Azure Dreams Konami Rayman649 rayman787@hotmail.com Size: 8 megabits (1 megabyte) Save: Has three battery backed save slots Released: 1999 Rated: E Works with: everything **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: I love the catch em all type of games. No, scratch that, I am infatuated with monster catching games. My friend and I collect them. This game is an oldie, that was previously released for Playstation. Since this was one of the first wave games we'll see how it fares against today's standards of RPGs. **************************************************************************** Gameplay Descripion: The gameplay is fairly formulaic. You are a 'monster master' and have turned of age so you may enter the monster tower. Since your town of Monsybia doesn't have a good high school graduate program this seems to be the only career choice. Oh yeah and your father mysteriously dissappeared in there years ago. So you decide to set off and find your father. Just as you are about to leave your father's old monster finds you and after a long talk joins you. (One thing I love in this game is that you actually decide what you will say and it sort of effects your future!) If you want to be mean than the citizens won't support you etc. more later Anyway now you must go into this randomly generated tower and try to make it to the top. Who knows how many floors there are, but each time you go in it's different! (Similar to DWM) This has all the makings of a good RPG but there are a few little flaws. BUT it can be overlooked by it's good graphics, music, and kooky Japanese characters. Liked: The great weird characters, and the story really ain't half bad... Hated: but we've all heard it before. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: The graphics in Azure Dreams are amazing. They are bright and colorful and the talking secenes have full screen color anime still shots! The graphics have a cool Japanese look to them. Your main character is cross between Ash and Edward Scissor hands. I like. This game easily out does Pokemon in the graphics area, as the characters don't all move in their own little two frames of animation all time.... its more, hmmm smooth. Must be seen. Liked: COLORFUL overworld, great even to today's standards, very smooth Hated: Some characters are almost monochromatic as they are all blue. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: I must say this. THE MUSIC IN AZURE DREAMS IS LIKE BUTTA! All new all Konami. Gerat original peices that stick in your head. Trust me you will like this. The sounds are kinda stinky, because it swore I heard some of these in Pokemon... Liked: FANTASTIC music, must be heard. Hated: But sounds achhht, they pulled these from the generic bin and slapped them in. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: This game crosses Evolution for Dreamcast and pokemon, and gets mixed results. It borrows heavily from Evolution becuase you can * Arrange your characters in battle to dish out but take more damage, ect... * Randomly generating dungeons anyone? * Items are randomly found on the floor and are used to heal and 'survive' That's right there are no poke centers, you must survive on just your items, which makes you feel like you are really in the thick of it. Also like Evolution the monsters really aren't that inspired and most feel like they just graduated from the Japanese school of Saturday morning cartoon weirdness. i.e. loveable dewey eyed, slime dog things. The tower seems to be the home to these freaks and to clear the game you'll have to collect A LOT of them. Another cool feature is transforming or as we know it evolving. I just found out today that my Tundra evolved into bogoton or something so who knows how deep the game goes? The instruction book is useless and there are no websites. You can also fuse your monsters to get more powerful moves, which is cool and about as deep as Pokemon's breeding system. All in all Azure Dreams is pretty fun and has some worthy features. For the monster freaks like me this game is a must. Liked: Cool cross between Evolution and Pokemon, wtih some serious Japanese, goodness thrown in. Hated: A LOT of people will dissmiss it as a poke clone, and some will find the confusing beginning a turn off, (you and your monster's damage is totaled TOGETHER...) **************************************************************************** Improve: There are some areas to improve. First make it easier to get into. Second make it more Americanized, and deeper, once you get sick of catching in the tower, there is nothing more to do. Third, add more dungeons, side quests, and towns and we're talking MAJOR Pokemon killer. RIYL: Dragon Warrior Monsters, Pokemon, or Monster Rancher. **************************************************************************** Final Words: For some tracking this down is a must, while others will find the story boring, I really liked it and it you see it pick it up. You wont be too dissapointed. The only dissapointing thing is what this could have been given a few more months of work. Sighhhh, oh well Konami's better at Metal Gear than RPG's anyway. Not bad attempt though, not bad at all. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: **** Graphics: ***** Sound/Music: ***** Play Control/Game Design: *** Personal Opinion: **** Total: Final Score: 92% **************************************************************************** Currently Known Codes: Try beating the game, you might open up another quest.