Breath of Fire IV PSone 1

Another PSone game that was released around the same time that the PlayStation 2 hit store shelves, Breath of Fire IV got a little lost among the initial transition. And that's a real shame, because we reckon that Capcom's final numbered Breath of Fire title is right up there with the best role-playing games on Sony's first console.

The story's split between two main characters: Ryu and Fou-Lu. Ryu's your typical blue-haired, amnesic, silent protagonist, while Fou-Lu's the angered founder of an ancient empire, who's re-awakened to take back what he thinks is rightfully his. The two leads are both playable, too, so you'll be switching between them as the plot moves forward, which makes for quite a cool contrast – especially as Fou-Lu starts out at a high level, slaughtering normal enemies with ease.

You'll be spending most of your time as Ryu, though, as you follow a story that twists and turns until the whole world's involved in a conflict that could spell the end for its inhabitants. It's even got a few surprisingly dark plot points, which are both shocking and horribly morbid, adding to the drama when the narrative needs them most. Good old Fou-Lu ends up becoming the antagonist of the tale, and it's not long until you're travelling across the globe while being pursued by the Fou Empire, which remains at large despite its age.

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It's a story that's full of great characters, with your party members being especially memorable. Indeed, the playable cast is superb, diverse, and full of personality. Cray is the tough bodyguard of Princess Nina, travelling together to find her missing sister; Ershin is an incredibly quirky suit of armour who's far more than meets the eye; Scias is a stuttering mercenary and quite possibly the most laid back RPG party member on the PSone; the stoic and bold Ursula is the granddaughter of a powerful Fou Empire official.

When it comes to gameplay, Breath of Fire IV changes things up just a little bit as far as the franchise is concerned. Sporting the same isometric viewpoint as Breath of Fire III, exploration requires a lot of camera turning as you peek around corners and discover hidden alleyways, but it's a style that really gives the title a unique look. Meanwhile, field exploration takes place on a world map where you move between icons. As you move, you might come across points of interest, which, when investigated, take you to a small, explorable area that contains random battles, and usually some loot.

Speaking of which, battles are turn based, and often quite tactical. You learn new skills and moves as you level up, and using certain techniques in tandem will create combination attacks. It's mostly standard Japanese RPG fare, but there's a good amount of depth, especially when you factor in masters – non-playable characters who'll teach you new abilities as you study under them and complete their assigned goals. To top it all off, once you've got your full six member team, you'll be able to switch out your three active combatants at any time, mixing up your strategy on the fly.

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Battles have a great look to them, as well, thanks to some crisp, beautifully drawn characters and lovingly animated attacks. The game as a whole has an eye-catching art style that boasts a subdued, but attractive colour pallet, while its settings range from dusty deserts to ancient jungle ruins. However, a particularly memorable scenario occurs when the party has to cross the sea between the Western continent and the Eastern landmass, but surprisingly, this isn't done by boat. Instead, you wander across a natural causeway that's built from sand dunes and marshland, which only appears when the sea parts. Needless to say, it makes for an incredibly unique journey.

Gluing all of this together is a fantastic soundtrack. The two aforementioned continents have their own style and subsequent musical themes, with the West sporting rousing, orchestral scores, and the East boasting intricate sitars and strange electronic rhythms. As is often the case with Japanese RPGs, though, the battle tunes steal the show, and still sound brilliant today.

Breath of Fire IV will forever live in the shadow of other, more famous PSone RPGs, but that shouldn't stop you from looking into one of Capcom's best fantasy adventures. The classic is currently up for grabs on the North American PlayStation Store, but it's sadly nowhere to be seen here in Europe. Still, if you get a chance to sample this engrossing journey, we can't recommend it highly enough.