PlayStation

Breath of Fire IV

Breath of Fire IV delivers enough fresh and familiar elements to provide a memorable RPG experience. There is life after Final Fantasy, and BOFIV is the next big quest.

The battle system in BoF IV has received a slight overhaul. When there are more than three people in your party, they are all selectable in battle. The only catch is that you are limited to three active battlers per turn. The serious advantage this holds is that you can rotate characters in and out of battle, utilizing all of the abilities your party has to offer and pulling allies aside to heal before they fall. The members that are resting also have support abilities that kick in. From healing spells to attacks, your off-screen buddies really come in handy during the heat of battle.

Nothin' says "I love you" from Capcom like a really good RPG. I realize the Breath of Fire games aren't everybody's cup of tea, but they're chalk full of what every role-playing game should have. Adventure, cool characters, length, and lots of fun. The fourth game in the series is something we owe to ourselves as fun-loving people to play. If you're looking for a break from the norm, this will float your boat, baby.

Breath of Fire IV is greatly entertaining, and it doesn't matter whether you prefer story or gameplay; this game satisfies both tastes.

Comme dans tout bon jeu de rôles qui se respecte, le héros de Breath of Fire IV commence l'aventure amnésique. Comme dans tout Breath of Fire, ledit héros est de cette race mi-homme, mi-dragon chère à la saga. Comme à son habitude, Capcom ne se mouille pas trop, mais a concocté un jeu très honnête, doté d'une réalisation très propre (personnages en 2D décors en 3D temps réel), d'une richesse de jeu fort acceptable, qui séduira certainement la plupart des amateurs du genre, malgré quelques petits défauts pardonnables.

At £19.99, there isn't much excuse for not buying an RPG like this. Lord knows we barely have enough of them. It may not have the looks and sheen of Final Fantasy, and it certainly doesn't equal it in tale, but Breath of Fire IV remains an extremely compelling and often rewarding RPG, and one certainly worth adding to your collection.

With a final clock time of 29 hours, Breath of Fire IV is fairly middling for length. Unfortunately, the game is nearly devoid of side-quests, so that 29 hours is pretty much all the more time you can get out of the game. And considering that Breath of Fire IV is ultimately best suited as a time-filling game, it's particularly unfortunate.

Breath of Fire IV is as solid a game as any of its predecessors. Though it doesn't improve upon the standard RPG formula, it's hard to fault in any specific way. Nice presentation, an interesting story line, satisfying RPG-style gameplay, and above-average visuals combine to make it a good game for the RPG junkie who's already plowed through all of this year's other excellent role-playing games.

Att Breath of Fire IV är ett bra rollspel råder det ingen tvekan om. Tyvärr påminner det lite väl mycket om sin föregångare på de flesta punkter. Och trots att Capcom gör förbättringar i varje del så är det inte lika gripande som de största rollspelstitlarna. Ett underhållande äventyr är det i alla fall. Jag saknar bara min favoritlök Peco från Breath of Fire III.

Breath Of Fire 4 s'avère donc un RPG tout à fait correct même si le classicisme prend le pas sur l'innovation. Quelques défauts ça et là mais un jeu globalement satisfaisant et à qui on reprochera principalement de ne ne pas être traduit.