My memories of Breath of Fire are inextricably bound to the most miserable summer of my life: The year I lived alone in Abilene, Texas tending to a friend’s house while he was out of town for several months. Although it eventually turned out to be a pretty decent summer, the first month or so was absolutely wretched: I was isolated in a house on the edge of the city with no money to speak of and nothing to do except play the two or three used games I owned and pore over the modest collection of comic books I had carried along from high school. This was before the Internet was particularly interesting, or in any way accessible outside of universities. About the only good thing I had going for me was being able to live rent-free. When I think of Breath of Fire, I think of being stuck in that house and being intensely depressed.
After a few weeks of that, I found two jobs, started dating, bought a dog, and generally made my life turn into a bundle of awesome. But for that first while, it was just me, the X-Men, and Breath of Fire. And that sense of ennui and emptiness is all this game brings to mind. No wonder I’m not a fan.
On the plus side, the Japanese subtitle of the game is “Ryuu No Senshi.” That is to say, “Dragon Warrior.” Yes.
This is (I believe) the first RPG I played to completion, and it is with no small amount of shame I admit I found the ending pretty moving. Oy vey.
Why be ashamed? You like what you like… and it was easier to be moved by games back then, because attempts to be moving were so uncommon.
I’ve always like the character designs of the BoF series, even if the games have never played that well.