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Blue Dragon Plus Review for Nintendo DS

Blue Dragon Plus Review for Nintendo DS

Blue Dragon is Back…
Just Not How You Remember It

Although the reviews for the original Blue Dragon were fairly mixed, I was definitely a fan of the game. It’s old school-inspired gameplay and cute story reeled me in right from the start, and once it was finished, I was definitely ready for more. Blue Dragon Plus picks up where the last game left off and follows the continuing adventures of Shu, Kluke, and the gang. However, a lot has changed for this title, and I have to say that, as a fan of the original game on the Xbox 360, I was a little bit disappointed with the follow-up.

Blue Dragon Plus screenshot

One of the biggest selling points of Blue Dragon when it was released was that it played just like a classic RPG. It featured plenty of random-encounter battles, turn-based gameplay, and favored strategy over speed. However, the battle system in Blue Dragon Plus is nothing like that. In fact, this game does not resemble a classic RPG in any sense.

Instead, the gameplay in Blue Dragon Plus can best be described as an RTS, and the battle system is almost identical to that of the Final Fantasy XII follow-up, Revenant Wings. You use the touch-screen exclusively, tapping on various characters and leading them to attack different enemies. You do not have to direct the different members of your party to attack (they do that on their own), but you will have to direct any special attacks they have towards specific enemies by selecting the individual on the battlefield with your stylus and then selecting the special attack from a sub-menu. This individual selection system is also used for casting spells and using items. Those who are not used to RTS-style games will probably find this fast-paced gameplay more than a little off-putting, especially considering the turn-based nature of the original. However, if you like RTS games, you still may take issue with the battle system in Blue Dragon Plus.

One of the main issues I had with the battle system was the A.I. In a game where you have a fast-paced active battle system that relies on your ability to manage several characters and their locations at once, you need A.I. that can act on its own fairly well. However, the A.I. in Blue Dragon Plus is sorely lacking. Characters often get lost in complex rooms, or forget how to navigate across a room with corners or tables. I routinely had to babysit my characters as they walked from one foe to another to make sure they didn’t end up walking in circles around a random element on the battlefield.

Blue Dragon Plus screenshot

However, despite my initial qualms with the battle system, I have to say that after a few hours, I did grow to like it. Even though it was a little simplistic for me, I rationalized this simplicity as compensation for the fact that it was so different from the original. It would just be mean to throw a series built on turn-based gameplay into full-fledged take-no-prisoners RTS, and I think the developers realized this and decided to compensate with the toned-down difficulty.

Another interesting facet of the gameplay was the customization aspect. Blue Dragon Plus allows you to take a certain amount of disposable robot soldiers with you into battle. These robots can be customized using a variety of different items and a little bit of good-old-fashioned trial and error. Since these robots can be easily replaced, you actually have quite a lot of freedom when designing these expendable characters. This definitely adds another level of strategy to the gameplay, which, as I mentioned before, suffers all too often from being on the shallow end of the strategy pool.

Blue Dragon Plus screenshot

As far as the story goes, Blue Dragon Plus feels like more of an addendum to the events of the first game rather than a full-fledged sequel. The last game ended with the world splitting into different cubes, and while Blue Dragon Plus certainly acknowledges this, the actual storyline again revolves around a great evil, and begins with the re-appearance of supposedly-dead-bad-guy Nene. Although there are a few nice moments in the story, especially regarding the whole romance sub-plot between Kluke, Jiro, and Shu, the whole thing just felt a little flat and incomplete, especially when compared with the story in the first game.

Blue Dragon Plus screenshot

One area where this title excels, however, is the graphics. Gameplay graphics are pretty standard fare and feature little sprite-based characters and nice 2-D environments. However, it is the cutscenes in this title that really take the graphics to the next level. These cutscenes are pre-rendered and I can confidently say that they are on par with the cinema scenes in the original Xbox 360 version. This is mightily impressive considering the DS’s rather limited hardware, but what is even more surprising is the frequency of the cutscenes. In the first two hours of gameplay, I would estimate that I saw about ten 1-2 minute cutscenes, which is a darn good ratio, again considering the DS’s hardware limitations.

The sound in Blue Dragon Plus is also very good, and I would say about 90% of the tunes are taken directly from the original title. However, the songs have been remastered and optimized for the DS’s small speakers, and the good news is that you’ll hear that annoying boss song a lot less. Sure, it’s still there, but it won’t play during every boss battle, which was a big complaint that players had for the first game.

Blue Dragon Plus was definitely an interesting game for me to review. When I first started playing it, I instantly hated it for changing the battle system, which was what sold me on the first title. However, once I was able to get past my resentment, I found myself enjoying this quaint little title. Though the size and scope aren’t anywhere close to its console predecessor, Blue Dragon Plus provides a nice new chapter to the storyline, and if you enjoy RTS gameplay, you will probably like the battle system as well. However, if you are expecting another turn-based epic, well I am sad to say that Blue Dragon Plus is not the follow-up that you were looking for.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.7 Graphics
Some of the best graphics on the DS. Cutscenes are particularly impressive, especially with regard to their frequency. 3.4 Control
The touch-based controls work well enough, although their simplicity make early levels feel shallow. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Almost all the music has been carried over from the original Blue Dragon, which is definitely a good thing. Voiceover, however, is nonexistent. 3.3

Play Value
Although the new format may turn off those who appreciated the old school feel of the original Blue Dragon, there is still a lot to like here, even if the story feels a little tacked-on.

3.9 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Control up to 16 humans and Mecha Robos to fight against a horde of enemies.
  • Equip your units with items and alter their composition to bolster their strength.
  • Exciting Real-Time Battles and Shadow Fights!
  • High Quality Dual Screen FMV’s Showcasing More Than an Hour of Story Events!
  • Exciting RPG Elements Such As Item Collection, Character Progression, and Robot Customizations.

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