Dragon Warrior VII

The number-one best-selling Japanese PlayStation game of all time lands on American shores?though guaranteed it won?t take that prize here.

Americans tend to take their RPGs one of two ways: either (A) flashy, loud, and Squared, or (B) on their PCs. This game is neither of those. It is, however, the best-selling PlayStation game in Japanese history?as telling a sign as any that there?s a big body of something that separates American RPG sensibilities from those in that land across the sea.

Wanted: Hero for Quest
The Dragon Warrior series (or Dragon Quest as it?s known in Japan) is among the oldest of the old-school console RPG echelon. Lots of console gamers? first exposure to the RPG scene was when Nintendo brought the first one to the NES. To say that this game is firmly rooted in that ancient tradition is like saying the universe is kinda big, or that it?s not very polite to go on a bloody, maniacal college co-ed killing spree.

If you haven?t already noticed, the graphics are pretty bad?even by first-generation PlayStation software standards. The world is 3D, though the textures look so sloppy you wish things were otherwise, and the SNES's popular Mode 7 made for better-looking outdoor landscapes. Granted, what little enemy animation there is is kinda nice, and a few rooms manage to seem impressive?though that?s probably only because seeing such a thing is an oasis of alarming mediocrity in an endless desert of eye-scorching crap. On the sound-effects front, if you?ve played the recent Game Boy Color version of DWIII, you?ll instantly recognize nearly every sound, from your ?footsteps? on the stairs to the non-deafening anti-roar of the Blaze spell?s thunderless bleep.

The game?s world is almost childishly generic?definitely in line with the old-school Dragon Warrior universe, though certainly not in line with most people?s more sophisticated modern RPG sensibilities. Not only do you fight things with names like Slime and MechSoldier with Stick and Sword, but you also get in boats, wander about Castles and chat with Kings, and visit Caves. In DWVII, your party members include the ?wolf-boy? and ?the dashing headstrong prince,? and your party is rounded out by ?the annoying rich girl who doesn?t like to get dirty.? Our hero does not brood; he does not pose; his hair does not flow in the wind; and not once does he ponder the tragedy of why his life as a beautiful orphan was interrupted by the Psyche-Mesa-Spheres? improper conjunction with the Que-Prizma. There?s a charm to the simplicity and innocence, though?a breath of old-school air for those who find Final Fantasy flashy but shallow, strange for the sake of being strange.

Look Closer
If you think you can get past Dragon Warrior?s generic lack of luster?which, admittedly, is extremely hard to do?what you?ll find is a brilliantly structured, well-nigh perfectly paced, and truly epic-length RPG. The story?s progression (skip this part if you?re averse to spoilers) is pretty inspired?you travel to a series of islands lost to time, unlocking each of their strange little mysteries in an effort to reassemble your shattered world. Each island plays out like a smart little short story with its own cast of characters and weird quirks. On one island, animals and people have traded places. On another, a mysterious army of robots lays siege to a helpless medieval population. Solve the mystery of the isle, and it?s returned safely ?home,? and if you revisit it in modern times you get to see how things have changed as a result of your heroic interference. This makes for a great sense of progress and a nice happy feeling that you?re being rewarded for bein? so darn smart. It also, unfortunately, leads to some repetition, as trudging across the same landscape can get a little?uh?repetitious.

Other good stuff lines your path as well: The music is great, and several little symphonies manage to get firmly lodged in your head. The translation is remarkably solid, with some nice deadpan humor chucked about for good measure. The game is also proof that designer dungeons are always preferable to random ones (a la Dark Cloud), with some really intriguing, challenging, and not-at-all-annoying puzzles along the way. Battles are as straightforward as they come, but the menu interface is simple and streamlined, the load times are tiny, and fights move by at a very rapid pace. The game also comes with a rich, full-bodied, nougat-filled Job system that enables your character to customize and hybridize their skills to a degree that?s unheard of in console RPGs. Want to become a fighter/dancer/pirate/slime? The only thing stopping you is your commitment to real life. Suffice it to say, the game as a whole is absolutely enormous; it takes up two discs, and that ain?t ?cuz of any fancy-ass cinematic cut-scenes.

A Tale Lost to Time
Is a structure as solid as granite with a wealth of rewarding options enough to counter the fact that Dragon Warrior VII looks and sounds like it predates the concept of predating? If you thrive on memories of games like Breath of Fire, then Dragon Warrior VII will fit like an old, beat-up glove. If you don?t even want to touch BOF on your GBA, then by all means wait until Tidus hits the PS2 scenes just a couple months from now. DWVII is a great game in an awful?or is it just nostalgic??package; a title that would be considered a classic if it had been released, oh, seven years ago today.

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