Best RPG: Vagrant Story (PS1)

Best Game About Expanding Green Target Grids EVER
Quietly arriving on PS1 back in 2000 and coming with a demo disc was Squaresoft’s sleeper hit Vagrant Story. As soon as the game begins, the player is greeted with an engaging cinematic prologue thick with atmosphere and featuring a Western-flavored art style rarely seen in games coming out of Japan. And no wonder - character and background designer Akihiko Yoshida once stated in an old interview that Vagrant Story had been designed based on many non-Japanese influences. Accompanying Yoshida and long time collaborator was director Yasumi Matsuno. The two worked together and are largely responsible for the excellence of such titles as Ogre Battle, Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Final Fantasy XII.

Story
The story is set in the nation of Valendia, where a religious cult named Mullenkamp has attacked the manor of a former benefactor and corrupt Duke named Bardorba. The siege is partially thwarted however, and the cult decides to move to the forgotten city of Lea Monde. The player takes control of Ashley Riot, a maverick agent of the Valendian Knights of the Peace and a highly skilled Riskbreaker employed by the Parliament of Valendia to capture the felons responsible for the attack on the Duke. Opposite Ashley is the leader of Mullenkamp and proclaimed prophet, Sydney Losstarot, an enigmatic shirtless man with metal arms and an intricate tattoo on his back. Ashley follows Sydney and his cult into Lea Monde where what unfolds is a complex drama of mysterious characters, whose lives have gradually become intertwined. Is someone pulling the strings or is it the magic of Lea Monde? Everyone seems to have different pieces of the puzzle. Will Ashley find the truth or will the events of Lea Monde be lost to obscurity forever? Well, if you don’t give up after a game over you’ll probably find out.

Game Play
Vagrant Story is a dungeon crawler RPG featuring elements of platforming and crate-based puzzles with an unorthodox battle system and a super-robust equipment system. That’s right I said PLATFORMING. This is an RPG with a JUMP BUTTON! THANK THE GODS! The game primarily takes place in Lea Monde where Ashley explores the city to uncover the story. Locked doors and puzzles exist around the city to keep player on a linear path. In each area, roaming enemies and puzzle structures are immediately visible. Movement is free roaming, allowing for a certain amount of height-based strategy and minor stealth. Ashley is given the options to perform normal attacks, cast spells, use special abilities called Break Arts and, and use items. When the player chooses a normal attack, time freezes and a green sphere appears around Ashley showing the attack range of the presently equipped weapon. The player is shown a list of targetable body parts with corresponding damage, hit percentage, and Ashley’s currently equipped weapon affinities. During an attack, a red exclamation point appears cuing the player to use a combo link or defensive ability. Attacking quickly becomes a rhythm game, and a skillful player can theoretically chain attacks together until the opponent is at zero HP. To balance this, the game slaps you in the face with a Risk meter. Risk is raised for every attack and ability performed, and it affects the amount of damage you deal and take as well as your hit percentage. Risk can be lowered by however by running around or using items.

Vagrant Story does not have a typical leveling system. Ashley’s growth occurs as the weapons and armor he creates or acquires are developed, and battle abilities are gradually unlocked as experience is gained. Magic is learned from Grimoires which are acquired from enemies or treasure chests. There are a large variety of spells to be learned which have expected effects such as elemental damage, healing, status effects, buffs and affinity enhancement. Weapon mastery also allows you to learn Break Arts - special moves that use HP instead of MP to use. These are general very powerful and are great if you wager you can finish the enemy off quickly. They may however, move you out of the frying pan and into the fire. With all the checks and balances present in the battle system, the player is forced use abilities sparingly giving the player a sense of an enemy’s strength.

More than any other part of the game, the equipment system will be a hit or miss for the player. It is perhaps one of the most robust equipment systems found in any RPG. Weapons and armor are acquired by standard means – dropped by enemies and found in treasure chests. Periodically Ashley will find his way into a workshop. Weapons and armor can be created, taken apart, and combined. Categories of armor are helms, body armor, gloves, boots, necklaces, and shields. Ten different weapon types are present with corresponding special moves to master. The number of items available is massive, and each has different affinities which are divided into three categories – enemy class, elemental affinity, and damage type. Raising a certain affinity means fighting enemies of that type. Each affinity also has a corresponding opposite, meaning one weapon cannot be the SUPER ULTIMATE KILL EVERYTHING IN ONE HIT WEAPON. Instead, with enough time and efforts, the player will end up with several SUPER KILL ENEMIES OF A CERTAIN TYPE IN ONE HIT’s. In addition, every weapons and armor have damage points (DP), which are lowered as the items get pummeled in battle. Items can be repaired in workshops, or certain chain attacks may be used to repair a small amount of weapon DP. For players with time and patience, the equipment system will prove to be the greatest source of mental stimulation and additional playtime. Various achievements (titles) are available for those who want to play the game 20 times over and do absolutely everything. These players will subsequently get Vagrant Story tattoos and replace their arms with medieval-styled metal bionic claws – all for the sake of one nerd convention.

Graphics, Sound, and Music
The visuals, sound effects, and ambiance seamlessly converge to create an immersing and moody aesthetic. The story of a once thriving town and sudden exile of human life is conveyed brilliantly in the dark, gritty interiors and untouched, overgrown exteriors of Lea Monde. With roaming phantoms and distant echoing cries, the feeling is clear that many a soul still wanders, having had their lives cut short in the earthquake 25 years before. Though deserted, the town itself seems to breathe. It feels as if the very walls may come alive at any moment. Amazingly, this is all accomplished using a PS1. The sounds of blades tearing at armor and flesh reverberate throughout the halls of Lea Monde while birds sing somber songs in ancient trees outside. The music remains consistently cinematic, making use of orchestral instruments mostly during cut scenes and boss battles. It is clear that Vagrant Story is very much an inspired title – perhaps making it one of the best arguments in favor of video games as art.

Conclusion
Opinions of Vagrant Story sometimes differ on opposite extremes. The timing-based attack system can be a huge breath of fresh air for anyone tiring of repetitive X Button pressing or excessive strategizing. On the other hand, some RPG fans may be turned off by the general lack of the traditional inclusion of periodic R&R sequences spent in peaceful villages with carefree music and cuddly creatures. In place this is lonely hours of toiling away in the workshops which will bring out any hint of an engineer in the player. Because so much time is spent playing the blacksmith, the loading times for accessing the memory card can become frustrating. This is not as much of an issue, however, if the game is played on a PS2 or PS3. In the end, Vagrant Story truly stands out as a unique title without much to compare to it. It is very much an inspired title and perhaps one of the best arguments in favor of video games as art. Any player with a little patience will find many hours of enjoyment as Vagrant Story offers its unorthodox, innovative game play while simultaneously immersing the player and stunning the senses.

Game: Vagrant Story
System: PS1
Release Date: May 15, 2000
Publisher: Square EA
Developer: Squaresoft