Vagrant Story

Infobox VG| title = Vagrant Story


caption = North American box art.
developer = Square
publisher = Square
designer = Yasumi Matsuno
artist = Akihiko Yoshida Hiroshi Minagawa
composer = Hitoshi Sakimoto
engine =
released = vgrelease|JP=February 10, 2000|NA=May 15, 2000 (delayed in Canada)|EU=June 21, 2000
genre = Console role-playing game
modes = Single player
ratings = ESRB: T (Teen)
ELSPA: 11+
OFLC: MA15+
platforms = PlayStation
media = 2 × CD-ROM
requirements =
input =nihongo title|Vagrant Story|ベイグラントストーリー|Beiguranto Sutōrī| is a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Sony PlayStation video game console in 2000. The game was released in Japan in February 2000, in the United States in May 2000, and in Canada and Europe later, at the time of Square's promotional "Summer of Adventure" game package, and in PAL territories in June 2000. It was largely developed by the team responsible for "Final Fantasy Tactics", with Yasumi Matsuno serving as producer and director.

The game takes place in the fictional kingdom of Valendia and the ruined city of Leá Monde. The story centers on Ashley Riot, an elite agent known as a Riskbreaker, who must travel to Leá Monde to investigate the link between a cult leader and a senior Valendian Parliament member, Duke Bardorba. In the prologue, Ashley was blamed for murdering the duke, and the game discloses the events that happened one week before the murder.

"Vagrant Story" is unique as a console action/adventure role-playing game because it features no shops and no player interaction between other characters; instead, the game focuses on weapon creation and modification, as well as elements of puzzle-solving and strategy.cite web | author=Brown, Jeff| year=2000 | title="Vagrant Story: Review" | url=http://www.allrpg.com/games/vagrantstory/index.php3?page=review&num=1 | publisher=allrpg.com | accessdate=25 May | accessyear=2007 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20031107011830/http://www.allrpg.com/games/vagrantstory/index.php3?page=review&num=1 |archivedate=2003-11-07] Overall, the game received positive reviews from gaming magazines and websites.

Gameplay

"Vagrant Story" is a solo dungeon crawl, in which the player controls Ashley Riot from a third-person perspective while exploring Leá Monde and the catacombs underneath. The player may also switch into first-person perspective to allow for a 360° view using the L1 and R1 buttons on the game controller. Characters and sprites are proportionate with each other, and the player navigates Ashley on a three-dimensional field map. Navigation is in real-time, and areas accessed by the player are stored in an in-game map menu.

Ashley can run, jump, and push crates and cubes to navigate around obstacles, adding puzzle and platforming elements to gameplay. During the game, the player must sometimes solve block puzzles to advance the story. When the player returns to a completed block puzzle room, a time-attack mode called "Evolve, or Die!!" begins. Players must reach the end of the room in the shortest time possible, after which they are ranked. This stage is optional and can be turned off from the menu.

In the field map, players may engage the enemy as soon as they enter Battle Mode. In Battle Mode, when the player taps the attack button, a wire frame sphere appears around Ashley. Individual body parts within this sphere can be targeted. The battle system involves the player chaining different attacks known as Chain Abilities to achieve large combos and deal damage to the enemy. This is done by pressing buttons in timely succession, making combat resemble a rhythm game. In addition to Chain Abilities, Defensive Abilities allow Ashley to reduce or reflect damage or avoid status ailments. Ashley also gains Break Arts, which exchange his hit points (HP) for increased damage.

Magic in "Vagrant Story" is learned later in the game using Grimoires, items dropped by enemies. Once a Grimoire is used, the magic spell associated with the Grimoire will remain in the menu, and players only need to spend magic points (MP) to cast a learned spell. Magic spells can be used to attack, heal, create status effects, and manipulate Ashley's elemental and enemy affinities. Certain magic spells allow the player to affect multiple targets by using a small sphere positioned within the Battle Mode wire frame. Unlike physical attacks however, magic attacks cannot be chained.

