ANALYSIS OF VAGRANT STORY

by Steve Metzger 

Submitted by:	metzger@netgate.net (Steve Metzger)
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Grade

I WILL use spoilers here, but I will try to keep them to a minimum. Anyone who has not finished Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, or Metal Gear Solid, BEWARE!!!

I bought Vagrant Story in mid-May of last year mainly because of the fact that it was a Squaresoft game and, up to that point, I had bought all of the games from Square's Year 2000 line-up (SaGa Frontier II and Front Mission 3). I was expecting a lot from the game – it had received a perfect 40 out of 40 from the highly esteemed Famitsu Weekly magazine. Also, the Review Crew from Electronic Gaming Monthly had given it a total of 27.5 points out of 30, which, in that particular month, was very strong (it had been reviewed with Perfect Dark, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and Metal Gear Solid for the Game Boy).

The moment you pop the disc into the system, you can see that Square put a lot of effort into crafting this masterpiece. The game opens with the traditional Squaresoft FMV introduction sequence, and then arrives at the logo screen. The gamer can instantly tell that this game is in the same vein as the terrific Final Fantasy Tactics, which used a similar opening menu. Along with the presentation, the music is crafted well and the save game interface is easy to use.

When you begin playing Vagrant Story, a tour de force of visual splendor presents itself. Much like Metal Gear Solid utilized extraordinary real-time graphics to convey the storyline of that game, Vagrant Story uses real-time graphics as opposed to computer-generated movies. The comic book style of the text is also something that is fresh and mysterious; it is not found in many other games, much less RPG's. Although the game lacks voice acting (something that Metal Gear Solid nearly redefined in games), the unique text and speech bubbles make up for it in spades. The graphics are extraordinary, and can be compared to anything else the PlayStation has to offer. Vagrant Story truly represents the PlayStation's graphic limits, which is impossible to say for ninety-nine percent of the games made for the console.

When compared to modern RPG's, Vagrant Story's mathematical system is almost archaically simple: HP starts at 250, MP at 50, and three statistics that determine attack, defense, accuracy, speed, and magic power, all starting at 100. Leveling up is abolished; when a certain amount of experience has been gained, the player may choose to unlock ONE ability. Levels take the form of names with their respective numbers, yet don't determine statistics in any way. After every major boss battle, the player picks one ability to level up slot-machine style. The only way to control where Ashley can improve is in the various elixirs found all over the medireview city of Leá Monde. The real jewel of this game is in it's micro-management. The player has the ability to manage what weapons they want Ashley to be skilled with, which monsters they want to effectively eliminate, and how Ashley reacts to each of the elements presented in the game. I found Vagrant Story's mathematical system to be an enjoyable change from the traditional "level up" style of most RPG's.

The battle system is highly reminiscent of Parasite Eve with the geometric polyhedrons showing the range of attacks. What is different about Vagrant Story is that there is no Active Time meter, making the speed of which you unleash attacks heavily dependant on how fast you press the attack button. Along with traditional one-hit attacks, Ashley can unleash "chains" in which he will keep attacking the opponent with earned abilities until either it is dead or the player is unable to press the button assigned for a chain combo at the correct moment. Also, players have the ability to use similar button presses in their own defense with "defense" abilities. Players are able to rack up the amount of damage they deal to incredible heights, but there is a risk to such actions. Creatively titled "RISK," the Risk meter increases as Ashley attacks or uses defense abilities. The higher the risk meter is (out of 100), the greater the chance is of missing an attack. Additionally, the risk meter increases tenfold once the player has successfully completed eight chain attacks in their combo. Magic is presented easily by using a "mini-menu" opened by a shoulder button, where players are able to cast spells and use items without being forced to use the full menu. The battle system ensures the player lots of action, yet forces the skilled gamer to balance themselves.

Aesthetically, the game is incredible. The graphics are wonderful, the mood is dark and medireview in nature, and the storyline is just as wicked as the development team's previous title, Final Fantasy Tactics. The drama between the protagonist Ashley, love interest Callo Merlose, noble-turned-warlock Sydney Losstarot, and the power-hungry Guildenstern are all so challenging and yet so powerful that you can't stop playing the game just to see what happens next. The game revolves around the magical "Blood Sin," an engraved symbol that represents great power. Needless to say, there are great powers at work in the dungeon city of Leá Monde, where nothing is as it seems. Conspiracy, flashbacks, and the extensive use of dragons round out the plot to make a convincing and mysterious storyline.

