Vagrant Story
A solo action RPG set in the ruined city of Leá Monde.
Vagrant Story, an action role-playing game from Square, launched on the PlayStation in 2000. Square Enix later brought it to the PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita via the PlayStation Network. The team behind Final Fantasy Tactics, led by Yasumi Matsuno, created the game. Set in Ivalice, it follows Riskbreaker Ashley Riot investigating a cult leader in Leá Monde. The game has no shops or NPC interactions, focusing instead on weapon crafting and puzzles. Critics praised it as one of the greatest games ever.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Square Product Development Division 4
- Publisher
- Square (WW); Square Electronic Arts (NA)
- Director
- Yasumi Matsuno
- Programmer
- Taku Murata
- Artist
- Hiroshi Minagawa; Akihiko Yoshida
- Writer
- Yasumi Matsuno; Jun Akiyama
- Composer
- Hitoshi Sakimoto
- Series
- Ivalice Alliance
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Vagrant Story is a solo action role-playing game in which the player controls Ashley Riot from a third-person perspective while exploring Leá Monde and the catacombs underneath. The player may switch into first-person perspective for a 360-degree view using the START button or right analog stick. Characters and sprites are proportionate, and navigation is in real-time on a three-dimensional field map, with areas stored in an in-game map menu. Ashley can run, jump, and push crates and cubes to navigate obstacles, adding puzzle and platforming elements. Block puzzles must sometimes be solved to advance the story; returning to a completed puzzle room triggers an optional time-attack mode called Evolve, or Die!!, where players race to the end for a ranking. In Battle Mode, a pausable real-time combat system similar to Parasite Eve is used. When the player taps the attack button, a spherical grid appears around Ashley, allowing targeting of individual body parts. The battle system involves chaining Chain Abilities by pressing buttons in timely succession, resembling a rhythm game. Defensive Abilities reduce or reflect damage or avoid status ailments, while Break Arts exchange hit points for increased damage. Magic is learned later using Grimoires dropped by enemies; once used, the spell remains in the menu and costs magic points to cast. Magic can attack, heal, create status effects, and manipulate elemental and enemy affinities, but cannot be chained.
Plot
The kingdom of Valendia is in the middle of a civil war, but the action of Vagrant Story unfolds entirely within the fictional city of Leá Monde. This ancient settlement, perched on a reef-girt island, has stood for over two thousand years. Its walls have endured countless battles and are said to be tougher than any fortress in Valendia. A devastating earthquake leveled the city twenty-five years before the story begins, leaving the ground treacherous and unstable. At the heart of Leá Monde stand the Grand Cathedral and the Temple of Kiltia, flanked by the relatively intact east and west districts and the immense, fortress-like City Walls. Below the surface lie an abandoned mine, a limestone quarry, the shadowy Undercity, and the Iron Maiden dungeon. Part of the city is covered by the Snowfly Forest, named for the insects that dwell there. The prologue takes place in the Graylands, while Valnain houses the headquarters of the Valendia Knights of Peace. The game’s visual design draws inspiration from southwestern France, particularly the town of Saint-Émilion. The protagonist, Ashley Riot, is a Riskbreaker—a member of the VKP’s elite security division. He is hunting Sydney Losstarot, leader of the Müllenkamp cult, who stormed Duke Bardorba’s manor to steal a key and kidnapped the duke’s son, Joshua. Ashley is accompanied by Callo Merlose, an Inquisitor agent, though he refuses to fight alongside her due to her inexperience. She is later taken hostage and learns the cult’s true purpose. A rival hunter, Romeo Guildenstern of the Crimson Blades, pursues Sydney without VKP approval. Another Riskbreaker, Rosencrantz, provides Ashley with intelligence and casts doubt on his past, noting that Riskbreakers always operate alone.
Development
Yasumi Matsuno, the producer and director, chose to build a completely new title through team collaboration rather than rely on familiar characters from sequels. Vagrant Story blends genres, mixing role-playing combat with platforming elements in its field maps. Matsuno said the team avoided labeling the game, aiming instead to give it its own genre. During design, a colleague who loved wine and favored Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux showed Matsuno photographs of France. Struck by the town's architecture, the design team traveled to France to incorporate those styles. A five-person team formed in September 1998, including Matsuno and the leads for graphics and decorations. Development started in January 1998 and lasted two years, with staff growing from 20 to 50 at its busiest. The story follows Ashley Riot as a loyal government agent before he becomes the vagrant caught up in events after Leá Monde. Plot inspiration came from Hollywood classics and blockbusters, plus European and Asian films. The gameplay targeted hardcore players who avoid hints and strategy guides. Over half the story was cut due to limits on capacity and development time. Memory issues proved the toughest challenge, forcing changes to the interface, texture mapping, and polygon meshes in maps, and the removal of AI-controlled supporting characters who would have joined Ashley.
Reception
In May 2000, Vagrant Story was the fifth best-selling PlayStation title of the month, with 100,000 units sold in the first 20 days, despite being overshadowed by Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross. It was the third of thirty games to date, and the only PlayStation game, to receive a perfect score of 40 from Famitsu magazine. Metacritic stated the critical response featured universal acclaim, while GameRankings ranked it as the 15th best PS game. IGN and GameSpot praised the gameplay and story; IGN described the story as deep and intuitive and said the battle system maintains strategy and balance. The graphics were seen as a breakaway from Square's contemporary clichés, with extensive detail given to backgrounds and character expressions. Sound effects were praised as well done and impressive, straying from Square's synthed noise. However, GameSpot described the battle system as too complex for beginner players, requiring comprehensive understanding of weapon customization. IGN noted enemy encounters can be more difficult than boss battles. 1UP.com noted the inventory was too limited for the vast number of customizations, troublesome because some bosses are only vulnerable to certain weapons. Eric Bratcher for Next Generation gave the game four stars out of five, praising story, graphics, and combat. Alexander O. Smith handled the English localization, using archaic English compared to the straightforward Japanese version; his effort was described by Andrew Vestal as an unparalleled and unprecedented work of translation despite occasional typos or grammatical hiccups. Vagrant Story won Best PlayStation Game in the E3 2000 IGN Awards and was nominated for Console Action/Adventure at the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. It was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual Best Game Story, Best Role-Playing Game, and Best Graphics, Artistic awards among console games.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed Vagrant Story?
Vagrant Story was developed by Square Product Development Division 4.
When was Vagrant Story released?
Vagrant Story was released on February 10, 2000 in Japan, on May 16, 2000 in North America and on June 21, 2000 in Europe.
Which series is Vagrant Story part of?
Vagrant Story is part of the Ivalice Alliance series.
Who composed the music for Vagrant Story?
The music for Vagrant Story was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
More in Square Enix Games of the 2000s
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