Risk is an essential element in the battle system. A Risk bar is placed below the HP and MP bar, representing the Risk Points the player has accumulated. Risk Points affect Ashley's concentration; the longer Ashley attacks a target, the more his Risk Point accumulates — lowering his accuracy and defenses. Chain and Defensive Abilities increase Risk faster than regular attacks, while Break Arts do not increase Risk at all. Enemy attacks and spells deal more damage if the player has high Risk. The advantage, however, is the higher chances for the player to score critical hits and restore higher HP.cite video game|title=Vagrant Story In-Game Manual|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation]

"Vagrant Story"'s crafting system allows the player to create and customize weapons and armor in designated "workshop" areas, inputting various ranges, strengths, and statistics. Weapons fall into one of three main damage types: blunt, piercing, and edged. Equipment are influenced by their material and affinity to enemy classes and elements. Affinities influence the effectiveness of weapons and armor; however, equipment might lose one form of affinity when it gains another type. Weapons and armor can be combined, merging their affinities and sometimes creating a new type of blade or armor in the process.

Like several Square titles, the New Game Plus option is made available to the player upon first completing the game. In "Vagrant Story", selecting "New Game+" enables the player to replay the story using their end-game weapons, items, and statistics instead of the defaults. This option allows players to access a hidden level, which features more intimidating enemies and more powerful equipment. The story does not change, and original enemy statistics will remain at default.

Plot

Setting

"Vagrant Story" is set in the fictitious city of Leá Monde, while the kingdom of Valendia is engulfed in civil war. Leá Monde is an old town with a history spanning more than two millennia. Located on an island surrounded by reefs, the walls have been the "witness of many battles" and are "stronger than the mightiest forts of Valendia".cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation] In its golden years, Leá Monde was a thriving community until an earthquake struck the town 25 years before the game, destroying the city and leaving the ground unstable.cite book | author=Square | year=2000 | title=Vagrant Story Ultimania PSX Game Guide Book | publisher=Studio BentStuff & DigiCube | language=Japanese | id=ISBN 4-925075-75-6]

The Grand Cathedral and the Temple of Kiltia are at the center of the city. Beneath the ground is an abandoned mineshaft and limestone quarry, the darkened labyrinths of an "Undercity", and the dark Iron Maiden dungeon. The maze-like Snowfly Forest, named for the so-called snowflies that can be found within, grows around the city. Other locations include the Graylands, the setting for the prologue event; and Valnain, the city where the Valendia Knights of Peace's Headquarters is located. While Valendia and Leá Monde are fictitious, the game's scenery is inspired by real-life landscapes of the southwest of France, including the city of Saint-Émilion.

Characters

The protagonist is Ashley Riot, a male member of the Valendia Knights of the Peace (VKP) in pursuit of a cult leader named Sydney Losstarot. Sydney, leader of the religious cult Müllenkamp, laid siege to Duke Bardorba's manor in search of a key and kidnapped Bardorba's son, Joshua. Ashley's partner is Callo Merlose, an agent of the VKP Inquisitors. Also attempting to capture Sydney is Romeo Guildenstern of the Crimson Blades, whose mission was made without the approval of the VKP.VKP Officer: Furthermore, we must find out why the Cardinal sent his blades to deal with this incident without our approval. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation]

Ashley is a Riskbreaker, a militant division of the VKP responsible for upholding state security and law. [Rosencrantz: We were always the champions of justice, true, but a justice hat served the state alone. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2006-10-31 |platform=PlayStation] Although Callo accompanies him, Ashley does not accept her as a combat partner due to her lack of combat experience. [Ashley: An agent with no combat experience would just be a liability. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation] Callo ends up being Sydney's hostage and discovers the truth of Müllenkamp's activities. Another Riskbreaker, Rosencrantz, appears during Ashley's battles in Leá Monde, briefing him on the plans of the VKP, Sydney and the Cardinal, and subsequently his take on Ashley's past. This casts suspicion on Ashley's behalf, as Riskbreakers always work alone.

The Crimson Blades, under direct orders of Cardinal Batistum, are a group that is part of the Cardinal's Knights of the Cross, in charge of seeking heretics and quelling cults. [Ashley: Are cults not the Templars' concern? cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation] Romeo Guildenstern, their leader, is a pious man, deeply faithful to his belief and consequently immune to the Dark's powers. Under orders of the Cardinal, he pursues Sydney along with Samantha, Duane, Grissom, Tieger and Neesa. [Guildenstern: Grissom, gather our remaining men. Join with Tieger's knights, andcrush Müllenkamp. Go! / Grissom: By your command. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation]

