User Reviews

Vagrant Story is one of the most underrated games and at the same time one of the best games made it in years.

Why not everybody like it?, one of the reasons is having a battle system very different from other games, it´s not easy to swallow at first but after a while you get use to it.

The first thing to make clear is that VS is not fully a RPG, is more a hybrid between various genres, there´s some RPG elements but there´s also action and you can explore like in a plataform game. Saying that don´t expect to visit towns and talk to people like in a RPG.

Yasumi Matsuno, creator of this game and another gem from Square, Final Fantasy Tactics, did a marvelous job along with his staff, including the composer of the music Hitoshi Sakimoto.

The plot is unique, very original, not the tipycal hero-has-to-save-the-world-collecting-crystals-and-stopping-a-villian, the characters are also a lot more complex than many characters from other games, the battle system requires all the attention from the player, if you want to survive you have to know everything that is requirer in order to kill the enemies, avoiding traps and a lot more.

I really liked that you can create your own weapons, that makes every battle different from another, keeping it from getting repetitive, and you have to master that aspect too if you want to have good weapons.

Great game in all it´s aspects, a truly underrated masterpiece.

To say this is a master-peice doesnt do it justice. This is one of those games that only comes along every now and then. If you have played final fantasy on the playstation you will have a rough idea of what to expect, VERY ROUGH. While FF took alot of brain power rather then skill, VAGRANT STORY lets you choose wheather you are to become a mighty barbarian or a magical wizard. The fighting system is inspired, similar to Final Fantasy 8 you must make "links"to each strike of your sword/bow/axe/dagger/long blade and many others, each link must be timed perfectly at the moment of impact for the next one to hit, but this is where risk points come in and it gets tricky.

The more you hit, the higher your risk points go(up to one hundred), the higher your risk points go the more likely you'll miss the enemy and get hit your self. You also have the ability to make your own weapons in the many workshops scattered around the city, this can be alot of fun trying out your own creation on the enemy. This is not a ten minute game, because from once you pick it up you'll play for hours, the story is absorbing, the combat system is fantastic, and the freedom of choose is refreshing. "BUY THIS AND CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT GAMES FOREVER!" 10/10. {k.noone}

This is the best game ever made for the PlayStation system, and arguably the best game ever made--period. The people at Squaresoft squeezed every ounce of graphic quality they could from the aging PS One to provide incredibly detailed and deep characters and a world as real as ours. The music is without par and provides an extra dimension that elevates and subdues the soul. From the beginning, to the final moments, this game delivers on every level. And, even after it's done, there are so many questions left unanswered that the game retains its playability value and draws one in over and over, trying to sort all its mysteries out. Why a sequel was never made is a paradox.

This is an overlooked classic. Way too few people played this game, and yet it's one of the best RPGs ever! If you are reading this, and you like RPGs, and you haven't played Vagrant Story, get out and buy the game NOW!

Vagrant Story is a great game. It is one of my favorites. Squaresoft's presentation and execution is second to none. But there is something special about Vagrant Story. It uses a fully polygonal engine, instead of the pre-rendered backgrounds of Final Fantasy fame. But that's not what makes it special. It is the cinematic presentation and captivating gameplay.

The story is interesting from the first cut-scene. (Don't forget to watch them.) Thanks to Akihiko Yoshida--character design for Vagrant Story, as well as Final Fantasy Tactics--the story never runs dry. The character are entertaining from the start.

The kicker for Vagrant Story is in it's cinematic presentation. Some might call it a Metal Gear Solid clone, but MGS does not have Vagrant Story's flair or music. I belive that games like this will pop up more and more as the years go by and graphics abilities increase. As engine become more life-like, a movie-like, cinematic game world will be the next step. Just look at games like Vagrant Story, Metal Gear, the Soul Reaver Series, Half-Life and Max Payne. Games mixing a story as well written and executed as Vagrant Story's and an engine like DOOM III are the future.

