0:44 - How is it that despite the smallest screen and resolution of just about any 8-bit system, the Gameboy consistently has some of the most impressive use of scale and proportion??? Seriously, so many Gameboy games give you the impression of a massive world outside the main game, but within the game world. Amazing.
I discovered your Odysee channel today by searching for random retro-gaming related stuff. I'm your only subscriber - WTF? And then of course I subscribed to your YT channel, and then I came to Hungry Goriya's channel and found you in the comments. I should have predicted that - you guys are both too good to be popular. The reason I'm looking for channels on Odysee is that TH-cam might get blocked on Sunday here in Russia and so I'll have to use other platforms.
@@thewingedavenger1007 That's really cool! I found Hungry Goriya's channel myself for the first time a few months back originally searching for Simon's Quest I think. It's an excellent channel. I'm sorry you hear TH-cam may be blocked soon in your country -- that's really unfortunate. I had stopped cross-posting videos to Odysee because no one was watching but that's cool you actually found me there lol. Small world 🙂
I've always known that the Game Boy version exists but its absolutely fascinating to see how different it is than the Playstation version which is one of my absolute favorite games of all time. It looks like there are some characters and monsters that aren't in the other version here. The Playstation city builder aspect does everything from adding mini-games to introducing new love interests. I even think the Japanese version is voice acted. Your most valuable items in the game become your sword and your shield. I never saved in the tower and if I somehow died or "fainted" while building either up, I'd reset and scrap that run as a loss. +99 sword and shield are pretty much the equivalent of keeping your max levels. Plus that Tamawari soundtrack. Listen to it all the time. This was fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh nice! I'm really glad you enjoyed the review here, and it's cool to meet someone that's into the PS1 version! I'm curious to see what that one's like some day too. It sounds like your approach to it is very measured with a lot of experience. I wonder how you'd enjoy the Game Boy game knowing what you know from the other one!
@@hungrygoriya Hmmmm... that would definitely be interesting. Some of my main strategies for successful runs might not even be viable in the game boy version. Especially if the traps function differently. I should definitely see if I can get my hands on a copy for the comparison alone XD.
Something I really appreciate about your reviews is that, unlike many YT gaming channels, you provide a detailed personal account of your experience with the full game, rather than simply listing the back-of-the-box features and focusing on surface-level observations. I don't think I'll ever play most of the games you review, but it's nice to hear of the considered experiences of someone with vaguely similar tastes & perspectives to me on these games. I like experiencing these games by proxy through your reviews!
That's exactly what I'm going for! I've always wanted to make more subjective reviews that focus on my own experience because who am I to tell people what to like and not to like, you know? Everyone's going to have their own preferences and at the end of the day, the only thing I can really speak to are my own and my own experiences. Thanks so much!
This is one of those gems that I feel really lucky to have played when I was a kid. None of my friends nor i had ever heard of it but one day my best friends mom just randomly bought us both copies. We were like 8 and we both absolutely loved it and it felt like this secret game that only we got to enjoy out of our friend group. For some reason as a kid the game evoked alot of mystery to me and really captured my imagination despite the premise and story being very simple. Every few years I plug it back into my old GBC just for nostalgia sake. 🙂
Awww so nice to hear that you have such nice memories with this one! The one Game Boy game I feel I had a similar experience to you with was Link's Awakening. I replayed it a few years ago and it was such a nostalgia trip heading back through that game again. I'm glad you still enjoy it!
@Hungry Goriya oh cool! Yeah links awakening is such a great game another gbc gem for sure. BTW I really enjoyed the video and I think you gave azure dreams a pretty fair review :) I'm always curious to hear what others think about it (specifically the gbc version)
Azure Dreams was unexpected, and I loved it, even never having played it before. But it wasn't only that, I think this was your best video so far. You're getting better and better! Great job! Don't ever stop.
I played this version as a kid and had an awesome time with it, went back and played the ps1 version just last year. I would definitely recommend that version but it also comes with a steep initial learning curve. the gbc version has a lot more monsters which is a tad disappointing when you dont see your fav in better graphics. both versions are overflowing with content and as a kid having a game like this on a long trip was a godsend. I think the monster designs are pretty underrated too, there are some that give pokemon a run for its money. I also want to say that the gbc version has the best home screen of just about any video game Ive ever played. The intro song and seeing Koh staring at monsbaiya and the tower with his hair whipping back and forth is iconic.
Sounds like you're a huge fan then! I'd love to try the Playstation game one of these days just to see, but it's a bummer there's less monster stuff there. I wonder if I'd like the town/dating stuff as replacements for that though? I guess time will tell! I also loved the intro, especially the music they chose. It's so uplifting! There's so much wonderful music in this game and it's a shame you were always mostly stuck listening to that one song in the tower.
