Blue Dragon (video game)

For other uses, see Blue Dragon (video game) (disambiguation).

Blue Dragon
Developer(s)	Mistwalker, Artoon
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)	Hironobu Sakaguchi (producer, scenario writer) Akira Toriyama (character designer) Nobuo Uematsu (composer)
Platform(s)	Xbox 360
Release
Genre(s)	Console role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player, Xbox Live

Blue Dragon (ブルードラゴン, Burū Doragon) is a console role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and Artoon and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2006, in the Europe on August 24, 2007 and in the North America on August 28, 2007. Blue Dragon is based on a design by Final Fantasy series originator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also supervised development and wrote the scenario. The game is the first Xbox 360 title to last three disks long and was the longest Xbox 360 game in history, until Lost Odyssey was released with a four disk story.

The US demo was due to be released on the Xbox Live Marketplace on July 20, 2007, but was released nine days early just after midnight on July 11, 2007 after Microsoft's E3 2007 presentation.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Blue Dragon is somewhat more traditional than many modern console role-playing games, and the feel of the game compliments it by being relatively lighthearted. The game world consists of a relatively standard mix of towns and dungeon-like areas, with the former having places to rest and purchase items, while the latter contain numerous foes to be defeated. Shortly after the beginning sections of the game, players gain the ability to "warp" to locations which they have previously visited, greatly reducing the amount of time spent wandering on foot.

Shadows

The core mechanic in Blue Dragon is the use of magical blue shadows, with each player character having a distinct shadow modeled after a creature. The shadows are what empower the characters, allowing them to attack with great strength and to use magic. Each shadow can be assigned to a single character class (from a number of such classes) at a time, taking on the attributes and abilities of that class. Class levels or "ranks" are earned only for the active class, but players are free to change classes at any time except in combat, so shadows can be customized to achieve the desired combination.

As shadows increase in rank in a given class, they learn new skills, which can then be assigned to a limited number of skills slots. Shadows can assign learned skills regardless of current class, so if, for example, a shadow is currently set to be an "Assassin", but has previously learned the ability to cast "Barrier Magic" while acting as a member of that class, the "Barrier Magic" skill can be set as an active skill. This allows mixing or hybridization, with the player able to pick and choose from among the skills known to a given shadow.

Exploration

During exploration both on the world map and within locations, the game doesn't rely on random encounters, but instead allows one to see (and potentially avoid) enemies in advance. In some cases, specific foes will block a path or desired treasure chest and must be defeated to proceed. Other foes will pursue the player characters once spotted, but can be lost if one flees far enough away. Frequently, a single enemy or monster displayed on the screen actually represents a number of different foes (of potentially different types).

Combat begins somewhat differently depending on how the player avatar makes contact with the monster. If the avatar strikes an enemy from behind, a "Back Attack" is initiated. Similarly, if the avatar is struck from behind, an unfavorable "Surprise Attack" occurs. Players can also choose to fight several groups of monsters at once, with each combat taking place immediately after the previous one. This is encouraged by awarding bonuses to the player after successfully defeating groups of monsters. In rare cases, two groups of monsters may be bitter enemies, in which case a "Monster Fight" will occur, with both monster groups appearing at once in a battle against each other.

Combat

File:Blue dragon s-shot.jpg

After deep into the game, the player recives a bar of power called Corepeal. The bar fills every time the character becomes angry which is triggered when they hit someone or when another player is killed. This allows the player to activate a cut scene where the players shadow grows to full size and complates a powerful combo

Although combat in the game follows a strictly turn-based formula, it does make use of an initiative system, requiring careful planning in order to maximize the effectiveness of one's actions. Turn order is calculated based on speed (agility), but characters are allowed to take multiple turns before enemies can act if they are sufficiently quick. Different actions take different periods of time, so the turn order is not fixed even within a given combat.

One gameplay addition which adds to combat strategy is the "Charge Meter", which allows players to "charge up" spells or attacks by spending additional time preparing them. This meter is always used for spell casting, as well as when using the "Charge Attack" skill of the "Monk" class. Although players can choose to act immediately, charged abilities do more damage or have a greater area of effect (depending on the ability). Players charge actions by holding down the "A" button, with a longer press corresponding to a greater charge period.

However, the greater the amount of time one charges, the greater the time before the next turn. Additionally, it is possible for a character to be killed or disabled during the charge time, causing the ability to fail to trigger at all. As the charge bar appears, an icon for character and enemy is displayed on the bar, indicating when the next action for that individual will be. As a result of this, players can choose to charge up an ability so that the ability triggers shortly before an enemy acts, or can instead aim for a special "red area" on the bar indicating an ideal charge. Overall, deciding on the correct amount of charge (and letting go of the button at precisely that time) can greater influence the effectiveness of characters during combat.

