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[EviLore]

This past month marks the 25th (!) anniversary of Vagrant Story, the PSX RPG by Yasumi Matsuno (Final Fantasy XII, FF Tactics).

It arrived toward the end of the Playstation's life span, pushing the system to its limits. The game has a wonderful English localization by Alexander O. Smith, taking it in an appropriately Shakespearean direction.

I never did finish it back upon release. The game can be absolutely brutal if you don't finesse its mechanics properly. Battles can often become wars of attrition, with buffs and debuffs, affinities, damage types, and attack chaining all playing significant roles. There's also a complex workshop system to combine and synthesize new equipment, and new features and areas unlocked in New Game+.

I revisited it this past week and found it to be just as fun and engaging today, completing it at long last. They don't make 'em like they used to.

 

[CrimsonTide]

I played it back then, did not beat it.

But I love that polygonal warping thing the PSX did lol

This game sadly will never be brought to modern platforms (emulation aside of course)

 

[Plies]

A legendary, one-of-a-kind game.

 

[EviLore]

I played it back then, did not beat it.

But I love that polygonal warping thing the PSX did lol

This game sadly will never be brought to modern platforms (emulation aside of course)

I used Duckstation for this replay, which lets it run in HD and without most of the warping. Still holds up graphically thanks to the great art direction.

 

[CrimsonTide]

I used Duckstation for this replay, which lets it run in HD and without most of the warping. Still holds up graphically thanks to the great art direction.

I have not thought about this game in a while. Think I will get it on the ole Steam Deck and dive in!

 

[Punished Miku]

Amazing art style, but the rest seemed absolutely archaic compared to Nintendo 64. I'd love to try it again, but don't have a setup for it at the moment. Still have a physical copy too.

 

[bender]

I still love the way it looks. Brilliant game.

 

[Gaiff]

Damn, it's never officially been ported to any other platform.

That's the one thing I hate with console exclusives, games dying with the platform. Thank god for emulators.

 

[SappYoda]

I beat it recently. Same as you never beat it on relase. Amazing game.

 

[Paltheos]

Never went 100% in on this game. The mechanics were too obtuse for me. I was intimidated by a game that seemed to need a strategy guide to understand how to play.

I'll always remember how awesome that intro is though. Matsuno's such a passionate creative.

 

[violence]

I've always felt guilty for not finishing this game. The art and presentation might be the coolest thing on the PlayStation one.

 

[PeteBull]

Intro to hype u guys up, game was stellar back in the day and impressive in every possible way:

 

[Judge Magister]

You got me Boss. I thought it was an announcement since there's a SoP today.
It's a great game and it's art direction still fantastic.

 

[Azure Crystal Gaming]

Even when I did everything right in the game, I still was only hitting for 1-5 points of damage on the last boss of the game, with extremely low accuracy. Good equipment and affinities, and I gamed the stat up items to always get +4. I love the game, but it needs some QoL if they ever rerelease it. I really liked Callo, despite her low amount of screen time. Always though Ashley looked like Mummy era Brenden Frasier.

 

[EviLore]

Even when I did everything right in the game, I still was only hitting for 1-5 points of damage on the last boss of the game, with extremely low accuracy. Good equipment and affinities, and I gamed the stat up items to always get +4. I love the game, but it needs some QoL if they ever rerelease it. I really liked Callo, despite her low amount of screen time.

Final boss gave me my only death on this playthrough. Full health, 0 risk, one shot by the Bloody Sin attack. Game pulls no punches!

 

[adamsapple]

 

[near]

It's one of my favourite games. It can be brutal and frustrating, the pacing is a little rough and the game doesn't teach you things very well. But once it gets going and things click it is a joy to play. Matsuno is life, Matsuno is love. I still have my original PS1 copy is pristine working condition, I need to replay this soon!!

 

[Hypereides]

That art direction still holds up remarkably well. The guys pushed the geometry and gave it a timeless look that conceals its primitivity and limitations. Major kudos for how they took advantage of that.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Never managed to beat this one. Love the presentation and setting but man, having to "train" my weapons while making sure I wasn't messing anything up and spending more time navigating menus than actually playing was too much for me.

