Game:

Breath of Fire (1993)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 46:52

3 views

1

Here is the playthrough of Breath of Fire done live on IGTV. Due to space restrictions, I was only able to record the final dungeon.

Follow me on instagram @CabinSNES_fever to join me live or via my reviews and uploads to witness me take down all the games currently in my SNES colleciton, following on from having already beaten all 234 licenced UK releases for the NES. I only use original carts, no cheats & no save states.

-Having previously beaten the sequel, I was under no illusion the commitment that Capcom demands from players of this series. With only a year separating releases, its forgivable there is alot that’s similar, not least the same engine being used for design. For better or worse, the incredible demand on grinding & discovery also remains, which for a player seeking longevity in their adventure maybe welcome however given the library of games ahead of me and my own dwindling free time, committing days & days of play to any game is a rarity. Breath of Fire cannot be rushed however. Despite parading as one of the systems most attractive RPGs, it’s also probably one of the hardest!

Much like its successor theres an unavoidable reliance on grinding. I appreciate the role it plays in RPGs, however I feel a well balanced title shouldn’t force its players to spend hours repeatedly grinding spots; irrelevant to story progression, purely to level EXP. Alas, particularly early on, there seems little other choice. Its not as if there arent enough random encounters, in some dungeons the encounter rate is exhaustingly frequent. The issue is that, like many Square RPGs, EXP gained is shared between characters & there isnt a great deal on offer. With enemies never upgrading, backtracking areas means collecting the same low EXP as when you were first there.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle for many seeking a linear playthrough, comes from the almost impossible task of actually working out where you should go next. This is huge RPG with an almost endless supply of caves & dungeons to explore. NPCs are often vague leaving progression without hours of aimless wandering, difficult. Tho a common attribute of games like Zelda, here with the relentless assault of random encounters means deviating from your intended route is rarely enjoyable, considerably time consuming & very repetitive.

Despite its criticisms, its still an excellent RPG with alot to offer. It has an engaging story, fun characters & upgrades, cool bosses, looks stunning and It was never meant to be beaten in a week anyway! Regardless I think I'll wait awhile before taking on the sequel again.