After Nene eats Shu's, Jiro's, and Kluke's soul's and after the recover them, the characters are given a bar of power called Corepeal. This bar is charged each time a character attacks and when another character dies. When the bar is full, a long cutscene is triggered and the player executes a special power.

Plot

Every two years for the past ten years, purple clouds have mysteriously appeared in the sky, signalling misfortune and disaster for people across the world.

For years, the Land Shark came with the purple clouds killing thousands of people and destroying thousands of cities. And once again the purple clouds arrived in Talta Village to take the lives of many more. As the purple clouds engulf Talta Village, the villagers rush to the emergency platform. Among them is Fushira, the grandfather of Shu. As he arrives to the platform, he asks every villager on the platform if they've seen Shu and the answer is always th same, no. Then, as Fushira tries to leave the platform, he discovers Shu and Jiro confronting the Land Shark at the heart of the village. Together Shu and Jiro slow down the land shark and then are saved by Kluke. Together, the party leads the Land Shark into a net trap they set up and Shu then tries to kill it. As Shu gets to close the Land Shark breaks free from the net and rushes away, with Shu Jiro and Kluke dangling from it's back, together they are dragged into the Ancient Ruins. Shu then discovers that the Land Shark wasn't actually a shark, and that it was a machine, a mechat. The mechat comes to life bringing the three with it. The party arrives at a giant mechat base and are thrown into the throne room of Nene. Nene tells them of how he enjoys to hear the screams of the dying victims of The Land Shark. The party confronts Nene and are defeated. They are thown out of the base and start to fall to their deaths. Shu swears that he will never give up and because of that saves the parties lives. The party awakens back in the base. They then find three floating spheres in the middle of the room. "Eat the spheres" commands a voice. The party refuses and are forced to fight an army of Nene's robots. As they flee, they discover another mechat, which is their lasy hopes of transportation. Given no other choice, the party eats the spheres. Then their shadows start to grow. Shu's turns into a dragon, Jiro's, a minator, and Kluke's a phoenix. They escape the base and crash in a desert.

Now, they must journey through the world, find and kill Nene, shut down his multiple mechat bases, end the rampage, find the survivors of Talta Village, and make new friends along the way.

Characters

• Shu: Shu is a stubborn, adventurous ten year old boy who lives in Talta Village. Shu's favorite saying is "I won't give up, something that his grandfather, Fushira, says as well. Shu evolves over the course of the first game into a more mature individual, learning that failure is sometimes necessary when it comes to saving his friends. He has a rival in Jiro for Klukes affections, though she has yet to choose either of them. In the anime, Shu is depicted as being rather clueless in many things, such as accidentally becoming engaged to Bouquet.

• Kluke: Kluke joins Shu and Jiro as a way to prevent suffering around the world and to make sure Shu will be safe. Her deceased parents formerly worked in a hospital, giving her some medical knowledge. Kluke has a good heart, and behaves like an adult despite her young age. She's caring, but she knows how to stick up for herself, which is reflected in her fighting style by using her power to protect others. She has a Phoenix Shadow. In the anime she's depicted as far more short tempered. Although she gets her shadow at the time as Shu and Jiro in the game, in the anime she doesn't get it until the first fight with Nene.

• Jiro: Jiro is an intelligent young man focused on details who has a gift for planning. This is excellent when his plans work, but when his emotions . Although logical and great at keeping his temper under fan, he understands when force is necessary, plotting together with Shu at the start of the game to capture the "land shark" which was ravaging their home. He also has a cowardly side. His Shadow is Minotaur, which by default uses healing magics in the game. His backstory is different in the anime, where as in the video game he comes from the same village as Kluke and Shu, in anime he came from a different village that was destroyed by Nene's forces.

• Zola: A calm and collected Mercenary armed with a fencing sword, Zola is cool and distant. You meet her on the road to Jibral. She is helpful, and uses her knowledge to assist Shu, but also remains somewhat detached. Her shadow is Killer Bat, who never speaks and has no visible weakness. In the anime, Zola had a alternate agenda.

• Marumaro: This little guy shouts and dances a lot, providing some comic relief. Marumaro is a member of the Devee Tribe - tiny yellow humanoids that wear pots for hats. Marumaro has six brothers and sisters. In the anime series, Marumaro is a bit perverted at times (this is edited out in the dub) with a thing for cute girls. His Shadow is Saber Tiger. In both the anime and the game, he has a habit of ending his sentences by say "maro."