Müllenkamp is a cult based in Leá Monde. [Rosencrantz: However, Leá Monde has strong ties to the Dark, for this is the Dark city of the ancient Kildean priestess Müllenkamp.cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation] The city suffered a catastrophe when the population was killed in an earthquake. [Narrator:At its height, Leá Monde was a thriving community more than 5,000 people strong. Twenty-five years ago, a great earthquake brought that chapter in Leá Monde's history to a close.cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation] The city, filled with corpses controlled by Darkness, is the cult's stronghold. Sydney and his accomplice, Hardin, survive the pursuit of the Crimson Blade, though Hardin sometimes doubts Sydney's intentions.

tory

"Vagrant Story" begins in the Graylands, where Ashley and Callo are sent by the VKP to Duke Bardorba's manor to investigate the Duke's involvement with Müllenkamp and the Cardinal's interest in Sydney Losstarot. [VKP Officer: Our Inquisitors have found that Müllenkamp's coin comes from the captive duke himself. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation] Ashley infiltrates the manor and encounters Sydney, witnessing his powers first hand. [Ashley: What's going on? You were most certainly dead! Leave the back-from-the-grave stuff to faerie tales... cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15 |platform=PlayStation] [Duke Bardorba: The fool Sydney used his wyvern. We can't have witnesses telling the world, can we? cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square| date=2000-05-15| platform=PlayStation] Sydney escapes with his accomplice Hardin and the Duke's son Joshua, leaving Ashley with a clue to his whereabouts. [ Sydney: I...I'm the one you want. Hardin...go quickly...go...to Leá Monde. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square| date=2000-05-15| platform=PlayStation] This event was dubbed the "Graylands Incident".

Ashley and Callo arrive in Leá Monde and a lone Ashley infiltrates the city through the underground wine cellars. Along the way, he learns of objects holding magical power known as Grimoires and the city's power to spawn the undead and mythological creatures. [Crimson Blade: ...with a Grimoire, your fattest sow could outfly my swiftest falcon - if ye believe the chroniclers. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square| date=2000-05-15| platform=PlayStation] He encounters Guildenstern and his lover Samantha, and learns of the condition known as incomplete death and the Cardinal's true intention for his pursuit of Sydney: immortality. [Guildenstern: Trapped in purgation, they yearn for life. Thus they seek bodies without souls...and the "corpses that walk" are born. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] [Guildenstern: There is one who has found the true undeath. Immortality, my love. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] The Crimson Blades confront Ashley and reveals his presence to Guildenstern.

Escaping unharmed, Ashley encounters Rosencrantz who intends to join him, though Ashley declines. [Ashley: You must know, Riskbreakers always work alone. And a change of plans mid-mission is unthinkable. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] Rosencrantz tells him of the VKP and the Parliaments' knowledge of the dark powers of Leá Monde, and that the hidden powers deep within a person can be unleashed with the help of the Dark. In his encounters with Sydney, Ashley is shown visions of his past, where his wife Tia and his son Marco are killed by rogues. Meeting Rosencrantz again, Ashley is told that they were not his family, but mistaken targets he killed during a mission of theirs. Ashley's guilt over their deaths was manipulated by the VKP to turn Ashley into a loyal Riskbreaker. [Sydney: You were an assassin and a saboteur in an elite squad. Mistaking them for your target, you murdered an innocent family. For country and justice you would take any life without thinking, until you sent that family to their deaths. The VKP saw the opportunity to turn your guilt to patriotic zeal. They twisted your very soul, Ashley. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] Ashley recalls his hidden battle skills and experiences "clairvoyance", seeing the progress of the Crimson Blades, which leads him to the Great Cathedral.