This game cannot be compared with Final fantasy series or anything else, since is the greatest experiment of revolution in the RPG and adventure games. It's very hard, challenging and almost endless. It can be cleared in 40-50 hours, but 200 hours are not enough to explore and master all the stages, all the magics and all the weapons of Vagrant Story. The enemies are many and powerful, the city in which you play (Lea Monde) is HUGE and the characters are mature and their behaviour change during the game. The music is highly evocative and sometimes reaches an amazing quality. There is not so much to say, because you have to play it to find what you missed in these years. In few words, I advise this game to brave gamers, since the non-experienced ones could find it beyond their abilities.

There is one reviewer on this page who said the game is not fun. I think it is only fair to say this is a tactical game not an arcade fighter type game. I love the tactics. I love creating the weapons. I love watching the 'comic book' unfold.

I also know there is no way in Heck a game this good could ever be popular in the main stream. All the more reason to make when something like this comes out to buy tickets, games, popcorn, figurines etc.. to encourage more of it.

I will pull this game out and play it every 5 years or so i am sure. 46 here in 2010. I expect to be enjoying it in 2030. ANd i thought i could just dump my play station. Is there a MAME for playstation?

Much to the surprise of his fans, Yasumi Matsuno's follow-up to the massively popular Strategy-RPG masterpiece Final Fantasy Tactics was Vagrant Story, the third game in history to receive a perfect score in the long-running weekly Famitsu magazine. Mixing together elements of both strategy and action RPGs, Vagrant Story emphasizes weapon customization and exploration. The strategy lies in using the right weapon for each of the different enemy types, along with traditional RPG elemental trade-offs.

The story follows Ashley Riot, a Riskbreaker working for the Valendia Knights of the Peace. Riskbreakers are essentially spies in the medieval land of Valendia. The religious cult Mullenkamp is involved in shady dealings with the powerful Duke Bardoba and both Parliament and the clergy want to get to the bottom of it. Suspiciously the cult leader and prophet, Sydney Losstarot, has scampered off to the city of Lea Monde – abandoned because of nasty earthquakes which all but buried the inhabitants alive – and Ashley must follow him. To reveal anything more would ruin one of Square's finest story lines, populated by a cast of memorable characters, and arguably their best PlayStation effort.

The dialogue in some spots has a mock Olde English feel to it, and for the most part is very well written. There's a subtle interplay between characters, who launch verbal witticisms instead of dopey one-liners at each other. Cinemas play out using the in-game models and are beautifully directed, with comic book-style word bubbles taking the place of proper voice acting. The lack of voice acting certainly hurts the presentation and is probably the one flaw in Vagrant Story worth noting (assuming the voice work was the quality of say, a Metal Gear Solid, this game would've been legendary).

In true AD&D fashion, Vagrant Story takes place in all manner of dark and unfriendly places. The developers visited various European cities and the game is overflowing with their observations. These areas have unfairly led to its reputation as a "dungeon crawler" but there's plenty of outdoor areas as well. Lea Monde was a city after all, and you'll explore a spiderweb of streets and back alleys, misty forests, and the twilight under city.

Unlike typical RPGs where you simply buy and equip stronger weapons at each new town you visit, Vagrant Story requires much more planning. You can fight empty-handed or using 1-handed swords, 2-handed swords, daggers, 1-handed axes/hammers, 2-handed axes/hammers/pole-arms, stave's and crossbows. Empty hands can be equipped with a shield. You'll find plenty of equipment throughout your quest, mostly complete weapons but also parts (a blade or a grip). These can be retooled in the sporadic workshops to create entirely new weapons and armour. Further complicating things, they are made out of grades of material: bronze, iron, silver, hagane (steel), & legendary damascus.

In combat, weapon suitability is based on its affinity to the enemy: humans, beasts, undead, phantoms, dragons and evil creatures. The more you use a weapon against a specific type, the more it becomes attuned to killing that type. However, weapons that are especially suited to some enemies will naturally become less effective against others – therefore you will require a handful of specialty weapons.

