Pros: Great story, fun game, and excellent real-time cut scenes instead of CGI!
Cons: Not for everyone (but who cares?)

...A puppet which bends to the soul’s tyranny.
And lo, the body is not eternal,
For it must feed on the flesh of others,
Lest it return to the dust whence it came.
Therefore, must the soul
Deceive, despise, and murder men.
- Intro to Vagrant Story


In the depths of the Dark Ages, an ancient cult known as the Mullenkamp began to make a comeback. They chose the ancient island city of Lea Monde as its stronghold, protected from the outside world by ocean whirlpools and strong with the dark energies that made their craft possible. Led by a man named Sydney, the cult gained members quickly. It was rumored that Sydney could see into a person’s soul and read their pasts, and his charisma was such that many swore their undying allegiance to him. Seeing the cult as a threat to the Church and to national security, the Cardinal instituted an inquisition and ordered the cult exterminated.

In response to these attacks, the Mullenkamp cult launched an offensive on a local Duke’s estate, burning what they could and executing any hostages they were able to take. Caught completely unawares, the Duke’s own personal army fell almost immediately to the cultists. Shortly thereafter and without invitation, the Cardinal’s “Knights of the Cross” arrived in time to repel the Mullenkamp cult. Unfortunately, Sydney escaped successfully. Worse, the Duke’s son could not be found after the battle had subsided.

Even more disturbing news came when the authorities began questioning those who had witnessed the Mullenkamp assault. Stories of cult members who commanded the elements and could withstand even the cold hand of death soon became the talk of the town. Some even reported having seen a dragon flying over the estate, obeying the commands of the cult leader. Secure in their ignorance, they had failed to see that a great evil was surfacing, and now they could only cower in terror and hope that Mullenkamp didn’t return for the rest of them.

Perhaps even more disturbing were stories of how some of the Church’s knights, sworn to exterminate such vile sorcery, also shared such powers. However, knowing the punishments that were reserved for those who blasphemed the Cross, these stories were reserved only for whispers in empty back streets.

The stories of Mullenkamp’s ties with the dark side and the subsequent kidnapping of the Duke’s son was enough to convince the Cardinal to launch an offensive on the city of Lea Monde, the Mullenkamp base. Seeking swift retribution, the Duke also instructed a garrison of his own troops to assault the base, and bring back the head of the Mullenkamp leader.

In response to these reports and unsure of the Cardinal’s true motives, Parliament has instructed that a single member of the elite Riskbreaker squad be sent to Lea Monde to investigate, and if need be, to destroy the city and the Mullenkamp cult.

You play as Riskbreaker agent Ashley Riot, who must infiltrate the cultist compound within the city of Lea Monde, figure out exactly what is going on, and put an end to whatever evil lies in wait. Along the way, you’ll be attacked by the Church’s soldiers, the Duke’s armies, cult members, and whatever monsters happen to be living in the city.

This game was created by the same team responsible for Final Fantasy Tactics, and this shines through in the gameplay. The entire game is played in the three-quarter perspective (looking down at a 45 degree angle at the character), and the screen can be freely rotated to allow you to see objects behind corners and such. When an enemy is confronted, there is no separate battle screen; just draw your weapon, choose an enemy and the location on its body to attack, and let fly. If you tap one of the buttons on the controller with the correct timing, you’ll score an additional hit. By doing this, it becomes possible to chain some pretty impressive attacks. There are also a wide variety of spells to choose from, courtesy of the power of Lea Monde, should a good blade become an insufficient weapon.

For those of you out there who like a lot of computer generated cut scenes in their games, a la Final Fantasy, Vagrant Story might prove a bit disappointing. The entire plot is forwarded by means of real-time, in-game rendering (like Metal Gear Solid), where the actual game models are used for dialog and cut scenes. I actually prefer this method; this type of plot progression gives the game a continuity that simply isn’t present when CG animation cut-scenes are used. Expect to see a lot more of this type of cut-scene in the future, especially since the PS2 can perform CG-quality cut scenes in real-time.

The story is top-notch, with a plot that easily trounces that of any movie that has come out this year. There are enough twists and turns to keep anyone guessing, and the alliances between all the different sides is quite interesting. If you’ve played FF Tactics, you how much fun watching these military campaigns evolve can be. And to give you an idea of how convoluted the story actually gets, the Mullenkamp cult members are the good guys!

I recommend this game to anyone who is a true RPG fan. Note that I said “RPG fan,” and not “Final Fantasy Fan.” First of all, this game is just nonlinear enough to give FF junkies a headache. There is a lot of emphasis on experimentation, especially when building weapons and armor from older items. More time figuring out what spells affect what creatures, and the best methods and physical locations to attack. In short, this is a tactical game with a lot of emphasis on battle strategy and exploration. People whose first exposure to the RPG genre is through Final Fantasy 7/8 and other “linear RPG’s” might find the adjustment difficult. That’s not to say that it’s not worthwhile… believe it or not, there are better games out there than the Final Fantasies. Here’s your chance to play one of them.

I had a lot of fun playing this game. Actually, I had a blast playing this game, which is much more than I was expecting from its lackluster advertising campaign and poor support from retailers (I was only recently able to actually find it in stores). It has a quality that is missing from a lot of linear RPG games that are released these days. There is a heavy emphasis on exploration and experimentation, which gives the game a very Zelda-esque quality; the first play through the game may take 30+ hours, while subsequent plays will take significantly less time. To add to the replay value, there are some keys that only appear on the second play, which open up new areas to explore. Therefore, in order to complete the game, you’ll need to make at least two passes through it (remember Chrono Trigger?).

Don’t miss this game. It’s the biggest sleeper hit I’ve seen since “Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain,” and just as much fun.