Sydney had captured Callo earlier and brought her with them. Callo learned that Hardin was skeptical of Sydney's plans. [Hardin: Were the duke's betrayal, the cardinal's meddling...and a Riskbreaker strong as a bloody titan all part of your precious plan, too, Sydney? cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] She begins to develop the powers of "heart-seeing", a form of telepathy, as they continue their escape deeper into Leá Monde. [Hardin: As I can scrye on distant locales, so the talent of the heart-seers has flowered in you. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15] With her powers, she learned of Sydney's intentions and Hardin's reason to join Müllenkamp and his closeness to Joshua. [Hardin: The key-bearer, the duke, will soon die. If he dies without a successor, all is lost. The duke thinks he can cut off the cursed Müllenkamp bloodline, but that must not be allowed to happen. We will assume the legacy. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15] [Hardin: There was an investigation into an incident. I was part of a special team, entrusted with delivering blades to rebels in a neighboring kingdom. Apparently, some did not reach their destination. They claimed some of us were making coppers selling the steel on the black market. ...We were all guilty, I was not the only one. They presented me with an offer. Betray my friends, and I would walk free.cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15] [Hardin: ...I had a brother, half my age. He was gravely ill, and we knew not when he would leave us. I wanted money...I wanted my freedom. I sold my friend, my brother. But they did not set me free. When I escaped from prison, my brother was dead.cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15] Sydney left them to stop the others from advancing; taunting Guildenstern and Samantha, and provoking Ashley to follow him as he intends to succeed his powers to Ashley. [Sydney: I give you the city, Riskbreaker! All its power - all to you! Make haste! Join me! Already, your powers are close to readiness! Come! cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] Ashley was not interested in inheriting the powers of Darkness; seeing that Callo had been captured, his only intention is to rescue her. [Ashley: Keep your accursed city! Where's Merlose!? cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation]

While discussing the Gran Grimoire, a powerful source of magic, Guildenstern and Samantha discover ancient Kildean letterings carved throughout the city walls. [Samantha: The Gran Grimoire...the ultimate codex of sorcery. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] Rosencrantz reveals that the city is the Gran Grimoire and its power lies at the city center: the Grand Cathedral. As Guildenstern leaves for the Grand Cathedral, Rosencrantz searches for Ashley and Sydney. Finding them, Rosencrantz uses his immunity against Darkness and forces Sydney to surrender his powers. [Rosencrantz: It is time. I will carry on the legacy in your name. Now, the rites! Name me your successor!! cite video game|title=Vagrant Story| developer=Square| date=2000-05-15| platform=PlayStation] Rosencrantz also assaults Ashley to prove that he is not a suitable candidate for the powers of Darkness. [Rosencrantz: This...This is your "successor"? Open your eyes, Sydney. I am the one! cite video game|title=Vagrant Story| developer=Square| date=2000-05-15| platform=PlayStation] Sydney refuses to listen and kills Rosencrantz by using a possessed statue, leaving Ashley to once again prove himself as his chosen successor.

Guildenstern continues on to the Great Cathedral in the center of the city, leading him to Callo, Hardin and Joshua. Interrogating Hardin about a certain "key" known as the Blood-Sin, [Guildenstern: The Blood-Sin, you say? It has a familiar ring... Years past, during the Inquisition of the heretics, the "Rood Inverse" was carved on them, an abjuration of the flesh... Those who bore this tattoo called it the Blood-Sin. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] [Guildenstern: Good God! Sydney held the key all along! The tattoo on his back, it is the Blood-Sin! He has the key! He has played you false! cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] Guildenstern reveals his intentions in acquiring the Dark's powers. [Guildenstern: ...the nobility! They donothing and blame others for their failure; they steal men's dreams and twist them to nightmares...We must cleanse this corruption. There must be strong, unwavering justice. And there must be fear to enforce that justice. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] Sydney arrives to teleport Hardin and the rest away, leaving him to Guildenstern. Guildenstern acquires the "key" from him and murders Samantha as his sacrifice for the powers of darkness. Ashley arrives later and listens as Sydney reveals his true intentions. [Sydney: I wanted to help father, as he helped me when I was born. He wanted the city destroyed, even if it meant his own death. Then, he implored me. cite video game|title=Vagrant Story|developer=Square|date=2000-05-15|platform=PlayStation] Ashley then confronts Guildenstern and manages to defeat him.

Upon Guildenstern's defeat, Ashley, now bearing the "key", carries Sydney out of the collapsing city. The creatures spawned within the city begin to disappear. Callo, Hardin and Joshua escape the city, though Hardin dies. In the epilogue, Ashley takes Sydney to Duke Bardorba's manor, where Sydney, having found a suitable heir to the Darkness in Ashley, tells Bardorba that it is finished. (Sydney inherited the Darkness from his father, Bardorba, to save him from some sort of illness when he was young. Duke Bardorba then asked Sydney to find a new heir so that his beloved second son (and Sydney's younger brother) Joshua would not have to carry the burden.) Duke Bardorba and Sydney say their goodbyes then Bardorba kills Sydney and himself. In a report received by the VKP a week after the Graylands Incident, the duke was found murdered, and Ashley became the prime suspect, though he was never found again.

