#I can not be the one one who desperately desires a Breath of Hearth VI remake – Destructoid

I completed Ultimate Fantasy VII again in 1999, and it left an enormous, JRPG-shaped gap in my life. I desperately wanted one other sport to play that would hit that very same vibe, scratch that very same itch. However then I used to be solely 12 years previous, and weapons had been cool.

So I purchased Rainbow Six and, whereas it was an superior sport, it didn’t come near relieving my itch. It was solely a few years later, once I found Breath of Hearth VI, that I had reduction for just a few superb weeks.

Remembering my fondest JRPG expertise

Don’t get me fallacious, Ultimate Fantasy VII continues to be my all-time favourite sport, however it nonetheless doesn’t really feel like a JRPG to me. Not less than, not within the conventional sense. From the second you boot up Breath of Hearth IV, there could be little question. You’ve formally entered JRPG territory.

The intro is definitely one of many absolute best in all of gaming. I simply watched it myself, and I’m hyped to play over again. Fortunately, in April of this yr, we obtained an beautiful PC port—however I’m getting forward of myself right here.

I digress. The purpose is, again then, BoF 4 felt like my first true JRPG expertise, and it’s been my fondest to this point.

In a nutshell, you play as a new child dragon who should ultimately exit and defeat a complete empire. Solely a slight problem, then. That mentioned, you are human; you simply have the flexibility to remodel right into a dragon at will.

That concept alone is sufficient to pique my curiosity, however the sport as an entire is simply incredible. Each side of the world completely matches the theme, and the whole lot feels coherent and interconnected. This might simply be nostalgia speaking, however the world design actually is an instance to the remainder of the trade.

Each character is vibrant and fantastically written, too. There’s even one character that finally ends up being two characters, however in a single physique. A singular idea that sounds a bit out-there, however BoF 4 pulls it off effortlessly. One random reminiscence nonetheless rattling round my head is that this room the place it’s important to resolve a puzzle, and there’s this parrot that yells at you and provides you horrible hints. Not less than, the sound impact made me imagine it was yelling. Memorable scenes like this, even with very minor characters, is what this sport’s manufactured from.

Then there’s Fou-Lu, an historical dragon that you simply additionally sporadically play as, and boy, is he cool. He’s a complete badass, permitting us to take a break from the struggles Ryu faces and have a bit energy fantasy.

The story itself isn’t mindblowing. It’s pretty predictable and principally sticks to frequent themes. That doesn’t imply it’s unhealthy. There are many twists and shocks alongside the best way, and it’s nicely value listening to.

A remake isn’t even essential

Many PS1-era video games aren’t precisely sturdy within the graphics division. Most of them wouldn’t be wherever close to award-worthy by fashionable requirements. Breath of Hearth 4 is completely different. It’s nonetheless a shocking sport, with a definite and interesting fashion.

Absolutely rendered 3D environments are overlaid with 2D character sprites, and the impact is definitely beautiful, and will compete within the stylistic division even in fashionable occasions. The animations are additionally stunningly finished, and are a few of the smoothest you’ll ever see.

The gameplay itself can also be nice. The turn-based fight doesn’t really feel notably sluggish, and the number of mini-games and environments all lend themselves to a fantastically paced sport total. There’s additionally plenty of distinction on this pacing, permitting you to go from frantic stretches of battles to caring for a peaceable fairy village. From a tense, slender escape from the empire to fishing in a delicate stream.

It’s all sufficient to make this sport a fantastic expertise even at this time. And if you need, it’s been accessible since April on the Good Outdated Video games web site for PC.

So why do I even need a remake?

Why a remake could be superb

I may be egocentric right here, however I actually wish to see the legendary Fou-Lu (the traditional dragon) in HD, along with his garments billowing within the wind and his katana glinting within the solar. I wish to see him rework right into a legendary dragon in actual time.

I wish to see normal Rhun get his ass kicked in full 3D. I wish to see the cities and the world as an entire, stylized to suit the unique, however in larger element. I wish to hear Ryu and Nina’s voices—each operating characters within the sequence, and we’ve by no means gotten to listen to their voices in any respect.

However most of all, I wish to see the story fleshed out a bit bit extra. I might not hesitate to spend far more time than essential on this world chasing down subplots, assembly residents in want, and combating the empire on varied further fronts. The story is robust sufficient to warrant growth with out making it really feel watered down.

That mentioned, you’re already in for a 36-60 hour playtime, so it’s no minnow. However I’d simply spend over 100 hours in a world this fascinating and never get bored. So I, for one, actually need a remake, even when simply to expertise its lovely, thematic, typically insane world over again.

What do you assume? Is the unique ok, or is it about time we obtained a full remake of Breath of Hearth IV?