Breath of Death VII: The Beginning (XBLA) Review

Breath of Death VII: The Beginning is a fun, albeit short Role-playing experience that pokes fun at and pays tribute to the 8-bit RPG games of yore. Though I don’t plan on doing things for Indie games on days other than Friday (As much as I like to) I felt that I couldn’t pass up Breath of Death VII: The Beginning for a genuine review.

Though the title implies that this is the 7th installment in a series, this is not the case. Everything about Breath of Death is a parody of classic RPG conventions, from the title to its silent protagonist, it’s all represented here. References to more modern titles like Fallout 3 and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are prevalent throughout and easily recognizable to fans of these games.

Mmm... Retro goodness.

You play as Dem, a Skeleton Knight and the games silent protagonist (Though you can read his thoughts. So can several other characters.) who must adventure through a world populated by the undead with his party of fellow heroes that he finds on the way.

Gameplay-wise, the game feels similar to the original Dragon Quest titles on the NES, both when exploring the world and when engaged in one of the many random encounters. When you leave the safety of the towns littered across the world, you are at risk of encountering a variety of vicious beasts. Visually, these battles play out like a classic JRPG, your 8-bit foes are shown on screen as well as the various menus, all on a black background. Classic. But when you look at the actual battle flow, there’s one key difference. The battles here are fast-paced, which keep them short and sweet, unlike their retro-counterparts. The game has an interesting leveling system as well, which allows you to choose between a variety of stat-bonuses and gives you options in how you would like to customize your characters.

Though the classic role-playing feel is a huge draw, the real appeal comes from the game's price tag. It's a dollar. Overall, the game exceeds it's value. It's funny, it's a decent length (4-6 hours) and the classic feel of the title all add up to a fun experience. You'd be a fool to pass this one over. Don't forget, you can buy it online too!

- Kyle K.