Once the right weapon is in hand, combat begins. Players open the combat sphere, which temporarily freezes the action to gauge Ashley's distance to the target. Naturally, the combat sphere is much larger when using crossbows or pole-arms than when using a dagger. If an enemy's body is inside the sphere, Ashley may attack. Sometimes you'll hit just an arm or a leg, but if the enemy is standing right next to him, Ashley may choose which part of the body to attack: each area has its own hit percentage, adding an extra layer of strategy.

Hitting an arm will lower an enemy's attack or defencive power (depending on whether its the weapon arm of shield arm). Targeting the correct body part can be vital to success. Once an attack begins, Players can time sequential blows to string together a combo. This requires expert timing, and to make matters more interesting each class of weapon has its own distinctive rhythms.

Vagrant Story puts the PlayStation to the test with full 3d environments and characters. While most of the environments are fairly blocky, they're filled with great details – Lea Monde has been abandoned for some time, and the onset of decay can be seen everywhere. The settings are mostly limited to dungeons, but each one has its own mood.

The character artists clearly put their heart into the models and textures. Even duplicate enemies have been dramatically remodelled and textured. The same degree of love and care was lavished on the many weapons and shields you can forge – almost all of which are exceedingly cool. Unfortunately Ashley's armour, such as his helmet, breastplate, gauntlets, greeves, and necklaces are not visually represented in the game (a pity, but with all the possible combinations this could go on and on!). The main characters are designed in a manga-esque style and even change facial expressions (which was uncommon for PlayStation games at the time).

The game's musical score is by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who worked previously on Final Fantasy Tactics. Sakimoto-san considers his work on Vagrant Story his best contribution to the medium, and I agree. The many battle themes which accompany the intense bosses add variety and suspense to the fighting, while his creepy ballads fit perfectly with the dark and unwelcoming catacombs. At times the music drifts away, allowing the ambient noises to establish mood. The game's credit roll features the only real symphonic piece, beautifully recapping Ashley's main theme.

It deserves its critical acclaim and insanely devoted cult followers because it succeeds above and beyond what it sets out to do. The storyline is easily one of the best ever in a video game. This is one of the all-time greats for the few, the proud, the Vagrants.

I attempted to beat this game when it came out in 2000, and it was the first game I bought with my own allowance money; I was so excited when I got it. I asked my mom to drive me to the Northgate Mall and I purchased it right away. Alas, only one hour into the game, I was stopped cold by the first dragon boss. To put it bluntly, this game is unfinished, and a train wreck does more good for society than its existence. The tutorial is nonexistent, and it should not have been released to the public in its current state. My sympathies to the families of the developers, since they must have hurt inside having to lie to their husbands when they said they loved them, since no one could love someone that birthed the curse called Vagrant Story. The other 10/10 reviews for this game are either the developers themselves or PC gamer fanatics that are being dishonest about their experience with this patience leach of a virus. I am only playing it today on the PS Vita to get revengence on this game... because it ruined my childhood and stole my money, i am being 100% honest folks. I could have bought FF8 if it weren't for this betta shovel-ware of a marketing scam. This game is not a JRPG, it is merely an inventory training program for a entry level position at a Dollar Store warehouse, since the majority of my "gameplay" is stuck in craft and inventory screens. I am 30 hours into this chore, and I still don't fully understand the battle system, and likely, nor did the developers, who I suspect were never given the love in their youth that a fully functioning child needs to develop into an adult of reasonable intelligence. Avoid this game, unless you have a childhood vendetta against it, or want to self-flagellate yourself without leaving bruises.

With an intelligent, almost Shakespearean translation by Alexander O. Smith (who also did Final Fantasy IX's excellent dialogue), Vagrant Story stands as one of the finest examples of incredible storytelling in a video game. The tale of Ashley Riot is one of the best, and to find it in a Playstation game makes it all the sweeter.

An infinitely complex battle system may turn off some, or even many, but the gameplay can be mastered in time. It's possible. The game is shorter than most Square RPGs, clocking in it at just over 30 hours total. And it's well worth it to experience a story this good.

