Blue Dragon

Everyone’s been talking about it It’s the first RPG for the 360 which captivated Japan, spawning anime and manga. There are already rumours of a sequel in the pipeline. Now Blue Dragon is taking the rest of the world.

As you’d expect from the collective outpouring of the greats, there’s definitely something about Blue Dragon. The talented scenarios of Sakaguchi and the gorgeous melodies of Uematsu combine dramatically with the distinctive character designs of Akira Toriyama, probably best known for his series Dragonball Z. Unfortunately, that’s about it, Blue Dragon is ultimately nothing special, it’s a carbon copy of a Final Fantasy title with a new name and slightly more interesting graphics.

The story follows a young boy named Shu who lives in a post-apocalyptic land where humanity clusters together in tiny villages terrorised by mysterious machines. Ten years ago strange purple clouds appeared, and soon after the villages began being attacked. No one was left untouched. Now Shu has had enough, and when a giant fin attacks his town, he goes out to attack it aided by his friends Jiro and Kluke.

The pair have just managed to stun their mysterious attacker when they fall into a cavern and discover it’s actually a machine. They vow to find out who has been terrorising them. Along the way they gain some unexpected powers in the form of shadows that take on the shapes of mythical animals, including Shu’s titular blue dragon.

The learning curve for this game is so easy it’s almost flat. Anyone who has ever played an RPG will be at home. It’s blatantly clear that this is a game created by the minds behind Final Fantasy; it’s just too similar. That aside, Blue Dragon is the biggest RPG currently on the market. It comes on not one but three discs, a first for an Xbox 360 title.

The graphics and visuals are gorgeous. The music is quintessential Uematsu, and there’s even the much-needed option to experience the game in Japanese or with an English dub. At the end of the day, Blue Dragon is just another RPG hyped to unbelievable levels so whether it will be a success outside of Japan really remains to be seen. If you’re an RPG fan, fret not, everything you like in a game will be here. It’s almost comforting in a way. If you don’t like RPGs, give this a go, but if you’re looking for something different, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.