Although simple in nature, Vagrant Story is a game that is executed better than any other. To quote Mark MacDonald from EGM #131, pg. 168, "Vagrant Story is two genres done well and rolled into one game…PlayStation games just aren't supposed to look this good…one hell of an RPG." Vagrant Story is a classic game that survives in a genre consistently plagued by mediocrity. Action-RPG's (with the exception of Legend of Zelda games and Castlevania: SotN, which are both centered highly on action) are not traditionally outstanding games, and Vagrant Story breaks that barrier by providing an engrossing experience that, on the whole, can prove incredibly satisfying in terms of gameplay and plot.

So how does Vagrant Story stack up against other RPG's?

Let us begin with games from the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy has always used a simple battle interface, where three to four units are used to fight. Gameplay is fast, based on Square's sometimes over-used Active Time Battle engine, and recent installments have shown gamers beautiful FMV cut scenes to portray the awesome storyline of the game. Music has always been a prime factor in installments of this series, and the final boss has always been a large, ultra-powerful hell-spawn of a creature that screams to gamers "You are not dinner, you are simply a mid-day snack to crave my appetite until dinner arrives."

Not only does Vagrant Story reach the standards set by the latest installment of the Final Fantasy Series, it surpasses that, by providing rich real-time graphics, quick, easy to use battle controls, and outstanding music in a dark vein that matches that of the environment. The bosses, although somewhat repetitive, are always frighteningly powerful, especially the final form of Guildenstern, where the boss uses "Bloody Sin," the most inhumane and devastating attack ever seen in an RPG. The plot is decorated with intricacies here and there, providing the gamer with a wonderful experience.

What about Metal Gear Solid, with it's incredible story line portrayed with such ease and clarity that you couldn't help but believe that it wasn't just a game? Gameplay was all action, and just as dark as Vagrant Story claimed to be, with a little bit of philosophy mixed in. Not only did Metal Gear Solid present itself with great graphics and memorable music, but was certainly a test of will for those who never played a game with a story of that magnitude.

Vagrant Story is, in essence, what it's title says. While Liquid Snake mocks you atop Metal Gear Rex, Guildenstern has no reason to speak to you and tells you his feelings by killing you. True, Metal Gear Solid has some things that Vagrant Story can't touch, such as the extensive back log from games previous, but it makes up for that in the story that it had, presented much better and much more uniquely than Metal Gear Solid, while still retaining that medireview flare it so much enjoys.

The final test is that of, in my mind, the "real" predecessor to Vagrant Story, and that would be Final Fantasy Tactics. Although it is of a fairly different genre than Vagrant Story, it's story is not. The medireview tone of war in FFT is profound, and presented in a beautiful context. There is conspiracy, magic, and defiance of God in FFT, something that most developers rarely ever imagine to craft their story line out of. In terms of SRPG's, Final Fantasy takes the cake.

The FFT team knew that they would have to match such an outwardly deceptive plotline with Vagrant Story, and they did it well. The dark mood supports the underlying theme of ambition, defiance, and Ashley's search for his true self. Vagrant Story links itself to FFT in many different ways throughout, but always retains its true image. In Vagrant Story, the focus is more on conspiracy rather than all out warfare, with a hint of surrealism thrown in. All in all, the story line on Vagrant Story easily matches that of Final Fantasy Tactics, yet Vagrant Story is illustrated in such a way that the player is more easily drawn into the game rather than trying hard to understand where to story is leading to in FFT.

I believe that Vagrant Story is a wonderful game that truly defines what an Action RPG should be. In this editorial I have given example to show that it can really hold it's own against others in it's own genre and other genres. Vagrant Story can be summed up into one word: Amazing. Everything about it is truly stunning, and at the end satifies your craving for a rich gaming experience, yet also leaves you wanting even more. If you haven't yet picked it up, I highly suggest you do so now so you can really experience the game for what it is: A true Action RPG experience.

Notes:
Well... uhm... where's the editorial? This piece of work belongs more in the review department than the editorial department, being merely a 1,700 word review of Vagrant Story with a comparison to Final Fantasy Tactics thrown in to throw people off the scent. There's no real argument either way to speak of - "Vagrant Story is great!" is pretty much the only message the editorial gets across.

To add to this, there's a score of technical problems: "archaically" is not a valid word according to my spellchecker and weighty dictionary, likewise "medireview", which I assume is a typo of "medieval", and satifies should be satisfies. In addition, many sentences had grammar errors or detracted from the overall coherency; the most obvious sentence to my mind being the paragraph-starter "The final test...". I read that several times and I'm no closer to understanding it's meaning.

While as a review it's not bad, this certainly isn't an editorial, and spelling- and grammar-checkers were sorely needed to prevent a large number of lost marks.