Connections to "Final Fantasy XII"

The 2006 console role-playing game "Final Fantasy XII" contains several references to "Vagrant Story". Terms such as Riskbreaker, Leámonde and Kildea (albeit with different spellings in the localizations), are commonly used in both games. Yasumi Matsuno, the creator of "Final Fantasy XII", was interviewed by Joypad, a French gaming magazine, in 2004 on "Final Fantasy XII" and the game world he conceived, Ivalice, when he joined Square in 1995. He describes Ivalice as a complex world with a very long history and the stories of "Vagrant Story", "Final Fantasy Tactics", and "Final Fantasy XII" are said to unfold quite close on the Ivalice map. [cite web | author=Joypad magazine | year=2004 | title=Interview | url=http://www.ffworld.com/?rub=ff12&page=interview_jp-mai04 | work= [http://www.ffworld.com/ FFWorld.com] | accessdate=25 May | accessyear=2007 | language=French]

Development

Matsuno, the game's producer and director, preferred to create a new game title from scratch and use design ideas from staff collaborations, rather than reusing popular characters and designs that are found in sequels. "Vagrant Story" is regarded as a mixture of genres as it contains elements of role-playing in its battles and platform games when in the field map. Matsuno explained that the development team was not eager to place "Vagrant Story" into a specific genre, preferring to create the game with a genre of its own.

During the design phase, Matsuno was shown photographs from France, particularly Saint-Émilion in the region of Bordeaux. This region was visited by one of Matsuno's colleagues, who was a wine enthusiast and favored Saint-Émilion, one of the largest vineyards of Bordeaux. Captivated by this small town's architecture, the design team went on a trip to France to adopt these styles into the game. A team of five people was formed on September 1998, including Matsuno and the principal persons in charge of graphics and decorations, to realize the game's setting. [cite web | url=http://www.rpgsoluce.com/dossiers/rpgs/vagrant/leamundis/architecture.htm | title=Leamundis - Architecture | language=French | author=RPG Soluce staff | accessdate=2007-05-09 | year=1999-07-02 | work=rpgsoluce.com]

"Vagrant Story" was conceived during a time when most games had made the transition into three-dimensional graphics. Games with real-time polygons were the mainstream, and it was decided for "Vagrant Story" to follow this trend. Murata, the main programmer, expressed his concerns in working towards a large-scale three-dimensional game for the first time. To avoid discrepancies in the frame rate caused by the large number of polygon models, the modeling team had to select an aspect of each character to focus their attention. Art director Minagawa mentioned that painstaking detail were given to each individual model, even to characters that only appear for a few seconds in the game. The same character models were used throughout the game to create a seamless transition between event cutscenes and actual gameplay.cite web | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010428133214/www.vagrantstory.com/flb/index.html | title=From the Development Team | author=Square staff | accessdate=2007-05-30 | year=2000-08-05 ]

A two-player mode was initially planned for the game, but ultimately scrapped. [Vandal Online: http://www.vandal.net/cgi-bin/verreportaje.pl?n=87]

Release

A demo disk of "Vagrant Story" was included in the packaging of "" in Japan. During the Square Millennium Event held by Square in Tokyo, movies of "Vagrant Story" such as the opening sequence and the weapon crafting system were presented to onlookers. Matsuno stated that a normal playthrough would take the player 5 to 6 hours to complete. [cite web | url=http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q3-1999/070299a.html | title=Vagrant Story: Details Emerge| author=rpgamer staff | accessdate=2007-05-09 | year=1999-07-02 | work=rpgamer.com]

"Vagrant Story" was released with two discs. The first disc is the game itself, while the second disc is a demo disc released by Square to give the player a preview of seven titles. The seven titles include three interactive demos and four non-interactive demos; the former being "Chocobo Racing", "Front Mission 3" and "Threads of Fate", and the latter "Chrono Cross", "SaGa Frontier 2", "Chocobo's Dungeon 2" and "Legend of Mana". Both discs were included in the North American release on May 15, 2000. [cite web | url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/078/078549p1.html | title=In Depth Look At Square's Demo CD | author=IGN staff | accessdate=2007-05-09 | year=2000-04-26 | work=ign.com] Due to a ruling by the Quebec government that video game titles in Canada should be sold with both French and English-language instructions, "Vagrant Story"'s release was delayed in Canada. [cite web | year=2000-06-14 | url=http://terror.snm-hgkz.ch/mirrors/thegia/sites/www.thegia.com/news/0006/n14b.html | title=Canadian Legend of Mana, Vagrant Story release update | author= GIA Staff | accessdate=2007-07-13]