• Bouquet: Bouquet is a very sweet, but very troublesome, waitress the others meet in a restaurant. Bouquet suffers harassment from two rude men until Shu and Zola step in and scare them away. Bouquet declares that she wishes to show her appreciation. Losing her job as a result. Since then, she becomes a unofficial traveling companion. In spite of clumsy and airheaded nature, Bouquet has many redeeming factors such as her clan's ability to turn herself invisible, though she need to strip to be completely unseen. She seems to have great endurance as she followed Shu and the others a long way. She also has her own Shadow named Hippopotamus, though not a fighter, who can cover himself over Bouquet to provide her with a disguise. She has a crush on Shu and considers herself his girlfriend. Bouquet only appears in the Blue Dragon anime. A number of edits around her character were made in the dub, such as editing out the amount of cleavage she has (removing a number of jokes involving her breasts) and that she always took off her clothes before turning invisible.

• Nene: Nene is an old man who runs Grand Kingdom, flying around the world causing destruction and despair in a mobile air fortress surrounded by purple clouds. In the video game, he wears glasses, but in the anime he doesn't. Like Shu, Nene wields his dragon Shadow, the powerful Red Dragon.

• Deathroy: This creature appears to find great joy in his master's malevolence. He sits dutifully on Nene's shoulder, attached by a small cable. He is also known for repeating anything Nene says, though it's capable of speaking on its own. In the final level of the game, Deathroy steals Nene's sphere and consumes it. He transforms into another boss called Destroy, an ancient biomechanical creature that devoured the civilization of the ancients, and used Nene to bring about his return.

• General Szabo: General Szabo is a mechanical warrior that terrorizes the world alongside Nene. An imperious and formidable figure, he is Nene's right handman, his last wave defense as it were. Though not in the first game, Szabo's shadow is a pumpkin-headed specter.

• General Logi: Exclusive to the anime, Logi is one of first generals Shu and company encounter, a figure from Zola's past. Due to the technology Grand Kingdom provided, Logi can manifest a artificial Shadow called Valkyrie, who is both her master's sword and shield in combat. Logi bears a strong resemblance to Magus from Chrono Trigger, except Magus has blue hair and eyes while Logis hair is blond.

• Schneider: Schneider is a servant for General Logi and member of his Independent Flying Squadron. His shadow Isabel is an arrowlauncher and handles arrows delicately, while throwing a barrage at them at his opponent. Schneider tried to shoot Bouquet, but failed as Bouquet successfully turned invisible. He is the one responsible for killing Lt. Dragunov.

• Lt. Dragunov: Dragunov is a lieutenant for Lord Nene. He has an artificial shadow called Berserker Shadow. Dragunov fought Shu and his friends with Artificial shadow. Lt. Dragunov gained his shadow by being experimented by Lord Nene and said he had his life on the line. Dragunov is an honorable opponent and fights by no lines of deception and trickery. Schneider killed him in a surprise attack with his arrow.

Development

Blue Dragon's designers include producer and scenario writer Hironobu Sakaguchi, character designer Akira Toriyama, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The game's original story was created by Sakaguchi, the game director of the first five Final Fantasy video games. The game features art from Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball and visual, character and monster designer and illustrator of both Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest. The producers of the game also hit a snag when the model designer became hospitalized. Wanting to keep the game on schedule they hired a 3rd party model designer to finish an already in progress model for them.

Blue Dragon's soundtrack was produced and composed by Uematsu, a composer responsible for much of the music in the popular Final Fantasy series. The music was performed live at the PLAY! A Video Game Symphony concerts in 2006. One of the boss themes, Eternity, was written by Sakaguchi, composed by Uematsu, and includes vocals by English singer Ian Gillan.

In an interview on IGN, Sakaguchi confirmed that Blue Dragon 2 was in the planning stages, and will start development presumably soon. Later in an issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, it was announced that Blue Dragon Plus is in the works for the Nintendo DS. This game will be a real-time simulation RPG and feature 2D sprite graphics.

Cast

As previously stated by Masaki Akahane, the game's localization program manager, the North American version features a choice between the English dub and the original Japanese voice track with English subtitles as well as a French dub. The English dub is directed by Richard Epcar and written by Liam O'Brien.

Original version

• Marina Inoue: Shu
• Ayako Kawasumi: Kluke
• Kouki Miyata: Jiro
• Houko Kuwashima: Zola
• Etsuko Kozakura: Marumaro
• Norio Wakamoto: Nene
• Tessho Genda: Szabo
• Yuji Ueda: Deathroy
• Hideo Kazama: Silent Ku
• Eisuke Asakura: Turbulent Mai
• Hiromu Kondou: Heat-Wave Sai
• Jun Osuka: Raging Kes
• Kenichi Ogata: Fushira
• Akira Toriyama: Torippo
• Daisuke Namikawa: King Gibral
• Chie Sawaguchi: Sura-Sura
• Jin Yamanoi: Jelala
• Tadashi Mutou: Guru-Guru
• Atsushi Goto: Yasatt
• Yutaka Aoyama: Hinett

