Do you remember Vagrant Story? I would hope so. Vagrant Story, developed by Square, came out during what I refer to as the Golden Era of 32-bit RPGs, the years 1996 through 2000. Receiving a rare perfect score from Japanese video game magazine Famitsu, Vagrant Story was leaps and bounds beyond its competition in terms of graphics, art style, and game mechanics.

Vagrant Story follows the exploits of Ashley Riot, a “Riskbreaker” (awesome) whose objective is to hunt down and presumably arrest Sydney Losstarot, a cult leader who was wanted for numerous crimes against government officials. Obligatory plot twists ensue – it turns out that the good guys are the bad ones, there are ghouls everywhere, allies have become corrupted by want for power, and the mysterious force called Darkness that fuels the evil side of the city is looking for a new host. To divulge any more details would be to give away important parts of one of the finest plotlines I have been privileged to witness unfold.

Visually, Vagrant Story is about on par with game releases around the same time frame with a few exceptions. Since Square opted not to use prerendered backgrounds, there is noticeably less shine in-game than titles like Final Fantasy VIII (released about eight months before Vagrant Story). However, everything in-game can be viewed from a first-person perspective, allowing for a higher sense of interaction with surroundings. Dominated by many browns and blacks, only specific scenes in the game were colorful – flashbacks of Ashley’s broken and confusing past, for instance, were bathed in a kind of luminous, chromatic aura. Regardless of slim detail and dull colors, character models moved quite fluidly, and animations were spot-on for all actions.

Though simple in appearance, Vagrant Story is home to some big innovations for the genre, as well as some simple changes that make the entire package so much more concise. There are no shops with which to buy weaponry – everything Ashley needs, he makes or modifies from dungeon loot to suit his purposes. Interaction in-game is limited wholly to cutscenes, using simple-yet-stunning comic-style speech boxes. The protagonist is able to move objects within specific areas, run, and also jump to clear obstacles. The added platforming elements take the basics of the game more towards the action/adventure genre, but the battle system wholly solidifies its RPG status.

Without a doubt, Vagrant Story’s battle system is its strongest selling point. Battles in VS are handled within a spherical area of attack around Ashley. Enemies within the sphere were able to be hit within range of the equipped weapon or magic. Ashley is able to target specific parts of his enemy’s body, allowing for various status effects from disabled limbs as well as heavy damage to specific weak points. Timing attacks into Combos is also possible using what is referred to as “Chain Abilities”. Magic is gained through the use of grimoires, books of dark arts left behind by fallen enemies, and a few abilities become available later that allow for increased offensive and defensive capabilities. Playing a crucial role, players are required to balance a Risk meter. If the Risk is meter is high, the rewards can be more powerful strikes, more critical hits, and more potent sorcery. Like its name implies, however, Risk is a double-edged sword. When the Risk meter is nearly full, Ashley’s defenses will be lowered, causing enemies to hit much harder.

As with many RPGs of the Golden Era, the main reason to revisit classic titles falls into two categories: warm nostalgia, and dedication to the genre. Vagrant Story introduces a third into the mix; connection to a universe in which several games take place. The entire plot unfolds in the world of Ivalice, a place that has only recently become more fleshed-out since the 2006 release of Final Fantasy XII. There is much cross-pollination here, as Final Fantasy XII makes references to items and names from Vagrant Story (as well as Final Fantasy Tactics, obviously).

The mechanics and visual styles put forth in Vagrant Story are some that are not often (if ever since) utilized within any genre of games. While any of the aforementioned reasons should be more than enough for fans to pick up this title, what this game ultimately offers is a one-of-a-kind tale with a simply beautiful execution. Vagrant Story is an often-overlooked, unfortunately-forgotten title offering unparalleled depth and entertainment.

Do You Remember is an ongoing effort at Spawn Kill to showcase some of the great and often forgotten titles in gaming history. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the newest edition of Do You Remember.

Tags: DYR, Ivalice, Vagrant Story, Yasumi Matsuno

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 8:24 pm and is filed under Do You Remember, Gaming, PlayStation 3, Retro. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.