I am a big Breath of Fire fan. I've played and beaten all of them (Except 6, we don't talk about 6). Both BoF3 and BoF4 are the two that always stand out in my mind. Being able to relive a part of my childhood through this restored masterpiece is truly a feeling without words. Story - 8/10. Of the games in the franchise, BoF4 stands out as being the least convoluted, which is saying a lot given the plot of the games tend to wander around a LOT to the point of being really hard to understand. It's a fantastic little ride as you uncover Ryu's connection to the greater world and learn a bit about Parallel selves along the way. Soundtrack - 6/10. Frankly, This game as one of the best soundtracks in the franchise but there is an issue with this restored version wherein the audio doesn't quite loop properly. It's not seemless, resulting in music that breaks and loops as a full audio track instead of having a fade in blend that created such a seemless environmental feel. It's not something you can't tune out after awhile, but it is glaringly obvious to the point of ruining the tone of a scene more than it should. Combat - 9/10. BoF4 saw a lot of refinements from BoF3's systems. You can still learn attacks from enemies by Guarding, and can link spells/abilities into chains and "Fusion" spells that can do a LOT of damage very quickly. The real big element is how the game handles "Rows" and "Reserves". You can only field 3 units at a time in combat but you can freely change their order (2 frontline, 1 backline), or move units in and out of reserve. The fact that a JRPG managed to create a system where cycling members in and out of the active battle and it doesn't feel clunky or tacked on is honestly praiseworthy beyond measure, especially since so many party members have unique Support effects when they are waiting in reserve. I would encourage any fan of JRPGs to try this game out for themselves.
