Part 1: Humble Origins

Update 01: Humble Origins

Okay! I’ve put this thing off long enough! Let’s do this!



The game asks us to choose a language first. We will be playing in English because it is the best language.



I am playing the PAL version so I also get the chance to choose between 50HZ and 60HZ. We will be playing in 60HZ because it is the best HZ.



The Capcom logo flashes up next. I apologise for the minor graphical glitch. Dragon Quarter is somewhat tough to emulate. The intro plays immediately after the logo disappears. It contains a few semi-spoilery scenes, so I'll be skipping it for the time being.



Here it is. Again, I apologise for some of the text glitching out. Believe it or not, this is after I wonked the settings to make it look better.



Pressing Start gives us the usual options. There are no files to Continue with and the Options screen has nothing interesting, so let’s dive right in and start a new game.





The first thing that happens is that we are asked to name our hero.



No crude joke names here, thank you very much! This is a Serious Let’s Play for Serious People.



Upon completing the registration the opening cutscene plays.



A deep, booming voice speaks in a strange language as words flash by on the screen.





The camera shifts to inside a locker, which is thrown open by our protagonist.



: Genic hunting again?





Ryu’s faceless companion slams his own locker door shut.

Music: Kind Friends







: Right, Ryu?











Ryu’s partner walks off, leaving Ryu in the locker room.









Suddenly, the scene switches to an entirely different perspective - perhaps a memory, perhaps a premonition.









The scene fades back to the menu emblem, which then fades into gameplay.





A fully dressed Ryu shuts his locker, and we gain control.



The locker room we begin in is small, poky and utterly devoid of anything to do, so let’s leave.

Music: Ranger HQ



We step out of the locker room and into the marginally more refreshing air of Ranger HQ.





There are a number of other Rangers scattered around the building who we can talk to. The Rangers are essentially a group of soldiers who keep the roads and towns clear of monsters, bandits and other nasties.



: With your D-Ratio, you’ll never move up the ranks anyway, so don’t push yourself.

Remember in the opening scene there was some kind of weird barcode on the back of Ryu’s neck? There was a number underneath it, but the resolution isn’t good enough to actually read it.



Good thing it’s also noted on the main menu. That number is Ryu’s D-Ratio. In the world of Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter a person’s D-Ratio effectively determines their position in life. The higher the number, the better their prospects. Ryu has a D-Ratio of 1/8192, which is pretty much the lowest of the low and means he’s unlikely to ever rise above the level of a grunt.





There’s another locker room over here, and this one has someone to talk to inside.

: I’m a little tired. I just came back from a genic hunting mission.



We can ask him for advice.

: Pay attention to the points on the Navi when you’re outside the living areas. They indicate the presence of enemies. Even weak genics can be formidable foes if they attack en mass.

: What’s a genic?



: Genics are made as domesticated creatures, but some go feral. Our job as Rangers is to protect the people from rogue genics.

Genics are genetically engineered beasties that serve as enemy encounters. Naturally we’ll be fighting a lot of them throughout the game.





There’s nothing else in this little section, so let’s climb the stairs into the HQ proper.





Ranger HQ is a pretty small area, but there are plenty of people to talk to.



: Captain Zeno is waiting for you in her office.



: Low-Ds are nuts.



: Those damn rangers! Nothing more than government lapdogs!









: He’s on his way to the top. Maybe even past the brass!

So, our partner’s name is Bosch, and his D-Ratio is much higher than Ryu’s.



: It’s full of bad air and rogue genics. I need to get better scores so I can get a post on a higher level…



: You’re doing well for a grunt…but a ride with the golden boy is gonna be rough!

Everyone seems to hold Bosch in high regard. From what everyone is saying he appears to be destined for great things.



Although they might just be saying that because he’s standing well within earshot.

: Hey, you ready?



: Waiting makes the captain…grumpy.



: Bosch 1/64 and…

: Ryu 1/8192 reporting, ma’am!







: I’ve called you in to review the details of your mission.



: You are to board the freight lift and guard its contents. An easy task for you two, no?



Zeno allows us to ask some questions.

: I’d like some more details about the mission…

: Board the high-speed lift sent from the BioCorp Labs and guard its contents.



: Where should we start?

: Ask at the lift port if you can take the transporter lift down to the LowSector Labs.



: What exactly are we guarding?

: As I am sure you are aware, BioCorp handles top secret materials. You don’t need to know what you’re protecting in order to do your job.



: Can we expect any resistance?

: We’ve received a recent report of a surge in Trinity activity. They may target cargo from BioCorp, so be on your guard.



: That’s all I wanted to ask, captain.



: Might I speak with you briefly before the mission?

: Of course… Ryu? Please wait outside.



Ryu salutes and leaves.







:…get this over with, partner.



Bosch walks off, and we regain control. What did he and Zeno talk about? Perhaps we’ll find out later.



We find that a new NPC has appeared in the office. Naturally, I’m going to talk to him. This is an RPG. We must talk to everyone!



: The air there is worse than ever. Visibility was so low a genic could have got me from anywhere.



: Got any advice for me?