Might give it another go. Heard it's safe to ignore so of the weapon mechanics, and knowing that (if it's true) might help in making it more tolerable.

 

[Team Andromeda]

It was too hard for its own good but my GOD did it look amazing and for me the best looking PS1 game ever made

 

[Azure Crystal Gaming]

I found this comparison image at deviantart years ago of a user hoping what a remaster would look like:

 

[Shifty1897]

I couldn't figure it out back in the day, the battle/equipment mechanics are poorly explained or not explained at all (very common for Square games at the time). I ended up getting it digitally on my PSP and I beat it in 2010 with a guide in some crappy hotel room while travelling for work.

The final plot twist is awesome, and that final boss was ROUGH.

 

[DelireMan7]

My holy graal of gaming.
Got a copy last year and played it on PS1.

I find this game still graphically stunning.
Love the overall feeling of it.
Combat is also very interesting.

But I had to drop it. Combat mechanics are very obscur (despite looking some external ressources) and got a bit stuck on a boss midway. Was too frustrating.

Still a gem of a game. I wish for a re-release with a better in-game explanations for the mechanics.
But I don't want a change of graphics. One of the best looking game ever made for me.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Amazing game that demands multiple playthrus.

 

[Plies]

You got me Boss. I thought it was an announcement since there's a SoP today.
It's a great game and it's art direction still fantastic.

They're announcing a FFT remake today, which takes place in the same world as Vagrant Story: Ivalice.

 

[Elginer]

Square's Dark Souls and an amazing game all around. It kicked my ass. Never beat it but man did I love it.

 

[EviLore]

Never managed to beat this one. Love the presentation and setting but man, having to "train" my weapons while making sure I wasn't messing anything up and spending more time navigating menus than actually playing was too much for me.

Might give it another go. Heard it's safe to ignore so of the weapon mechanics, and knowing that (if it's true) might help in making it more tolerable.

I didn't really have to do anything special. Basically, I had my main weapon for human and miscellaneous enemies and a secondary weapon for undead. Also made sure to have edged/piercing/blunt weapon types covered in early game, used the workshop to upgrade gear. By the second half of the game I had enough buff/debuff spells and chain attack types that it wasn't much of a concern.

 

[Azure Crystal Gaming]

I still have my mint condition black label version of the game, but no console to play it on. Sucks.

 

[TonberrysKnife]

EviLore This is a game that I tried to get into during the Squaresoft Renaissance. It never resonated with me sadly. Brave Fencer Musashi and eventually Parasite Eve did. I'd be tempted to give it another shot now.

 

[EviLore]

I still have my mint condition black label version of the game, but no console to play it on. Sucks.

Time to rip it and emulate it.

 

[rubik's dude]

This and FF Tactics are on my "must-play eventually" list. I've played a little of both when I was younger, and I liked everything except for the combat systems.

 

[Azure Crystal Gaming]

I still have nightmares about Snowfly Forest, lol. Not the worst place in gaming, but definitely one of the most annoying. despite me liking the atmosphere.

 

[SamuraiEdge]

This and FF Tactics are on my "must-play eventually" list. I've played a little of both when I was younger, and I liked everything except for the combat systems.

When you get the opportunity do play FF Tactics when you can.

Simply one of the best CRPGs ever created as well being in a beautiful created world that is Ivalice.

I am hyped for the possibility of seeing this later today!

 

[TintoConCasera]

I didn't really have to do anything special. Basically, I had my main weapon for human and miscellaneous enemies and a secondary weapon for undead. Also made sure to have edged/piercing/blunt weapon types covered in early game, used the workshop to upgrade gear. By the second half of the game I had enough buff/debuff spells and chain attack types that it wasn't much of a concern.

Sounds like I might have overthinking it. I remember trying to have one weapon for each enemy type, but maybe the important stuff is the weapon damage type (edged/piercing/blunt) and not so much the enemy affinity?

Might be time to give this one another go and find out!

 

[jshackles]

I loved this game too, I remember getting really far in it (maybe to the final boss?) but not finishing it. Game was brutally hard, but beautiful.

 

[Muffdraul]

I absolutely loved everything about it, except the weapon systems. Felt like a big homework assignment. The combat could have been so much more fun for me if they just chilled out on the systems a bit.