@@hungrygoriya Heya, big fan of Azure Dreams here (it's where my internet name has come from, and stuck after all these years, hehe!). I love both versions of the game, and can say with confidence that both are worth experiencing, because the versions are so different. The PS1 version, for example, doesn't have ANY bosses like the GBC version did. You can actually make it to the top floor on your first run, if you play very strategically and get a ton of luck on your side, lol. There's also far less Tower; the GBC version has 31 floors and 99 basement floors, but the PS1 version is just 40 floors. Good news is, the PS1 version has more musical variety within the tower; the music changes every 5 floors. The GBC version does sport more monsters and variety in that regard, but the PS1's dungeon crawling mechanics are a bit deeper (for instance, there's elevation mechanics). The PS1 version is also much harder, probably because there's far fewer actual dungeon floors to get through, haha. Would the dating and town-building stuff make up for that? I'd say no, they just offer something different. Which is why I firmly believe both versions are worth experiencing, because of how each focused on and expanded different parts of the gameplay ^u^
@@tamerkoh It's really neat that they both offer such a similar but also unique experience at the same time. I'd be curious to see what the PS1 version is all about someday, and also explore the 99 basement floors too. I didn't mention it in the review here since I didn't want to spoil the new game plus, but I think it's so cool that there's so much more to get to!
I love the Playstation version and had no idea there was a Gameboy Color one. Have to add that to my cartridge hunting list. It looked very similar to the PS version but hearing that the dating sim was dropped is a bummer. It was fun part that made the town feel that much more alive in a game. Thank you for the video!!
Yeah there was no dating in this one and barely any town stuff to do from my experience. That extra stuff sounds like a lot of fun, but apparently the GBC game has way more monsters to find if you're into that part of the adventure. And you're very welcome!
The town gets very pretty when you donate enough. Fusion was OP, arachne and alloyer would double the atk and def respectively for the resulting monster. Add doublestrike and the one Killer had and all you had to do is stay near that thing. I still use it to fall asleep.
What a treat this awesome video is! I'm glad the GBC version of Azure Dreams somehow made its way to you, as it definitely deserved a great review. I played this when it was new, not knowing what a rogue-like was. I liked it even though it wasn't what I expected. I still have the cartridge, and I see that it's worth over sixty bucks! Not many people know about this game, and that's probably because, as you pointed out, there were very few console games in this genre. Rogue-likes and rogue-lites have only become mainstream in the past few years. The 8-bit and 16-bit console generations didn't have a lot of games in this genre, but there were a handful, some of which you've reviewed: Taloon's Adventure (SNES) Shiren the Wanderer (SNES) Dragon Crystal (SMS) Fatal Labyrinth (SMD) Azure Dreams (GBC) Cave Noire (GB) Brandish (SNES, but the PSP version is preferable) One could argue that Azure Dreams isn't really a rogue-like because the combat is different from the above games, but it's still turn-based and the rest fits the bill; it also doesn't fit any other genre. There's a NES game called The Immortal which could also be classified as a rogue-like. Overall, gamers were unlikely to ever play this type of game back then!
It's disappointing to know that I've already seen over half the list of console experiences like this :( How sad! I do look forward to the rest, but especially The Immortal. It looks so fun to get destroyed in and I enjoy that kind of challenge. I hope you're hanging in there. It's very nice to see your comment this morning.
@@hungrygoriya The Immortal is probably the best example of a game that should be played with save states. It's sadistic. If things get ugly over here, I'll just go to Siberia!
You always manage to find cool and unusual titles to show off, and this is another really nice find. Thanks for sharing it. I do like rouge like games but always find I get bored after an hour or so, and never go back to them. ITs a nice GBC game for sure, and I would have loved that as a kid I think :) x
I do my best to focus on the stuff that's less talked about! I enjoyed my time with this game quite a bit and also think I would've had a blast with it when I was little.
The PS1 version has an interesting feature. If you play Metal Gear Solid, Psycho Mantis will detect any saves for Konami games on your save cards, including Azure Dreams. He will then say the names of every Konami game you have saved, before stating which genre of games you favor based on your saves. It's a neat little feature which I have never seen anywhere else.
If you enjoyed that you should try out eternal darkness something requiem. Great game cube game that messed with the player. Made you feel crazy at times.
Another great review indeed, you make me nostalgic about things I never knew or could never imagine existed, and this comes from a huge fan of retro games. You have quite a power, keep up the good work 👍
I haven't played the GBC version but looks pretty cool! I remember renting the PS1 version back in the day, then years later I found it at the flea market and bought it. You should definitely check out the PS1 version! I think I may have to revisit it myself, its been a long time since I've played it.