Legacy

Three years after its release in 2000, "Vagrant Story" was selected as one of four Square's titular games to become part of Sony Greatest Hits; the other three being "Final Fantasy Anthology", "Final Fantasy Chronicles" and "Xenogears". Games released as Sony Greatest Hits were sold at a lower price, and this announcement follows the release of two other famous PlayStation 2 titles, "Final Fantasy X" and "Kingdom Hearts". [cite web | url=http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2003/110503b.html | title=Square Classics Hit it Cheap | author=Morris, Tyler | accessdate=2007-05-09 | year=2003-05-11 | work=rpgamer.com] "Vagrant Story" is also part of Square Enix Ultimate Hits; selected PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles that are sold at discounted prices and are only available in Japan. [cite web| url=http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2006/1219.html| title=Square Enix Adds 16 to Ultimate Hits Series |author=Winkler, Chris | work=RPGFan.com | accessdate=2007-05-31| year=2006-04-28 ] In the North American market it was packaged with Squaresoft on PlayStation 1998 Collector's CD Vol.3; a collection of demos future Squaresoft games.

"Vagrant Story" is acknowledged as a game with an "extreme popularity" outside Japan eight years after it was first released. In October 2007, during an interview with the development team responsible for the remake of "Final Fantasy Tactics" for the Playstation Portable, the Executive Producer Akitoshi Kawazu was asked on the possibility of a remake or port of the title to the said console. Kawazu mentioned that it is "the next natural candidate for such an update", although there would be difficulty in porting the game due to its large technical requirements. Kawazu also remarked that bringing the titular character Ashley Riot into other Ivalice titles would be difficult since even in "Vagrant Story", "there's really not that much learn(ed) about Ashley Riot".cite web| url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163528| title=Square Enix Talks about the Ivalice Alliance |author=Mielke, James | work=1Up.com | accessdate=2008-07-04| year=2007-09-10 ]

Merchandise

On April 13, 2000, DigiCube published the "Vagrant Story" Ultimania, the official 496-page strategy guide for the game with the ISBN 4-925075-75-6. The contents include staff interviews, a detailed background story, and information on monsters and items. On July 20, 2006, the book was republished by Studio BentStuff and Square Enix. Other merchandise include jewellery, t-shirts, cigarette lighters and posters featuring character artwork and CG renders. [cite web | author=Vestahl, Andrew | title=Vagrant Story Game Review | year=2000 | url=http://terror.snm-hgkz.ch/mirrors/thegia/sites/www.thegia.com/psx/vgst/vgstother.html |work=GIA.com | accessdate=2007-05-02]

Audio

Infobox Album
Name = Vagrant Story Original Soundtrack
Type = Soundtrack
Artist = Hitoshi Sakimoto


Released = March 8, 2000 (Japan)
Recorded = Orange Studio
Genre = Video game soundtrack
Length = Total: 2:17:25 Disc One: 73:08 Disc Two: 74:17The sound effects of "Vagrant Story" are credited to Minoru Akao, the game's sound programmer; and Tomohiro Yajima, the sound editor and engineer. "Vagrant Story Original Soundtrack" is the video game music soundtrack from "Vagrant Story". All the tracks of the soundtrack are composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, whose video game work included the soundtracks to the games "Radiant Silvergun", "Final Fantasy XII", "Odin Sphere" and "GrimGrimoire", with additional arrangement by Takeharu Ishimoto for Track 2–30 and Hirosato Noda for Track 2–31. A Japanese orchestra ensemble, Shinozuka Group, performed for the orchestral piece of Track 2–29. All synthesizing operations are led by Takeharu Ishimoto with assistance from Hidenori Iwasaki for Track 1–1 and Hirosato Noda for Track 2–18.