English dub

• Mona Marshall: Shu
• Tara Strong: Kluke
• Steve Staley: Jiro
• Cindy Robinson: Zola
• Nika Futterman: Marumaro
• Richard Herd: Nene
• Will Matthews: Deathroy (also called Destroy)

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	77%
Metacritic	79 out of 100

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	C+
Eurogamer	5 out of 10
Famitsu	37 out of 40
Game Informer	9 out of 10
GamePro	4.4 out of 5
GameSpot	6.0 out of 10
GameSpy	4 out of 5
GameTrailers	7.5 out of 10
IGN	7.9 out of 10
X-Play	3 out of 5

With a total of 80,348 units sold on the first four days of release in Japan, Blue Dragon became the fastest selling Xbox 360 game in the region. Many gamers in Japan purchased an Xbox 360 specifically to play the title; of the units sold in the first week, approximately 30,000 of those copies were included with the Xbox 360 system in a bundle. By October 19, 2006, all 10,000 Blue Dragon pre-orders bundled with a limited edition Xbox 360 Core system were sold-out in Japan.

Microsoft and Mistwalker initially hoped to sell over 200,000 copies, breaking their record for sales of an Xbox 360 game in Japan to date, and the game did manage that goal, having sold pretty much exactly 200,000 to date in Japan.

Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has indicated that he was pleased that the game had sold as well as it did.

Reviews for Blue Dragon have been somewhat mixed, although generally favorable. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game had an average score of 77% based on 64 reviews. While many of the reviewers praised the game for its traditional approach, a few reviewers criticized it for that very reason. The story also came under scrutiny from some reviewers for being too generic and too similar to existing Japanese RPGs, with slow pacing during the beginning of the game. Despite this, the graphics and soundtrack received high marks, and the game was pronounced relatively solid.

Manga and anime

See also: List of Blue Dragon episodes

On November 12, 2006, Shueisha announced that a manga adaptation of Blue Dragon would be produced. Blue Dragon: Secret Trick is drawn by Shibata Ami and was scheduled to premiere in Monthly Shonen Jump in January 2007. Takeshi Obata, the illustrator of Death Note is handling Blue Dragon Ral Grad, which began serialization in issue 1 2007 of Weekly Shonen Jump. Viz Media later released the first volume of the manga as simply "Ral Grad" in February 2008.

An anime adaptation directed by Yukihiro Matsushita, animated by Studio Pierrot and co-produced by SKY Perfect Wellthink, TV Tokyo and Pierrot was announced in November 2006. The anime began airing April 7, 2007, featuring a different vocal cast than that used for the game. It also ignored most of the game's plot. It airs on TV Tokyo, and ran for 51 episodes. A second season of Blue Dragon Blue Dragon: The Seven Sky Dragons (BLUE DRAGON 天空の七竜, Burū Doragon: Tenkai no Shichiryū) premiered on TV Tokyo on April 5, 2008.

On April 16, 2007, Viz Media secured the license for the anime adaptation and was originally set be released in both North America and Europe later on in the year, but that did not happen. The anime "officially" premiered in the United States, on Cartoon Network, on April 5, 2008. However, the first episode was shown on March 28 at 11:30 AM EDT as a "sneak preview", which was repeated on the channel's Toonami block.

Anime cast

Original version

• Keiko Nemoto as Shu
• Masaya Takatsuka as Blue Dragon
• Erino Hazuki as Kluke
• Daisuke Namikawa as Jiro
• Kouji Ochiai as Minotauros
• Romi Paku as Zola
• Sakiko Uran as Marumaro
• Jin Horikawa as Saber Tiger
• Saki Nakajima as Bouquet

English dub

• Yuri Lowenthal - Shu
• Lex Lang - Blue Dragon
• Michelle Ruff - Kluke
• Sam Riegel - Jiro
• Kirk Thornton - Minotaur
• Cindy Robinson - Zola
• R. Martin Klein - Marumaro
• Neil Kaplan - Saber Tiger
• Melissa Fahn - Bouquet
• Michael Sorich - Hippopotamus
• Kyle Hebert - Goblin, Legolas, Gilliam
• David Lodge - Nene
• Michael P. Greco - Deathroy
• J. B. Blanc - Garan General, Lt. Dragnov
• David Vincent - General Logi
• Karen Strassman - Valkyrie
• Kim Strauss - General Szabo
• Liam O'Brien - Dolsk
• Steve Staley - Ivanov, Schneider
• Skip Stellrecht - Gustav
• Terrence Stone - Salinas
• Tara Platt - Cynthia
• Keith Silverstein as Lemaire
• Brian Beacock - Andropov

External links

• Official Blue Dragon website
• Official Game Overview Blue Dragon Manga website
• Xbox.com | Blue Dragon - Game Detail Page
• Interview with producer Hironobu Sakaguchi
• Blue Dragon Anime - Official US site