There's a sequel to this game on the DS called "Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal". I don't remember much of it, but from reviews, I can gleam that it wasn't too great, forcing a touch screen gimmick on the player any time they wanted to use spells and not really innovating on the gameplay of the gbc/psx games.
I’ve played some of Tao’s Adventure a few years back. There’s a town, but none of the characters are memorable, so I wasn’t motivated to try to improve the town. No dating either to my knowledge. The combat is okay. Unfortunately, the main character keeps his level and there is far less focus on monster breeding. Overall, I’d say don’t play it
I knew it had some link to that. Too many similarities to be just a coincidence. The story was very tame, and the spell writing was a nice touch at first, but got reaaaally annoying as the game went on, especially when certain spells had similar shapes, and you'd end up casting the wrong thing. I never finished it because it felt extremely repetitive, and I got it randomly without really looking into it, so I wasn't expecting that the game would be spent in the tower the entire way through. Other than that, I think they added an arena for your monsters to battle, and the characters weren't memorable. I also remember being terrified of opening chests and switching my equipment every time I came across one cause they could just degrade your gear back to the start in the blink of an eye. It was my first roguelite, and I enjoyed it for what it was, but definitely not a great one.
@@fralosemerned6990 Tao’s Adventure was made by Konami’s Shanghai studio, so I’m fairly certain it was a completely different team that made the game compared to Azure Dreams. I think that contributed to the drop in quality we experienced. But speaking of weapons and armor, there were rust traps in Azure Dreams that drop it’s power by one point. But at least some weapons and armor can’t rust, so it’s decently avoidable.
Why did I discover this channel just now? Terrific presentation and explanations. And your voice is quite pleasing, very radio-y. (is this a word?) Thank you, I recently rekindle interest in the game boy color and wanted some inspirarion.
I'm enjoying getting to know some of these games from other systems. I didn't have any Sega or Gameboy systems as a kid just a Nintendo so these are brand new to me. With all the stress of pandemic/post-pandemic life it's nice to relax in the evening with your content, thanks for making them.
Awww you're very welcome! I really enjoy making these videos, and it's nice to know that folks like you are also getting something out of them. Thanks for watching!
The idea of everything falling out of pockets while being dragged back to your bed upon a Game Over had me both laughing and horrified. A perfect balance for a fantastic review video. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and pocket sands with us.
Just wait until you play Ultima IV and Lord British raises you from the dead and takes your 5000 gold weapon that took you 3 hours to grind for as payment. >:(
I like and respect your attemtps at getting out of your zone of comfort, good video as always! I always got a kick out of these roguelike games, precisely because the risk you have to live with. Defeats are lessons in either what types of danger you're really dealing with, or to teach you that being cocky will bite you in the rear; while managing to do a succesful run or find something cool and keep it is a rush of satisfaction. The "bad" things people tend to point in these sort of games with punishing design choices are, to me, part of what makes them so memorable and engaging. Keep the good work and have a nice day!
Thanks! I thought this was a pretty fun little game. I love risk in adventures like this as well, but the only ones that were trouble were the boss fights. They were super unbalanced compared to most monsters you'd get beaten down by. Learning and strategizing in games is what I live for these days!
What a great review! Looking for information on this game, I stumbled upon a Hungry Goriya video, so I clicked, as simple as that. Coming from Twitch, I didn't even realize Hungry was on TH-cam (have I been living under a rock?). Looking forward to checking out the back catalogue!
Hahaha well, I'm not really huge on self promo even in my own stream, so I'm not surprised it has been a well-hidden surprise until now. I hope you enjoy the rest of what I've been doing over here, and thanks for checking everything out!
Thanks for the video HG this game looks like a lot of fun, I enjoyed it on the stream. You mentioning rogue like games had me realize that Twitch adds a rogue like flag to Diablo 1. So according to Twitch you probably have a lot of time on rogue likes.
An unexpected review! When I was going on my buying spree a few years ago buying any game that caught my eye. This came up a lot and I ways always curious but I never pulled the trigger. Watching videos sort of pushed me away and hearing you talk about, I don't think I would be interested enough to keep going. Great video as always! Hope to see your take on GBA rpgs at some point!
Honestly, it's a bit tedious at times. I think as a game you'd pick up once or twice a week and try to get through might be a fun way to play, but for something you're dedicating yourself to playing several nights a week for long periods like I did while I was streaming it, it wasn't as fun. I would love to play some GBA RPGs. I have a few in my collection I've been interested in trying out. Any suggestions?
@@hungrygoriya With this one, I blitzed it over the 3-4 days that I spent visiting family one festive season. That worked out pretty well. I'm not sure I'd have stuck with it if I'd been playing it gradually over the course of a couple of weeks.
@@TheIndieOcean I'm not sure if I'd like it gradually either. I just know long bursts with it did start to feel a little drawn out on stream a few times despite enjoying my time with it.