Furthermore, its realtime 3D graphics, music by composer Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII) and overall presentation is top notch, the finest to be found on the PSone.

It is a crime and heresy that this game is as underrated as it is. What's more is how a video game is perceived in this day and age, as this is hard evidence of the medium's artistic potential. It is an intense, richly-constructed masterpiece, excelling in every area they could grade a game; graphics, sound, story, game play, et cetera.

GRAPHICS: Five years after its American release, VAGRANT STORY's late-PS1's graphics still hold up (made even better if you set your PS2's PlayStation driver to "smooth") and I can say so because it wasn't until five years after its American release that I got around to playing it. VS's overall-sepia palette and stylish detail line up greatly with Alexander O. Smith's antiquated Shakespearean screenplay, and demonstrates what could be done with the console's hardware limitations better than METAL GEAR SOLID did, in the day. In fact, VS also uses the game engine alone to weave its tale, to which many gamers have piped up and denounced it as a Metal Gear Solid-"clone" in response. But in the end MGS took its style from modern cinema, as does VAGANT STORY.

Yasumi Matsuno is a better director, anyway. I cannot wait for Final Fantasy XII.

SOUND: To add even more to VS's cinematic presentation, is Hitoshi Sakimoto's epic score. Reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics', but with a darker tone to complement the story, it is also indicative of a great artist working within his limitations. A particularly powerful scene in the forest is made all-the-more potent by Sakimoto's music—a track that is aptly-titled "Brainwashing." From the toe-tapping jingle in the abandoned mines, to the meticulous and orchestral theme haunting the cathedral, it is a delicious soundtrack to rival real instruments (and I know how tacky it is to say that). It really is real-sounding, but more than that, it's good.

STORY: Ah, and (d'uh) here is where VS truly shines! To debunk all the marketing blurbs plastered across the game's jewel case, it is not about a murder suspect fleeing to a haunted city in order to clear his name. It is actually much more complex than, and different from, that.

Vagrant Story follows the hunt for a notorious cult leader through the literal ghost town of Leà Monde, a prosperous city that had been abruptly devastated 25 years prior, and left uninhabited since. Among the hunters are VKP (Valendia Knights of the Peace) Riskbreaker (member of a special task force of pseudo-knight/detectives with a 30% survival rate) Ashley Riot, and the bible-thumping Crimson Blade Romeo Guildenstern, captain of the Cardinal's men. What their provocatively-dressed cultist, and the game's (supposed) antagonist, Sydney Lasstarot ultimately wants from the town of Leà Monde is uncertain, but it involves Ashley and the rest of the cast, as well.

What is so compelling about the plot would spoil a game that needs to be experienced at least twice on your own, so I'll just say that there are zombies. Zombies and ghostly suits of armor. Oooohhooh! Scared, yet? YOU SHOULD BE.

game play: And so we come to what makes this game a game. A game in the sense that you participate to become more than a reader, but a player. The battle system is something that you need to fully embrace in order to enjoy. Ashley survives on fitting himself with custom-made equipment according to what he's up against. There are no "perfect" weapon + armor combinations to be found in any location, but materials are instead scattered about to build swords and shields and pole arms and leggings in any of the many functional smithies around Leà Monde. Ashley survives on what he can find, and using them in the best way he can in any given situation.

Depending on what kind (human, undead, beast, phantom) of enemy, what elemental affinity (fire, water, physical, evil) they hold, and kind of weapon (edged, blunt, piercing) they're vulnerable to, the appropriate equipment is essential. As you use that equipment in these conditions, they'll be slowly pounded on and become stronger in these areas. As such, your weapon may break after a while, and require you to repair it at the nearest smithy.

NOTES: One gripe I do have about this game, and it has absolutely nothing to with the content, is that the alarmingly important prologue is OPTIONAL. Meaning that if you start playing from "New Game" then you will miss it, so remember to wait for the music to die down after the introductory CG movie. What starts to play will continue automatically and explain everything you need to know from the start to fully enjoy this work of interactive art.

