that live within the ship. These Shadows are far more powerful than our heroes. Once they're unlocked, all combat abilities save the use of items are carried out by the Shadows themselves. What's more, it's the Shadows, just as much as the heroes, that level up over time and unlock new abilities and even classes.

This simpler, more centralized mechanic of using the Shadows in this way does away with a lot of the busy work so prevalent in other RPGs. You worry less about customizing armor sets or earning enough money to afford that new magic sword, and simply spend more time directly involved in the gameplay.

The game is stunningly beautiful.

News and Notes
Aside from the epic scope of the story and the unique, Shadow-powered combat, there are other game elements worth noting:

• Nothing random: For many gamers, the scourge of turn-based RPGs is the random battle encounter. A totally invisible enemy force appears from nowhere to harass you, and there was no way to avoid the encounter. In Blue Dragon, you can navigate the world comfortable in the knowledge that you can spot and avoid upcoming enemies if so desired. If you want to engage in combat, tap X when nearing an enemy, and guarantee yourself a first strike.
• Inclusive battles: Hold down the Right Trigger, pause the game, and send out an Encounter Circle to begin a fight. Essentially, all of the monsters caught within the circle can be engaged in combat.
• Monster battles: If different kinds of monsters are caught within the Encounter Circle, they will fight amongst themselves until only one creature type is remaining. Handy.
• Treasure is everywhere: Exploration and investigation are encouraged and rewarded in Blue Dragon more than in your typical turn-based RPG. Where trees, logs, crevices, and crates are static in most games, you're more than likely to find useful items and treasure in Blue Dragon. The environment also plays host to simple puzzles. For example, pushing on a broken tree may help form a bridge to an otherwise inaccessible ledge.

Blue Dragon is a startlingly original RPG. There is simply nothing quite like it on Xbox 360, or any other console for that matter. It will satisfy both the hardcore turn-based RPG lover, and help introduce the RPG genre to a whole new generation.

Article by Ryan Treit