@@hungrygoriya I think I've seen a few that you happen to have at some point. Which if you haven't tried out either Fire Emblems on the system then I highly recommend them. Some more interesting ones that I've been meaning to get to myself have been Sigma Star and Cima. Of course Golden sun as well. Riviera is something I've been eyeing for awhile but I'm unsure if I really want to get into that haha. Sorry for a little winded reply, a mix of something I'm very familiar with along with games that are more out there. Stay away from Yggdra Union unless you want to have a bad time.
On the ps game there was diamond, mirror and I think copper equipment that were immune to rust traps so were good options to put sand on to keep from loosing stats- something I wish I had learned early on. From what I remember there was a bit of path branching to at least one of the dating/character development storylines. A number of the town projects opened up minigames or introduced more characters to interact with. The town upgrades are also probably more rewarding with the better graphics. I remember hitting certain points in the tower where progress slowed to a crawl due to needing to grind up my familiars to keep progress with the stronger enemies- though that could be the product of trying to fully clear floors all the time. For a more traditional take on an rpg with a dating sim element I'd recommend checking out Thousand Arms. It feels a little unfinished in a few places, but has some neat stuff and characters to make up for it.
Yeah most of that town/dating stuff was removed from this version of the game, but good to know that it was fun in the PS1 version. I don't think I ever ran into anything diamond, mirror, or copper here. I might not have played for long enough by the end of the game, but I was at least 20 hours in before I put it down after reaching the tower top. I've heard interesting stuff about Thousand Arms. I think I'd really enjoy it!
I got the PS1 version because someone said it was kinda like Pokemon. Now I have to check my RG300's GBC library to see how it compares. Nowadays the most Gameboy Color games I play are either the Zelda trilogy or something with a Rumble pack like Vigilante 8 or Pokemon Pinball.
From what I understand, this game has a ton more focus on the monster stuff if that's what you're into. It has some aspects of Pokemon for sure but the battling and "evolving" is quite different. Tons here to do, but a bit of a learning curve. I hope you enjoy it either way!
Given the set save spots, I wonder how this would have been for travelling, say, for a commute, back in the day. Was the tower gameplay modular enough to accommodate that, or was just "one of those things"? Also, this video has made me really curious about the PS1 game now!
Getting to save every floor was a treat so if you had to shut your game off quickly, you weren't losing too much progress. You never really got screwed over by saving too often either. The only problem I could see is ending up in a sticky situation but not having a wind gem to warp out with and having to take a death, but that never happened to me. I hope you check out the PS1 game. I'd like to as well sometime!
@@hungrygoriya Oh, I know you mentioned that you could save when moving floors, but I didn't realize that the floors were structured in bite-sized chunks like that - that's really cool, and a great design for a handheld game! Thank you for answering! 🙂
@@hungrygoriya If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend Torneko no Daiboken for SNES if you feel like exploring further into the console-rogue genre. That one is full of charm and very well made. There is an English translation patch that covers both the story and gameplay/menus, though the intro has a bit of text condensed due to limitations on how they could manipulate the code. This and its sequel on SNES called "Shiren the Wanderer" are my favorite console rogue games. (There's a good translation for Shiren also)
@@WalrusFPGA I have it but haven't played it yet! Thanks for the reminder. Shiren the Wanderer is one I haven't picked up yet, but I'll definitely keep an eye out.
@@hungrygoriya We really lined up on this game, it's got it's points where it kinda feels like you're just doing the same thing over and over again but once your run gets deep and you have items of value you suddenly feel the weight of the risk of each decision to not return. I really loved the art in this game, I can only really remember Lufia and Shantae being even close to as gorgeous as this game was at the time. I think partially that was just seeing decent anime art in a GBA game was pretty impressive, I loved the portraits. Still do.
@@EatingCtrlV It's that discomfort of risk that I really enjoy in games and I wish this one just had more of it! More scary enemies, more things to overcome. The final few floors were really jam-packed with those feelings but it would've been cool to see even more still! I can't wait to play Lufia and Shantae too. I've yet to play a single Shantae game, but Lufia 1 and 2 were easily some top games for me (though Lufia 2's puzzles can go and die a horrible death). There's something very lovely about this game's presentation that I was very enamoured by. I'm glad we are on the same page here!
It seems like that's a consensus from a few folks here. Definitely more monsters, but sorely lacking in the social aspects. Thanks for checking this out :)
I saw a small review for this game in Club Nintendo (the Mexican version of Nintendo Power) and I got really excited about it... Sadly, it was never sold on my country. Now, my curiosity for this game has finally been solved. Thank you for sharing your experience!
This game hit just right for me. One of my favorite monster raising games to date. Thought the handheld version was the better one considing how much more content they could pack into that tiny cartridge.
