Game:

Azure Dreams (1997)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 14:54

52,748 views

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Ah, the cult classic title that wasn't entirely a Rogue-like, a breeding game, or a dating simulation, but a combo of all the above. It's one of the only titles of its kind that folks outside of Japan would ever get to see. I'll be honest with you; Azure Dreams is not a great masterpiece; It's fairly unattractive visually, has lots of glitches/bugs, and the dialogue/translation is iffy. It's one of those Konami titles you look at and take note of its potential and wonder how it might have turned out if they had given it their undivided attention... but you know what? It's fine just the way it is.

Part of what makes this game memorable is its fairly plain characters, funny localization, simplistic gameplay, and a taste of what it means to have your cake and eat it too (in terms of basic control of city infrastructure and picking up simple chicks). Can you imagine if the "dating" was as vast as Konami's own TokiMemo titles? Can you imagine if AD had certain "prolific artists" like Satoshi Urushihara to design the characters and everyone was pretty to the point where you'd buy the game just to look at them and couldn't care less what they represented? What if Koh didn't have puffy lips or lipstick resembling Link's from "Faces of Evil"? This game wouldn't be the same. There's a # of faults with the game, but it was never made with the intention of being a masterpiece and doesn't take itself seriously-- that's what makes it fun. I won't make this out to be a grandiose game; it's just not, and it's not for everyone. However, it is a worthy addition to your collection.

AD deals with a young Monster Tamer named Koh (by default) who has just turned fifteen and is now old enough to enter the monster tower and follow in his father's footsteps as a legendary tamer. Monster Tamers are the talk of the town of Monsbaiya and are capable of amassing great fame and fortune. However, while Koh does want to become rich and famous, he also has more pressing matters on his mind-- What happened so many years ago at the top of the tower? What was that bright light? What of his father? What lies on the top level? And so, with your objective made clear, you go off on your journey.

The game is divided into two portions: Town & Dungeon. While you don't have to, you won't get much out of this game unless you devote some time into the town. The town consists of numerous things, which include various girls you can hook up with and shower with gifts (most which don't do anything other than show you have a fat wallet), places to gather info, places to buy starter items, and other places you'll want to check occasionally; it is your base of operations. As you progress, you'll have the opportunity to expand the town if you've got the cash, pimp out your home to the extreme, play simple mini-games, earn ridiculously easy/quick money (1-Mil soon becomes chump change and can be gotten in minutes), improve how many items you can store & how many monsters you can keep, and get new girls to come to the city.

While it's considered part dating-sim, it's only fair to warn you that you shouldn't expect a thorough experience like in a pure D-Sim or V.Novel; it's watered down and little effort is required. Almost every girl can be read like an open book and you don't have to be a "Ladies Man" to get these gals. Most fall into your arms with repeated visits thanks to your foolish rival, Ghosh Rhode, and few require any real effort. They occasionally ask you no-brainer questions too; money helps and is more abundant than the desert sand. Once they're in a zombie-like state, you can do anything you want to break their heart and they love you all the same. I even act nice to one (Patty) in one vid and then bilk, meet her at the pool right afterwards and she recalls nothing. The way the game approaches the "relationship" element feels somewhat tossed together. Regardless, Koh is living the dream.

The bulk of the game is the dungeon. What makes this portion a Rogue-RPG is many of the core principals. There are 40 floors you must climb and 50 different monsters to discover (not all are playable). Some of the characteristics of rogue-likes are randomly generated dungeons, lots of treasure, limited carry capacity, lots of traps and powerful foes, and harsh penalties for failure which can consist of losing valuables including items you've grown attached to. This game is also interesting because our hero Koh always reverts back to level 1 due to a spell on the tower and he can only enter with five items or less (this includes monsters). Koh can move about freely and attack monsters with ease and while everything seems seamless, the game is actually turn-based and requires a bit of strategy from time to time. There's also a simple but limited monster fusion system, special traits and mixture abilities, and cheats to exploit; I can't go into detail here. I'd say a bit more, but it can't fit.

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