The album was first released on two Compact Discs by DigiCube on March 8, 2000 bearing the catalog number "SSCX-10042", and was re-released by Square Enix on March 24, 2006 with the catalog number "SQEX-10068/9". The CDs feature 57 tracks, two of which are bonus tracks that did not appear in the game. Packaged with it is a small booklet featuring interviews with the composer and character artworks.

Track listing

Reception

In May 2000, "Vagrant Story" became the fifth best-selling PlayStation title. 100,000 units were sold in the first 20 days of the game's release, despite being overshadowed by other Square titles like "Final Fantasy IX" and "Chrono Cross". "Vagrant Story" was the third of eight games to date, and the only game on the PlayStation, to receive a perfect score of 40 from "Famitsu" magazine. [cite web|author=Lumb, Jonathan|year=2006-08-03|title=FF XII Scores Perfect In Famitsu|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3148658|accessdate=2007-01-16] The game has been called "the only outstanding title in the Ivalice mythology" by gaming website 1UP.com.

VG Reviews
Fam = 40 of 40
IGN = 9.6 of 10
GSpot = 9.6 of 10
EGM = 9.0 of 10
OPM = 4.5 of 5
Edge = 7 of 10
rev1 = AllRPG.com
rev1Score = 8.7 of 10
rev2 = PSXExtreme.com
rev2Score = 9.6 of 10

Reviews were generally positive—multimedia news websites IGN and GameSpot praised the gameplay and story. IGN described the story as "so deep and intuitive that it'll likely please fans", and said the battle system maintains "a needed element of strategy and balance".cite web | author=David Zdyrko | year=2000-05-22 | title=Vagrant Story | url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/162/162288p1.html | work=psx.ign.org | accessdate=2007-05-08] The comic-book graphics were seen as a breakaway from the clichés of contemporary titles. Extensive detail was given to the background settings and character expressions.cite web | author=SolidSnake| year=2000| title="Vagrant Story: Review" | url=http://www.psxextreme.com/scripts/reviews/review.asp?RevID=129&letter=V | work= [http://www.psxextreme.com/ PSXExtreme.com] | accessdate=25 May | accessyear=2007] The game's sound effects have been praised as "well done and impressive, straying from Square's synthed noise", as details such as the background audio help create a believable world for the player.

The battle system, however, was described by GameSpot as too complex for beginner players, as even hard-core players require a "comprehensive understanding" of the weapon customization system.cite web | author=Bartholow, Peter | date=2000-02-15 | title=PlayStation Vagrant Story Review | url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/vagrantstory/review.html?q=vagrant%20story | work=Gamespot.com | accessdate=2007-05-02] IGN pointed out that enemy encounters can be more difficult than boss battles. "Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine" noted that the game's inventory was too limited for the vast number of customizations possible; this was considered particularly troublesome because some boss enemies are only vulnerable to certain types of weapons. [cite web | author=1up.com Staff|title=Official U.S. Playstation Magazine Vagrant Story Review|url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3108775|work=1up.com|accessdate=2007-05-02]

Alexander O. Smith is responsible for the English localization of "Vagrant Story", using anachronistic English as compared to its straightforward Japanese version. His effort on translating "Vagrant Story" was described by Andrew Vestal as an "unparalleled—and unprecedented—work" of Japanese to English video game translation, "in spite of the occasional typo or grammatical hiccup", as quoted by IGN. [cite web | author=Vestahl, Andrew | title=Vagrant Story Game Review | year=2000 | url=http://terror.snm-hgkz.ch/mirrors/thegia/sites/www.thegia.com/psx/vgst/vgst.html |work=GIA.com | accessdate=2007-05-02] "Vagrant Story" was awarded "Best PlayStation Game" in the E3 2000 IGN Awardscite web | author=IGN staff | year=2000 | title=IGN Awards the Best of E3 | url=http://psx.ign.com/articles/079/079670p1.html | work= psx.ign.org | accessdate=2007-05-08] and was nominated for Best Console Action/Adventure in the 4th Annual Interactive Achievements Awards held by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.cite web | author=Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences site staff | year=2001| title=Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences 4th Annual Interactive Achievements Awards | url=http://www.interactive.org/awards.php?winners&year=2001&cat=200120 | work= [http://www.interactive.org/ Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences] | accessdate=2006-02-23]

References

External links

* [http://www.square-enix.com/jp/archive/vagrantstory/ Official Japanese site]