I had the PS1 version as a kid, and I really remember my time with it... With the airbike thing. I don't remember too much about it though, tower, missing dad, town fixing, digital anime girl friends, little sister. I think that about covers it. Great video though, as I've never touched the GBC version, and you made it sound like fun.
There is no airbike thing in the GBC version so I'm grinning over here wondering what that's all about! Thanks very much for the kindness. It was a fun game! I think I'd like to play it a bit more casually and see where the game goes, or even replay with different monsters.
@@hungrygoriya When you get enough money you can buy the "Airbike thing" and zip all around town on it. You can't take it to the tower with you, and I don't know if it gives you in game clout, but I really enjoyed playing with it, I think I was like 11 or fresh 12 when I owned this game.
@@galloe8933 That's really cool! I guess it lets you move faster through the tower then? That seems like a great plus to have on your side. There's a run button in this version, thank goodness!
I’ve recently been working through the three Game boy handheld libraries in search of games that are worth playing. I started this one but put it aside for some reason. It is a good title though. I can imagine playing countless hours of it during downtime at work overnight :) I ran across a regular Game boy adventure game called Ninja Taro that’s worth a shot if you’re interested. I’m sure you have a sprawling backlog.
I picked up Ninja Taro a few months ago actually! Rolan's Curse broke my heart, but Ninja Taro looks like it's the game I wanted Rolan's Curse to be. I'm excited to try it out sometime!
@@hungrygoriya Rolan’s Curse 2 is much better than the first one. I played through both of them a few years ago, actually starting with the second one since I’d heard that it was a bit more polished. Another odd title on the original Game Boy is Mysterium; it’s a first person dungeon crawler type without the character development but instead has a fussy sort of alchemy formula worked into it. I’m not really selling it well, I realize, but it is worth a try. As a portable game there just wasn’t anything like it back in the Game boy era.
@@7thangelad586 Yeah I'm looking forward to Rolan's Curse 2 as well sometime for the reasons you mentioned. And now that you mention Mysterium, I think I ended up buying it after a conversation just like this one in the past. It may have been with you actually!
Dang! I have to play this game now! it looks like a mix of Dragon Warrior Monsters and Pokemon Mystery dungeon! Another great review as always! also The Dad of Hun?! lol
It's definitely a fun time! I hope you have fun with it if you do end up playing it. And thanks so much! I always name my character "Hun" so folks know I actually played the game myself, and "the dad of Hun" came up a lot from NPCs. It was so funny! I think the localization got worse as the game went on. That seems to be a trend in a lot of the things I play.
I really like monster management ganes with real time combat. I especially like the ability to modify the ai, or have monsters with different behaviors that are usable in combat. Does anyone know any high quality games that focus on gathering and using a team with close to real time combat, risks, and rougelite elements?
I really enjoyed the PS1 game, but never played the GBC one. It was certainly tedious at times, but it was fun leveling up my gold sword/mirror shield (weak, but immune to the constant barrage of rust traps on higher levels) so I could save my trusty golem with double speed until higher floors of the tower and conserve its MP. I thought that building up the town and relationships with the townspeople was a lot of fun, but it looks like the GBC version either downplayed that, or you just didn't find it compelling enough to stick to it. I'd be curious to try this sometime just to see how it compares.
I think the dating's missing entirely from this version, unfortunately. From what I know about the port to GBC, they added more monsters and stripped out a lot of the town building and dating stuff. And for the relationships with townspeople, their dialogue changes as you go but other than finding a few items through the tower that changed the town once in a while, there wasn't much more than that.
Gotta love the friend that always insults your hometown whenever they see you. This looks pretty fun, and kind of makes me think of Torneko: The Last Hope though I know it's not the same genre. There is definitely something here to get lost in. You would think they'd work more on the inventory space, but maybe it'd a memory thing. Awesome review!
Yeah who knows what the limitations were? Pretty cool nonetheless! I know a few people who still trash talk my hometown whenever we visit... it gets old pretty quick!
@@dracoerrarus4834 Ya know, I don't know why I said they weren't. Maybe I was just thinking about some of the aspects, but they really are the same genre.
"She'll lock her giant gaze with yours" XD One of several turns of phrase here that made me laugh! It's good to hear what your final thoughts were. I'd be curious to see what you'd make of the Playstation version, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it in light of the criticisms you had of this one. It suffers from the same repetition of the early floors, and it takes significantly longer to reach the top of the tower (I never did, despite playing for much longer than I played (and finished) the GB version). I wonder also what you'd think of Shiren the Wanderer. That was a Super Famicom game originally, though it was ported (and translated) for DS eventually. It's another "semi-roguelike but no permadeath" game, and I suspect it was an influence on Azure Dreams.
