Vagrant Story is one of those games that wows you at the start--a big "WOW!" in this case--but maintains only a tenuous hook in the long haul. In this mix of action/adventure and fantasy role-playing, players are cast as a Riskbreaker (think one-man army) named Ashley Riot, whose pursuit of a villainous cult leader takes him to the mysterious city of Lea Monde.

The highly stylized graphics in Vagrant Story are easily some of the best ever seen on the PlayStation, and give the game a gorgeous, distinctive look to match its somber tone. Cinematic story sequences blend in almost seamlessly with gameplay, which takes place in 3-D environments (viewed from a third-person perspective) that can be rotated to provide the best angle.

Vagrant Story features a rich battle system that's built on both strategy and quick reflexes. In addition to character statistics, weapons and armor have detailed numbers of their own and can be disassembled, assembled, or even combined to create new items. Hand/eye coordination factors heavily into combat, as Ashley develops offensive and defensive battle abilities that require perfectly timed button pushing in order to be used.

Unfortunately, it's all too easy to get bored with Vagrant Story. The painfully linear gameplay here doesn't rise above killing enemy after enemy in room after room, and (oh boy!) solving puzzles by manipulating boxes. If not for the wholly intriguing (but sparsely littered) plot, one would be strongly tempted just to leave Ashley to rot in the catacombs beneath Lea Monde. --Joe Hon

Pros:

• Highly stylized graphics
• Rich battle system
• Intriguing plot

Cons:

• Shallow, linear gameplay

Average Customer Review: ( 108 customer reviews )
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The battle system in Vagrant Story is like none that I have seen before...it is possible to target your opponents body parts separately in order to perhaps find a weakness. There are also real time functions that you learn called battle abilities which allow you to make your attacks more effective. You don't necessarily find complete weapons in this game either, you make your own...and then name them!

Let's not forget the monsters...there are more than I can count. Dragons, zombies, lizard-men...all of these and more haunt the complex dungeons you will explore on your quest. In fact, as an added point of challenge for the game, the weapons you use will eventually developing a liking to the flesh of the creature you most often attack and will become more effective against others of its kind...but beware!...your weapons may become ineffective against those monsters of an opposite persuasion.

In closing...get this game...period...no questions asked. If you can look in a mirror and say with a straight face that you are a serious console RPG fan, you have absolutely no choice...no...you owe it to yourself to give this game a try!

12 of 12 found the following review helpful:

An Unknown ClassicApr 26, 2002

This is my favorite video game of all time. That said, it's not for everyone. The graphics/ animation are top notch, but you can certanly do better in this age of PS2, Xbox, etc... The control system and interface are great but definately take some getting used to. The game uses a strange hybrid of menu driven combat, combined w/ "chain attacks" and "reaction abilities" that involve split-second timing.
The plot is top-notch, absolutely the most engaging story-line from any game I've ever played. It's a shame that this game never took off to reach the popularity of Squaresoft's flag ship Final Fantasy series, because it would have probably made for a much better movie.
All that aside, what secured this game as my #1 favorite of all time is the totally unique character progression system. No "gaining levels" here, to increase your stats you simply need to locate various potions that will each give you a permanent boost of a few points to one stat.
But that's just the begining, the real meat of the character progression system resides in the weapon system. There is a huge assortment of weapons in this game, from war mauls, to katanas, to cross bows and beyond, and each comes with a huge number of statistics. Each weapon can have any number of elemental strengths and weakness, as well as relative powers vs. diferent enemy types. And weapons evolve with use, so if you bust out the same trusty sword each time you come across an undead enemy, you'll soon find that blade has increased its power against that enemy class and has grown weaker vs. others. Add to this the ability to combine blades and armour and reassemble weapons at blacksmith shops throughout the game, and you've got everything you need for hours and hours of character-tweeking dorking-out time. Did i mention that if you beat the game you can start over with all of your weapons intact? This, along with some areas only accessible on second play, give this game a lot of re-play value.

OK, so like i said, it's not for everyone... but if you appiciate a fine plot, original game play, or an infinately tweakable progress sytem, this game won't dissapoint.

18 of 20 found the following review helpful:

The best Action/RPG on the planet!May 30, 2000

This is one of the best games I have ever played, and one of Squaresoft's best titles. This blows all other Action/RPGs out of the water. First off, the graphics are THE best the Playstation has ever seen, without a doubt. Second, the story. It is better than half of the movies at the Academy awards, (definately better Titanic or Shakespere in Love!) and is cinematic all the way through. The battle system is like none before, and perfect for this game. It encourages you to play it over and over trying to beat records of time, chest percentage, etc. Zelda? What Zelda? Vagrant Story is THE game, and with this, Legend of Mana, Threads of Fate, and Chrono Cross ( I MUST HAVE THAT GAME! ) this will be the best summer in Squaresoft, no Video Game History!

