This is the sequel to Capcom's epic venture into the RPG market Breath of Fire, which was distributed into the States by Squaresoft. This game was supposedly brought into the UK by Marubeni, but if it was then copies must be rare.
Again, you are Ryu, the hero of the original game. The game starts with an eye opening slowly and the words heard:
..."I don't have enough strength...... give yourself to God. Pray to God! Praise God! You must become God's strength......"
Then the eye closes. We enter the game there. Yua, a little girl, runs out of the chapel to avoid her nap, or so it seems. The elder, Ganer, sends you to search for her. Ryu finds her at the remains of the dragon that saved the village years before. She goes there to nap so she can dream of her mother, who died three years back when the monsters attacked, but the dragon saved the rest of the villagers. You drift off to sleep. When you return to the village, you'll find that no-one remembers you. You team up with Bow, a thieving puppy and set off on the adventure on what looks like a changed past...
Graphics [8.9/10]:
The graphics look better than first time round. I like the beginning bit where everything is in black and white to symbolize Ryu's past. Everything looks better second time round, unlike other sequels I could mention.
Music and Sound [7.1/10]:
The sound is a bit 'old', isn't it? It uses the old Capcom music engine, which is now seriously dated. The sound effects also sound as though they've been carried over from the first game.
Game play [8.3/10]:
The controls have remained the same from the original BOF. But they are still as responsive and faithful as ever.
Challenge and replay [6.7/10]:
After you've played this for a few hours, you'll think to yourself that you've played this all before, and that this game is nothing special.
Conclusion/Overall [7.7/10]:
BOF2 is good RPG in some respects. But then again, we've seen this style of game done better, which throws this game off course a little bit. But hey, I suppose we've all been there.
