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Check out Part 2, X-Men Legends, here.
If Breath of Fire 2 was an enormous improvement over the first Breath of Fire, a solid game in its own right, then the jump between 2 and 3 was massive. Released by Capcom in 1998, Breath of Fire 3 finds Capcom hitting its stride as far as RPGs while avoiding many of the shortcomings that plagued this style of game at the time. This is an outstanding addition to anyone’s gaming library. Read on to see just how magnificent this game is.
Just like the first two games, Ryu and Nina star in the third installment as well. The world is set in a fantasy setting with many human/animal hybrids, just like 1 and 2. The game starts with the main characters as children, just as Ryu is starting to comprehend the amazing power within him. As the game progresses, Ryu eventually grows into a young adult and starts to understand his mighty abilities. The game starts on a small, local scale. For example, Ryu and Teepo go on a mission to steal from a corrupt mayor in a Robin Hood-esque mission. But eventually matters expand to include the entire globe. Free of some of the more common cliches, the player will eventually be presented with an important dilemma at the end, and depending on how you look at it, it is difficult to determine if there were truly any evil characters or just many different people and beings with vastly different viewpoints.
The PlayStation became well known as the system that saw 3D gaming advance in leaps and bounds. Despite being the first 3D Breath of Fire, it still has an old-school feel and charm and is free of the pixelation that plagued many of the games of its time. The animation is surprisingly smooth and looks fantastic. If Breath of Fire 2 heroes were tall, the heroes in 3 are giants! The enemy sprites are varied and look impressive, but bosses are where animation truly shines in this game! They are huge, with the utmost detail, and look incredible, albeit gross, as you would expect from such foes. Even playing this for a third time, I was still blown away by just how good some of the bosses appeared back in 1998. It’s obvious that the artwork received a lot of attention, and everything was meticulously designed.
One of my favorite aspects of Breath of Fire 3 is that, although there are random encounters, this game is free of the swirling, distorted screens made famous in countless role-playing games before and long after this. On the PlayStation, these transitions quickly grew tiresome and took several seconds to load, which adds up during long play sessions. Instead, battles occur immediately, and the background remains the same in and out of battles, adding a more realistic touch to these frequentencounters without the annoyance of load times. Thankfully, by the way, encounters are not as incessant as other RPGs of the time. Two important things to note are that turns are based on agility, so boost that as much as possible, and Ryu’s ability to turn into various dragons has only expanded here, compared to Breath of Fire 1 and 2, so there is some level of experimentation possible here.
The game has an intricate master system that allows all playable characters to apprentice under numerous important NPCs. I won’t ruin who these masters are, as there will be a few surprises here and there. These apprentices have a significant impact on how characters develop, particularly in terms of skills and statistics, and a lot of customization is possible.
Another very neat feature, returning from Breath of Fire 2, is the ability to help a village grow. This time, it is a fairy village, and it is much more involved here than in the previous game. Players could spend several hours helping the town advance, and the more it grows, the more beneficial features gamers will have at their fingertips. I’ve never been a fan of fishing, but that makes a return in this installment, too, more complex than the previous two games. I can see how some players would find this relaxing, but it was not my cup of tea. One other awesome feature is the ability to set up camp at specific locations on the map to regain strength and learn a little bit more about your party members via dialogue.
Not that the game is without its faults. Several mandatory mini-games were downright awful. Now, before I continue, Breath of Fire 3 is one of my favorite retro-games, but it says something that one of its mini-games, even with eight years in between two of my playthroughs, stuck out to me on my third playthrough, eight years after the 2nd. During my most recent playthrough, I dreaded eventually coming across one puzzle in particular. I have beaten the game three times, and I still don’t understand what the lighthouse puzzle is about or how I passed it. In the words of Homer Simpson from season 5, when he went back to college, “Just poke blindly at the controls until they let you go.” Honestly, that was, more or less, my strategy. It was confusing, and I did not see a point in including it in the game.
The well-pulling game to get vinegar seemed easy enough when reading the instructions because it was supposed to rely on timing, but it felt inconsistent and driven by blind luck instead of timed button presses. Thankfully, the majority of the other mini-games are fun, such as the two occasions you get to play hide and seek and training Beyd.
Towards the end of the game, there’s a portion that was poorly executed. In what feels like 40 days in real life, you have to walk aimlessly across a desert. I can’t understand how the developers thought this would be fun, because it is a horrendous inclusion to an otherwise brilliant game.
To get back to the positive aspects, the music in Breath of Fire 3 is phenomenal, with a soundtrack lasting over three hours. “Escape” sounds urgent; if you don’t rush, your characters will be in severe danger. The fight music rocks and is one of the rare battle tunes that does not get old over 40+ hours. The boss battles are even better, creating a perilous mood suitable for such a risky situation. “Cedar woods” towards the start of the game creates emotions few video games can create, a peaceful song full of wonder, your characters just about to embark on a grand journey that spans large oceans, high peaks, endless deserts, mines that seem to reach into some unknown abyss and beyond, but with the simplicity expected before everything gets somber. Many of the tracks even have a jazzy feel.
For those who get sick of the music on the overworld, there are even multiple overworld themes, so nothing lasts forever here, at least musically! There are a few songs that play in village settings where time slows to a crawl, and everything seems simpler. I am constantly blown away by the variety of tracks and how each one fits a unique mood. A track like “Revolution” plays during more serious story moments and does a fantastic job creating a matching aura. When you are sneaking into a mansion towards the start of the game, the music really gives off the vibe that you are truly an undercover spy on a critical, possibly even fatal mission.
Breath of Fire 3 is greatly overlooked, but it’s among the best role-playing games the PlayStation has to offer. This is so close to legendary status, but a few irritating side quests prevent the game from reaching the peak of RPG greatness. Just the same, this is a gem, often forgotten, that still deserves praise more than 25 years later. If you haven’t played this masterpiece, I ask: what are you waiting for? Try this out, I’m certain you won’t be disappointed!
Breath of Fire 2 is featured in my article on 7 retro RPG sequels, here.
Wayback Wednesday Volume 1: Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Trigger.
Wayback Wednesday Volume 2: Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Wayback Wednesday Volume 3: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Wayback Wednesday Volume 4: Secret of Mana and Wild Arms
Wayback Wednesday Volume 5: Illusion of Gaia and Grandia