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Breath of Fire is an RPG series by Capcom which involves a different hero each time although the hero has the same name, looks similar to the previous hero and is a descendent of the former hero except of course for the first Breath of Fire. Each hero belongs to the dragon clan and has the ability to turn into different dragons which have powerful attacks. Of course, the hero is joined by other characters along the way. Breath of Fire 1 and 2 were released on the SNES while the rest of the series is released on the Playstation.
Gameplay and Interface: 7.5/10
In Breath of Fire 2 the gameplay is quite good. Besides having the ability to choose your formations, you also get the choice of using automatic attacks, special moves and even attacking your own characters (in case they fall asleep). Once again, you can turn into a dragon but this time it acts more like a spell and uses up all your AP (ability points). This is unfortunate compared to Breath of Fire because this means you have to constantly replenish your AP whereas in Breath of Fire one you only use AP to transform into the dragon and you can keep using its powers from there. And all this only applies to the combat section. In the "travelling map" is another matter altogether. Certain characters can perform certain actions on the map like hunting, fishing, hopping, rolling and flying. There is even a fishing game where you can control the Hero when fishing. This is an improvement compared to the first Breath of Fire where it was a random thing. The interface has improved a little. Now there are words instead of pictures and the ability to clean up your inventory in an instant. You can also switch party members while walking so it saves you from having to re-order them. The only bad thing is you can not switch members while battling. You also get the chance to populate a small town and combine with shamens to form new characters much like Karn did in Breath of Fire one.
Storyline: 5/5
I have to say that the storyline for Breath of Fire 2 is one of the best ones around. The game starts off with you as a little boy taking a nap next to a dragon. When you return to your village you find out your father and sister are missing and worse still no one remembers you. You stay in the Church (once your home) and meet Bow. You and him leave for another town and end up in a mysterious cave where you are attacked by a demon. Ten years later, you are now a ranger and later on Bow is accused of stealing something, which begins your quest. Along the way, you will unleash your dragon powers, meet new allies and find out what actually happened to your father, get the chance to rescue him, find out your mother's story as well as find out where the dragon clan is. This is where Breath of Fire 2 really shines, the storyline is superb and you get to find out things. You also find clues on what happened to the original Breath of Fire one characters.
Graphics: 5/5
The graphics here are more detailed but gritter then Breath of Fire one but they are still quite good anyway.
Level design: 3/5
The levels in the game are not too well designed because they are long and often populated by monsters which are too difficult and there are almost no save points along the way.
Music and Sound: 4.5/5
I love the heroic music and sound although some of the music tracks are silly for such a cool game.
For: Excellent storyline, good graphics, good music some innovative gameplay.
Against: Long dungeons, some silly music.
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