Oh, and the lack of weapon stats here is baffling. I realise that GB carts had very limited storage capacity, but surely they could have dropped one or two monsters to make room for something as fundamental as indicating weapon strengths?!
I'm surprised that you never made it! That's a significant change in pacing and I'm not sure that I would've appreciated so much work that never came to fruition like that. I think I've heard of Shiren the Wanderer before. I'll have to look into the SFC version and see if a) I can find it and b) if it got a translation patch. By your recommendation I imagine it did!
@@TheIndieOcean Totally baffling! It was very frustrating for me to never know what was better or not. The PS1 game seemed to have some of that in the manual, but I didn't know if it crossed over to the GBC game. Plus I didn't check that while I was playing either, haha
@@hungrygoriya Well the tower on PS1 is several times the size, and the town stuff takes A LOT longer. You probably spend almost as much time in town as you do in the tower. So between those two factors it increases the play time enormously. I'd guess it's probably a 40-50 hour game.
I didn't know there was a GBC version of this game. Then again, I only briefly played a friend's PS1 copy and never got the chance (or the time) to go back to it via other means. Not to mention I was never fond of portable systems after the classic Game Boy; I ended up with the Super Gameboy for SNES, GB attachment for the Gamecube, and even nowadays I keep my Switch docked 99% of the time. I'm apparently so old-school I can't even appreciate portable consoles. :/ Welp... guess I'll live vicariously through your review. :)
I played this one with the GameCube's Game Boy Player, which essentially does the same thing as the Super Game Boy but just for GBC/GBA games. It also plays regular Game Boy as well, which is really convenient! I'm not a huge fan of portable consoles at this age. My old lady eyes just won't deal with the smallness of things. I much prefer playing them on a bigger screen. I keep hoping they'll release something that does DS on a big screen too!
This game is actually one of my favorites of all time (I played it on PS One) I am curious to see what you have to say. Fun fact, the bully can in fact become a love interest in the Japanese version of the PSX release. And a pro Tip, if you can get and keep a gold sword and mirror shield and build them up, you can turn the character player into a god. It does mean you can't die, you have to hold on to those and keep putting sands on them, but neither of them can rust so they never lose power as long as you don't die.
I'll have to give the PS1 game a run through someday. It looks like the stuff they added in would make for an interesting replay at least! And thanks for the tip about the gold sword and mirror shield! I'll keep that in mind!
Huh, I never knew there was a gameboy version. I have the playstation version lying around deep in my backlog, though. Sounds like the standard form of JRPG roguelikes. I'm not sure just how the evolution went, since I haven't played too many of them, but they generally have a loose your stuff when you die mechanic, and tend to punish you for resetting and reloading. I've always found that frustrating, so it's nice to know Azure Dreams lets you reset without penalty. I know they are trying to replicate that true roguelike feeling of risking it all to explore the dungeon, but I actually prefer a game like Dragon's Crystal where you just start over if you die. Knowing that I'll never get to keep my stuff no matter what is very freeing; but knowing that I could have kept my stuff if only I hadn't died, that just pisses me off. Maybe it's weird to think that way, but that's just how I am.
Yeah they let you save very often in Azure Dreams so resetting isn't such a detriment. I love Dragon Crystal but it's just too damn hard to keep motivated with how much RNG there is. I know that's the point, but waiting for that one good run is like torture as well! I laughed about your sentiments on losing stuff when you die! Thankfully other than weapons, I didn't feel there were too many heartbreakers when I died, but I didn't die too often either. I was a wimp and warped out at the first sign of trouble. You have a chance to escape for the most part.
This seems like a cute little game I'd like to try on a rainy day. Although some those character dialogue portraits could back off an inch or two or be shrunk a touch. Maybe on a gbc screen it's not so... overwhelming.
Interesting review of a game I only have ever played on the PS1. I knew of the game boy version but I have literally never looked into it because I had no more gameboy at the point.
Thanks very much! This version's definitely great if you like the monster bits but it has virtually none of the town building/dating aspects of the PS1 game. Different strokes!
@@hungrygoriya Indeed, and it doesn't even really end there with the differences. The Japanese version has proper voice acting, too. They took that out for the overseas release. The music is also really good on the PS1 (imho), I used to be a huuuge Konami fanboy of that era, with Suikoden I being my top fave. On a sidenote, Masters of Monsters, Disciples of Gaia also had a pretty good monster battle system, including fusion. The free and open source game "Battle of Wesnoth" is based on the Masters of Monsters series. But it's likely that you know this already...but if you didn't, well, random videogame trivia.
@@dorklymorkly3290 Oh nice! I had no idea about those two you mentioned there... I always like to learn about new games so thanks for the info. I need to have a listen to the PS1 soundtrack apparently! The music in the Game Boy game was okay but pretty limited.