TO SUM UP: If you own a PlayStation of any kind, get this. If you're a fan of RPG's, get this. If you value story as much as anything else in a video game, get this. VAGRANT STORY is a grossly-overlooked classic, and with the latest Greatest Hits release, it should be easier to correct that. I'll just wait here and pray for a sequel.

10/10

Vagrant Story is a true work of art in the gaming industry. Visually, it sports the most impressive graphics on the PS1. The environments, inspired largely by French medieval towns, are beautiful, as are the character designs. Everything looks fantastic, and it holds up in this day and age of huge polygon counts and shader effects galore.

The music is also fantastic. Hitoshi Sakimoto has always wowed me with his scores for the Ogre Battle Saga games and Final Fantasy Tactics, and this is one of his best.

Of course, the highlight of games is always the gameplay, and here it shines magnificently, unless you are impatient and/or simply stupid. This is where the game gets the most criticism, as many find the juggling of weapons and the management of risk and weapon affinities to be a chore. It's not, and the gameplay is very rewarding, especially when you become good enough to kill bosses in a single chain. Yes, it's possible.

The plot of Vagrant Story is also another high point in gaming history. The story revolves around Ashley Riot, a member of the VKP (Valendia Knights of the Peace) elite unit, the Riskbreakers. When a cult known as the Mullenkamp sect lays siege on Duke Bordorba's manor, Ashley is called into action to lift the siege, along with the Crimson Blades, a brigade of knights working for the church. Ashley meets Sydney Losstarot, the cult's prophet and a mysterious man of great power. Ashley shoots him in the heart with a crossbow bolt, and yet he lives. He flees the scene with a hostage, and leaves a Wyvern behind for Ashley to deal with. Ashley slays it, and then decides to head to the long dead city of Lea Monde, where Sydney let slip he was fleeing to. Accompanied by Inquisitor Callo Merlose, he sets upon the city, where he will battle Sydney's monsters and his own inner demons.

That is only a snippet of the plot, shown in the first 15 minutes or so of the prologue. The plot is extremely complex and fun to watch unfold, with betrayals and intrigue around every corner. The writing is also top notch, thanks to Alexander O. Smith's wonderful translation, which was written to utilize an "Old English" style of dialogue that fits the setting perfectly. Few games have ever completely enthralled me with their plots, and this is one of them.

All in all, I'd recommend it to any RPG fan who would enjoy a new, different battle engine. Getting a hold of the finer mechanics of it can be difficult, as the other reviewer has mentioned. However, once you come to grips with the limitless weapon options and the intricacies of the chain/risk system, you will be taking down everything in one or two chains. The combat itself rewards skill, as bigger chains result in more damage dealt, and racking up 15-20 hit chains is rewarding in its own way. It may be difficult at the onset, but don't give up! The battle system is never broken or oriented against the player; it's much like Ninja Gaiden, in that player skill and knowledge of the player's capabilities are required to overcome some of the more difficult foes. If you can't time your chains properly, or if you do not explore the wealth of options in your chain and defensive abilities and your weapons, you will fail. A successful player will nail the timing and fully utilize what the game gives him. All too often I hear complaints by other players about how hard the game is, when they've never even looked at the finer points of blade types, enemy and elemental affinities, risk management, and chain and defensive abilities.

To any gamer who wants a well written story, fantastic visuals and art direction, wonderful music, and a deep and challenging battle system need look no further; Vagrant Story is your game.

Almost everything about Vagrant Story is par excel-lance. The story, the script, the characters, the graphics, the soundtrack... The English translation is especially spectacular, due to its masterful coloring with "Olde English" which adds so much to the tone and atmosphere. This is one of the ultra rare cases where the English translation is arguable far superior to the original Japanese script. Unfortunately, all of these shining examples of fine craft and "video game design as true art" is all for naught because of one single fatal flaw: The game simply isn't fun to play.

