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 musica 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