: Be smart if you want to become a top Ranger. Fight on your own terms using bombs and bait. We call it ‘Positive Encounter and Tactics System’, or ‘PETS’. It’s a basic Ranger tactic. Essentially, the battle starts before the first blows are exchanged.

This is basically a quick run-down on Dragon Quarter’s battle system. I’ll be going into it in more detail once we actually enter combat.

: I’m going to BioCorp. Have to guard some cargo.



: All sorts of strange experiments go on at BioCorp. I’m sure the cargo must be full of slimy, nasty stuff.





The NPC blocking the door to the lift area is gone, but two more have appeared nearby.



: Any advice?

: You can lure most genics with bait. Use that to avoid unnecessary battles. Doesn’t sound too exciting? Let me tell you: all top Rangers do it.



: Got any tips for me?

: If you can’t run from a Genic, attack them before they touch you with the attack button. Getting the initiative is very important. Remember that.

Again, we’ll be discussing bait and pre-emptive strikes later on. For now it’s time to head through the door to the lift area.







We emerge into LowSector Junction, a small intersection between Ranger HQ, the lift area and LowSector Borough.



In the corner here we see a man standing next to what looks like a pair of payphones.



:…lets you save using a coin called a Save Token. Make sure to use it before you venture out of the living areas.

Yep, saving is limited in Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter. Don’t have any spare Save Tokens? Tough luck, your progress isn’t getting recorded. The NTSC version allows players to make a temporary save file called a Suspend Save that can be used anywhere and gets deleted when you load it, but for some bizarre reason this was stripped out in the PAL version. It compensates for this by giving the player nine Save Tokens to start with instead of the single one you get in the NTSC version.



:…stock up on weapons in town. It could save your life. If you need anything, head to LowSector over there.



You know, that sounds like a good idea. Let’s do that. I’m sure Bosch won’t mind us keeping him waiting.



Music: LowSector Borough



I’m sure those who have played previous Breath of Fire games, but not this one, have noticed the rather obvious elephant in the living room.



: The ceiling’s painted blue to look like a thing called ‘the sky’. I’m not really sure what that is, though.

Previous Breath of Fire games have all had a high fantasy setting, full of magic and castles and exotic locations.



I mentioned it in the opening post, but this game is not like the others. This Breath of Fire game is not high fantasy.



It’s post-apocalyptic science fiction.



: That’s where all the BioCorp genics and bio-machines are made.



Gone are the kingdoms and empires of the previous titles. Instead the entire game takes place in Sheldar, an enormous subterranean bunker housing the last remnants of humanity.





: They say the air quality is fine, but… *Koff* *Koff*







:…the generators, the air scrubbers… Everything is broken these days, and I can’t keep up with it!

Other games in the series maintained a mostly upbeat atmosphere. There were some dark moments, but on the whole the games were mostly cheerful and optimistic. By contrast the tone here is grim and foreboding. Everything is slowly decaying, right down to the very air that people breathe.





: But they’re sold out. There just isn’t enough to go around these days…

Food shortages are common, and the only livestock are vat-bred genics that probably taste awful.



:…enter the lab after hours.

It’s a radical departure from the formula, to say the least. And certainly not to everyone’s taste. The setting is one of the reasons this game was and continues to be so controversial. Personally I love the dystopian atmosphere, although I can understand why others might hate it. I hope that this Let’s Play will change some minds about that, or at least convince those who dislike it to give it a second chance.



But enough of that. Let’s have a look at what’s on sale here.





This is Arma, Dragon Quarter’s armour / weapons vendor.



She has a good selection of both, but we don’t have enough money to buy any of it.



:…unappraised. Bring them here, and I’ll appraise them for you!



This Momo lookalike is Jaju, the appraiser and item / equipment storage girl.



Occasionally during our travels we will come across pieces of equipment that aren’t identified. We can bring these to Jaju and she will tell us what they are, allowing us to use them. We don’t have any unidentified items right now, but it won’t be long before we find some.





Jaju’s second function is item storage. Inventory space in Dragon Quarter is very limited, so this is a blessing.



:…life? Take a look! Today’s special is Heal Kit!



Leo the item vendor is cleverly hidden behind this NPC we spoke to earlier.



She has a wide variety of useful items on sale, including both traps and restoratives. It’s always a good idea to stock up on Heal Kits (restore 50HP) and Aid Kits (Restore 100HP) because, barring a single skill, items are the only way to restore HP in this game.



Anyway, let’s stop beating around the bush and go meet up with Bosch already.

Music: Ranger HQ



Some new NPCs have spawned in the junction.

:…that came in the other day? Thanks a lot, Mr. Ranger!

It’s nice to be appreciated.





: Sure, if you try hard!

: I will!

Don’t let anything hold you back, kid.









As soon as we reach the bottom of the stairs we get a brief cutscene.





: The lift’s down. Typical…



By ‘lift’ they actually mean train. Just as Bosch says, the tracks are empty.



:…to walk down the tracks all the way to the labs? Grr. Let’s go.





After all that time, Bosch finally joins the party! He’s automatically assigned as the party leader, but we can change that fairly simply. We’ll be covering that, and more, in the next update.

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Bonus Art: Ryu


Bonus Art: Rangers