Haha yeah, I always try to make sure I put my own name into the game so people know I played it myself, but Hungry is weird? So I default to Hun. There was a clip in this game where someone calls you "hon" and it made me chuckle.
Yeah! The Ancient Cave! I just finished up Lufia II a few weeks ago and I really liked it in there. I only played through once since I was streaming it and didn't want to bog down the game progress too much but it's something I'm looking forward to returning to.
I was thrilled to learn from you about this Roguelike that doesn't have perma-death... until I looked on eBay to see that it sells for over $100. Wow. Was this just a rare game? Thanks for the videos!
I know it came out after the PS1 version, but I didn't think it was particularly rare? I'm not entirely sure, but I think there's a pretty large inflation in retro game pricing at the moment. I've mostly stopped collecting because of how expensive everything's gotten. I picked this up six years ago with some Pokemon games.
I have a physical collection so I tend to stay on original hardware. I have nothing against emulation, but owning the games gives me an excuse to play them.
I played the PS version. But not very much. I liked the idea but I just couldn't stick with it. I kept feeling like I never made progress and I hated started at the start of the tower. It wasn't bad but not for me. I had no idea there was a GBA version. I wonder if that would have stuck with me more
I enjoy the idea of a roguelite where you are chipping away at a larger story as you go, even though you're always starting over. Roguelikes with their permadeath and clean slate every time have their appeal, but it's nice when there's progress to make on a grander scale. I hear you though... the repetitiveness was a bit much for me towards the end. I wonder if newer games in this vein have streamlined things somehow.
I’ve played the PS1 version many times, and while it’s never been in my top favorites, it has an appeal that brings me back over and over. Thanks for letting me know there’s a GBC version. I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
There are a few differences between this one and the PS1 version (some for better and some for worse) and I'd be curious to hear what you think about them. Enjoy if you play this!
Thanks for the review, Hun. I put some time into Dragon Crystal awhile ago and it was ok - but like all roguelikes it was WAY too dependent on RNG, so I gave up on it after awhile. Azure Dreams just seems too _slow_ for me. I enjoy roguelikes and put a lot of time into them as a kid (just call me @), but I'll give this one a pass. I do like the big, detailed character graphics though. One I _will_ recommend is Torneko's Mystery Dungeon for the Super Famicom, which Aeon Genesis gave a wonderful English translation. It's a based on Torneko (Taloon), the arms dealer from Dragon Warrior 4, and is a roguelike where success in the dungeon expands your weapon shop. Like all things Dragon Quest it can be very cute, and IMO it's worth playing. Roguelikes are different from traditional RPGs in that you can play a single run of the dungeon, get as far as you can, and turn it off to play next time. I think a portable roguelike could capitalize on that aspext really well, since portable games tend to be characterized by short, repeatable experiences. I'm just not sure this one will deliver for me. Thanks for the review, Hun! - the artist currently known as icandanc3, for some reason
Oh hey! Fancy meeting you here as well! This game was quite slow, you're right. That was the spirit of what I was trying to get at towards the end: it'd be good as something to pick up once in a while and play a bit, but not to approach it how I did while streaming it where I put in several 4-5 hour stints a week. I think I have a copy of Torneko's Mystery Dungeon! I can picture the label in my head. I haven't tried it out yet but I thought it looked very fun when I was looking at SFC lists to find some games to pick up. I'll have to move it up the list!
you should play some of the newer PC roguelikes to get accustomed to the genre. games like Caves of Qud, Tales of Maj'Eyal, and Cataclysm:DDA (though I don't think the last is really a roguelike, everyone calls it one, so...) are way easier than the usual trappings of the genre and are how I learned how to get into the genre when I was a young teenager, since most knowledge from them is transferable to others. If you really weren't interested in the real artistic origins and design choices of the main roguelikes, the ones that came out on handhelds work great too. Shiren the Wanderer/Pokemon Mystery Dungeons games are all super easy and arguably more roguelites and are definitely great introductions to the genre as a whole, especially counting their wonderful stories (in the pokemon games) which is something most roguelikes tend to ignore beyond lore and worldbuilding. Still, I highly recommend those PC roguelikes I mentioned at the top. They're the easiest of the genre and most of them even let you straight up turn off permadeath (or skirt around it without major consequence, as in CDDA) and are, honestly, some of the most fun the genre has to offer.
I'm sure I'll get around to some other roguelikes eventually. Right now I'm working on retro stuff primarily, but I definitely enjoy the genre and would love to see more games like this one! Thanks for the suggestions!
Hmm... This game's font and windows remind me of the first Robopon. ...and every time I mention Robopon, I feel obligated to mention Robopon 2, which clearly had people from Quintet working on it. (No, really. Four Quintet names are literally in the credits, including Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, and it "borrows" distinct graphical elements from old Quintet games.)