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Finally, finally, finally...Jun 14, 2000

There are many good games. "Resident Evil," "Siphon Filter," "Metal Gear," "Tomb Raider," "Tekken," "Parasite Eve" all come to mind instantly for most of us. As good as they are, they all have blemishes. The machinegun you're holding mysteriously changes to a glock when FMVs play between rooms in "Resident Evil." The backrounds are stunning in "Tomb Raider" but many of the characters are animated so poorly it's distracting. The combat system in "Parasite Eve" is great, as far as RPGs go, but hardly involves the excitement that live combat controls bring. The grammar, acting, and backstories in most videogames... well, they're awful.

Enter "Vagrant Story."

The animation (mosters, humans, animals, elementals, water, magick) is better than any Playstation game yet; from the twitching ears on the Ogre to the slack jaws of the goblin kings. The combat system is perfect. Not being able to customize the key set is somewhat annoying, but it's so well designed you forget quickly and learn to lean on the O for combat instead of the X. The system is a perfect blend of RPG style (think of the "Parasite Eve" ranging system) with live buttons for defense and special attacks (there are about a dozen special attacks and defenses which you gain with experience and assign to 3 keys for live combat). The score and sound are fantastic as well. It's one of the few games you can play with headphones and not notice glitches or poor mixing in the sound and music.

Load times are good and always smooth. Bosses are extremely tough (and there are many of them) but not impossible to beat on the first try if you're in the swing of the game and know how to use all your resources.

All that and a story that's interesting *and* sensical. How often does that happen?

You know you've bought the right game when watching the initial FMV. Ashley Riot (the hero) is told, "...we need to wait for reinforcements." He replies, "Reinforcements? I am the reinforcements."

Buy this game. PS2 games will look better but it will be awhile before they play better. They finally, finally, finally got it all right.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Patience is a virtue...Jan 07, 2001
By Amanda
...and you need it for this game. I absolutely loved it, but I know many people do not have the interest or patience for a long, difficult game. The story revolves around a Riskbreaker named Ashley Riot, send to the abandoned city of Lea Monde to track down a cultist, Sydney Losstarot. Most of the game takes place in Lea Monde, so make yourself at home there.

Vagrant Story will probably take around 30 to 50 hours to beat on the first play, depending on how long you spend looking for weapon componants and spell scrolls. No, not gaining levels, this game is not level-based. You can only increase your stats, health, and magic with oh-so-rare potions and beating bosses. (I started the game with 250 health and finished with 280.) Most of the 30-50 hours is spend dungeon crawling and fighting with the occasional pause for plot scenes. Be warned, the battles in this game are HARD. Normal enemies can take a lot of effort to kill, especially if they gang up on you. And you WILL die at bosses until (and probably even after) you get the hang of the battle system. It's not complicated, just heavily based on timing your attacks. There is some emphasis on problem solving and puzzles, mostly block puzzles, but not as many as other games (ie, Soul Reaver). The graphics are a little bit blurry close up, but in general they are very fluid and well-done. The characters are given facial expressions and moving mouths when they speak, and the cut scenes (while not CG) are impressive.

The best part of this game is definately the plot. Months after playing it, I'm still discussing the plot and characters. There are heavy religious and political themes (another thing some people have no interest or patience for), and some very good plot twists even for the minor characters. If you enjoy a good, dark story and an ending that's not ridden with sappy cliches, you will probably like Vagrant Story. On the more solid end of things, the battle system is a nice change from battle-screen combat (Final Fantasy games, for example). It's a bit like Secret of Mana in that you just run up and attack enemies. There is a variety of weapons and armour, so you can customize Ashley however you like.

The bad points of this game would have to be how linear it is. There's basically only one major thing to do that's not required (beat the Iron Maiden), but you can't get there until you beat it at least once. It's pretty much a straight path from beginning to end with no side quests, secrets, or prolonged breaks from dungeon crawling. There are some time trials, and the challenge of building up your weapons and armour, but in general there isn't much to distract you or many secrets to discover. The plot makes up for it, in my opinion, but a few side-quests and extra development for the minor characters (Grissom, Samantha, etc) would have been nice.

I'd give Vagrant Story about a four. Supurb plot, good battle system, nice graphics. But a major minus for the lack of extra things to do. If you like a good story and enjoy a challenge, this game is for you. If you're the kind of person who likes plow through games without much effort and has no patience for battles or appreciation for a wonderful plot, pass.

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