 

[EviLore]

Sounds like I might have overthinking it. I remember trying to have one weapon for each enemy type, but maybe the important stuff is the weapon damage type (edged/piercing/blunt) and not so much the enemy affinity?

Might be time to give this one another go and find out!

Yeah, affinity matters, but damage type matters more. You can change your affinity with spells and gems as well so it's okay to not optimize for it.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Square really should have used the battle system in Vagrant Story and Parasite Eve more. Such a fun system.

 

[GymWolf]

EviLore This is a game that I tried to get into during the Squaresoft Renaissance. It never resonated with me sadly. Brave Fencer Musashi and eventually Parasite Eve did. I'd be tempted to give it another shot now.

That was an holy trinity of games, holy shit, when square was still good, it was super fucking good.

 

[Azure Crystal Gaming]

This is kind of cool looking:

 

[diffusionx]

This is kind of cool looking:

YOOOO SQUARE
HIRE
THIS
MAN

 

[yogaflame]

One of the best RPG of Ps1. Very good atmosphere and gameplay. Lots of good weapons. This is one of the best games when Square was still at there best.

 

[Judge Magister]

They're announcing a FFT remake today, which takes place in the same world as Vagrant Story: Ivalice.

Yeah i heard the rumours. Let's wait and see.

 

[EviLore]

One of the best RPG of Ps1. Very good atmosphere and gameplay. This is one of the best games when Square was still very good.

PSX era Square was incredible.

 

[SkylineRKR]

One of the best games of all time. But it needs QoL features if its ever remastered.

The damage and affinity is very deep but to beat the game you just need 3 ish blade types and some gems. You can min max with training, and switching all the time to not lower your affinity by fighting certain enemies. But I never bothered much with its deeper mechanics and I could beat the game though the final boss is very tough because I think he requires a different setup not used until then.

PSX Square is the best third party of all time. They were the best on the most succesful console. Their PS1 output was even better than their PS2 output. Because Spirits Within and the Enix takeover also happened during the PS2 gen. This put a dent into them.

But if you release FVII, Einhander, Vagrant Story, FF Tactics, Xenogears and Parasite Eve in one generation, and this is just a fraction, then you are the best of all time.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Looks and sounds awesome but I was too stupid for this game as a teenager. Kept picking it up and dropping it again when I realized I didn't actually like playing it. I should really give this a good chance now that my brain has developed past 95% pussy, 3% videogames and 2% Punk Rock.

 

[Azure Crystal Gaming]

YOOOO SQUARE
HIRE
THIS
MAN

Yeah, he even rigged up a sort of character model to move around the location as well. I like how he is able to move the camera around to look at details like the ceiling.

 

[GrayDock]

The swang song of the PSX, the best PSx RPG IMO. Beat it at the time, that final battle at the top of he Chatedral was hard, but never replayed hoping for a remake/remaster... Please Square...

 

[yogaflame]

PSX era Square was incredible.

Yes, the legendary era of Squaresoft, which I hope they will be back to there old excellence and very based ways. I have 90% of those games in that picture especially Xenogears, Brave Fencer Musashi, FF 7 - 9, Parasite eve 1-2, Chrono Cross, Vagrant story, FFT, Legend of Mana, Einhander, which are legendary.

 

[Hudo]

This past month marks the 25th (!) anniversary of Vagrant Story, the PSX RPG by Yasumi Matsuno (Final Fantasy XII, FF Tactics).

It arrived toward the end of the Playstation's life span, pushing the system to its limits. The game has a wonderful English localization by Alexander O. Smith, taking it in an appropriately Shakespearean direction.

I never did finish it back upon release. The game can be absolutely brutal if you don't finesse its mechanics properly. Battles can often become wars of attrition, with buffs and debuffs, affinities, damage types, and attack chaining all playing significant roles. There's also a complex workshop system to combine and synthesize new equipment, and new features and areas unlocked in New Game+.

I revisited it this past week and found it to be just as fun and engaging today, completing it at long last. They don't make 'em like they used to.

Yasumi Matsuno has never made a bad game. I like everything he directed. And Vagrant Story is, especially given that it was made for the PS1, a fucking masterpiece.