Grade: B-
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is an RPG that was released for the PS2 by Capcom in 2003. This was the fifth entry in the Breath of Fire series, and is quite a departure from the early installments, mainly in setting, tone, and gameplay elements. Though many fans of the series did not like the changes it still remains one of the most interesting and underrated RPG’s on the PS2.

The story follows yet another incarnation of Ryu, this time a low ranking military grunt, living deep within a subterranean world. After an unexpected occurrence on a routine patrol Ryu is forced to escape to the surface in order to save a life. Standing in his way is an industrialized maze filled hundreds of dangerous creatures and two warring factions struggling for control.

Though every Breath of Fire story is different the setting of this installment makes it unique. Instead of an open fantasy world you’re in a confined sci-fi industrialized wasteland. The game’s tone is as dark as the corridors you explore and is much more serious than the previous installments. Like most RPG’s you’ll find yourself exploring dungeons, finding treasure, chatting with NPC’s, fighting creatures, and defeating tough bosses.

The combat system favors turn-based gameplay, mixed with a strategy RPG. Moving your characters on the battle field strategically is now important to outwitting your foes. Every action costs a certain amount of points and proper management of this essential. There are no random encounters either; every enemy is seen in plain sight during exploration and you can decide whether to engage them or avoid a fight.

Perhaps the most interesting combat element is Ryu’s ability to transform into a dragon after a certain story event. While this is always been a huge part of the series this ability is a mixed blessing in Dragon Quarter. When transformed your power becomes god like and most enemies will die in a few hits. However this power isn’t for free; it saps away Ryu’s life, which is represented by the “D-Counter.” The D-Counter starts at zero and will rise permanently by single digits whenever you abuse your dragon abilities. If the D-Counter reaches 100% it’s game over, making it a very risk and reward power.

The exploration elements are essentially dungeon crawling, and with a survival horror approach the game is rather difficult at times. To help you succeed Dragon Quarter contains the exclusive Scenario Overlay System. The SOL system allows players to “give up” whenever they find themselves in an unwinnable situation. Using the feature SOL Restore allows the player to go back to their last save point and retain learned techniques, stored items, and some experience points they got on their travels. Alternatively there is SOL Restart, which restarts the entire game from the beginning with the same benefits. This is usually used in extreme situations.

Though the SOL system was designed to reward gamers for replays it’s also flawed. Exploiting its best advantages takes a high learning curve and may turn off some casual players. The SOL system has no bearing on the story and there is certain disconnected feeling because of that. Extra story scenes can only be accessed through replays and while they’re not necessary to enjoy the story it feels kind of backwards. Dragon Quarter is also shorter than most RPG’s, with play time can ranging between 15 to 30 hours.

Despite Capcom’s questionable reputation lately their effort’s on making this game was ambitious and creative. Dragon Quarter isn’t perfect but I feel that gamers have been too harsh on it and it deserves a second chance. I recommend anyone to try it although beginners should seek out an online guide to understand the finer points of game.
Grade: B-