Where the game ultimately fails is in the game play. The battle system in and of itself is fine. It's an interesting hybrid cross between standard real time action combat and traditional RPG turn based combat. The problem is, at the very heart of the battle system is an abysmally UN-fun weapon and armor system. There are several (eight?) classes of enemies in the game- Beast, Human, Dragon, Undead, Phantom, etc. The enemy classes are paired off into diametric oppositions. e.g. Using your weapon against a human enemy will make it stronger against humans, but weaker against phantoms. (sic) On top of that, there are specific weakness ratings. An enemy might be weak against blunt weapons, but almost totally impervious to edged weapons or piercing weapons. And then there are the usual elementals as well- fire, ice, earth and so on. Finally, each of your weapons has its own "wear" rating. The lower the rating, the more worn out the weapon, the less damage it does. You must repair your weapons in workshops, which are few and far between in the game. Another thing you can do in workshops is disassemble your weapons and reassemble the parts to make new weapons. Whether the new weapon will be better or worse than the weapons you sacrificed to make them involves much trial and error. The end effect of all of this is that as you play the game, you are literally constantly changing weapons. Yet the creators of the game didn't bother to implement any sort of quick menu for weapon switching, a la Secret of Mana. You have no choice but to spend 45% of your game time opening the main menu, opening the weapon menu, finding the right weapon, opening the accessory menu, changing the elemental jewels on the weapon, etc. etc. etc. All they had to do was come up with some sort of quick menu for changing weapons, as Seiken Densetsu 2 did seven years earlier. As it stands, Vagrant Story is a micro-management nightmare. To call the game tedious is an understatement of epic proportions.

As is always the case, no matter how flawed something, there will be a small niche group of vocal supporters who will insist that the thing in question is the greatest creation in history, and that people who don't like it just don't "get it." Beware of misguided fanatics.

Please note that the preceding includes some ridiculous things like 'excel-lance' and 'UN-fun' because of IMDb's incredibly retarded "error checking" system. IMDb: Please get rid of that broken piece of garbage.

This game failed commercially, much to the surprise of many RPG gamers out there who praised it heavily for it's aesthetic values. Excuse me, but this game failed simply because it wasn't fun to play.

Yes, the graphics were very good. Yes, the cinema scenes were awesome and extremely well done (The opening sequence in particular.) Yes, the character animations were extremely fluid and well done. And the music is amongst the best I've ever heard in a video game.

But the game ultimatley suffers from "Metal Gear Syndrome", wherein the process of watching the game was for focused on by producers than actual gameplay.

Okay, actually, that may not be a fair statement. Upon hearing the gameplay features, it sounds pretty spiffy: You run around in real-time throughout dungeons and so on, solve puzzles, but mostly battle enemies. When you fight an enemy, you activate a range-grid which details what enemies are in range of your weapon, and target specific body parts. In addition, you can perform timed moves which add to your repertoire, both defensively and offensively. And of course, there's magic spells, and customizable weapons. Sounds great on paper, right?

Oh, noooooo. While the programmers were adding all these bells and whistles, they forgot to make it actually FUN. Rather, the combat which engrosses 90% of actual gameplay is slow, tedious, and one of the most acute pains in the ass I've ever had. Basically, it's real-time button mashing without the fun and satisfaction of fast action and smashing s*** up, and menu combat with the annoying factor of having to button mash to make sure you get a move in before the enemy does. Oh, and also there's the plague of unnecissarily slow spell and item sequences that you just sit around for for about seven seconds each. And on top of it, the game makes you switch weapons and armor every damn time you encounter a new kind of enemy.

It's also ironic that a game which such great cinema scenes has such a bad camera system during gameplay. It's hard to see everything around you, and the first part of the game is too damn dark to see half the things you need to. Great way to start off.

So, use caution when approaching this game: love it for the cinema and music, hate for the crap gameplay, and question the fashion sense of hero Ashley and villain Sydney, who both dress like male prostitutes. In the end, I'm not going to suffer through crap gameplay just to see the next pretty cinema sequence.