I hope you like it! I'd love to finish it someday. It's on the Master System and the Game Gear, and from what I know, the Game Gear version's supposed to be a little kinder.
@@hungrygoriya Just started it, and love that it is effectively a predecessor to Fatal Labrynth. I thought it was neat how they used a similar interface between generations, but getting to the second level, and seeing "Those [redacted] crystals," this game has officially taken priority over my trying to get a full run of Fatal Labrynth
“Your a total wiener or a horrible person.” Caught me off guard lol. Also I love staring at someone’s face when saving my game, it’s a past time of mine.
The people in the bar were so mean at the beginning of the game :( When's your list of top 5 games with people staring at you while you save coming out?
When hearing the word roguelike, I instantly think of the Shiren the Wanderer series. It's part of the larger Mystery Dungeon series and I personally believe it's the best one. Do you think you'll review one of the games in the future?
I’ve been waiting for this review which as usual is informative as heck. This is the one game I never really got around to playing. It looks good and I would like to give it a shot, but damn the price of it now just sucks. Most of my expensive games were worth the money like Metal gear solid for GBC, Survival kids, Lone Ranger for NES and a few others, but this one idk.
Yeah, I hadn't realized the price had gone up so much. I got my copy as part of a lot with some Pokemon games back in 2016 and haven't looked at its price since.
@@hungrygoriya oh nice yea a couple of my expensive games I got a few years back as well at a decent price some were still expensive, but nothing like now. For me prices have been flat out discouraging now. Emulators aren’t my thing plus I don’t know much about them, but it does seem like a route I’m going to have to explore sometime.
@@gameboydadtm37 Yeah, it's a bummer the way things have gone price-wise. I've thankfully already got a lot here and could never buy another game and be pretty happy with my collection, but I really, really miss the hunt. Collecting used to be a big part of my gaming adventures and the fact that it's all just dwindled down to nothing has been so sad for me.
@@hungrygoriya I know what you mean. That’s a good point until you just mentioned it I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t given it much thought. The thrill of finding a new game to play is almost gone. I don’t really play many new generational games, but lately I have been trying to find games that have been ported over to newer consoles like the DS, switch and PlayStation. Games like star ocean for the SNES and the Valis series. Also there’s new games like Hyper light drifter and Huntdown that are like games of our time. While that’s cool there’s still so many games out there that haven’t been ported over and new games that try to replicate games of our time, but fail. I do have a good amount of games in my collection and my collection is of games I love to play, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be yet. Theres games like Soulblazer, metal slug advance, flink, great greed and a few others I wanted to play. Also Azure Dreams, but now I have no idea when I’m ever going to get to play them.
@@gameboydadtm37 That's a disheartening feeling, and I can totally relate to that as well. I'm sorry you're not able to collect what you want at the moment, but I truly hope that things quiet down in the retro gaming collecting realm. You're right that we're lucky to live in a time where we're seeing so many remakes and can experience some games, but it certainly won't replace the excitement of game hunting.
The PS1 version of this was the cheapest used game at the shop back in the day, so I bought it. I didn't know what a roguelike was, I just saw the random levels and thought it seemed cheap or lazy and took it back. To this day, I don't remember what I actually got instead. But had I gotten it for the GBC, I think it would have been much more in line with my expectations for that platform and I would have given it a fair shake. I didn't know it was as involved as all this.
Awww too bad you didn't take the plunge back then! There's still time to give this one a go someday if you're so inclined. The genre's pretty awesome and rewarding.
@@hungrygoriya I was at that age where I was desperately trying to prove I wasn't a little kid anymore, so I didn't jibe well with anything I found too cutesy (which in hindsight, was a very blurry line). So it wasn't the right time for me. I did eventually learn to appreciate roguelikes through all the elements that made it into other genres, and I'm playing through Fatal Labyrinth on the Genesis in between other things (Octopath!). So maybe this is the right time to go back & give PS1 Azure Dreams another shot.
My first roguelike was Azure Dreams for the PS1 and it's still one of my favorite games. I don't have a Game Boy Color, but I'd really like to try this version too. It seems to retain a surprising amount of the features from the Playstation game...
a clasic even tough i played it about a year ago. Beat it in like 3-5 tries. If anyone likes pokemon mistery dungueon or similar this one will most likelly be a pleasure to play
@@hungrygoriya i stopped playing as soon as i completed the story but i still have the save and a lot of things to do so i'll probably continue playing sometime in the future
It still blows my mind that they got the core gameplay loop of a PSone game crammed into a Game Boy Color cart. I know AD wasn't the most technically ambitious title on Sony's console, but it's still impressive. Both this and the PlayStation original are games I've wanted to play for a long time, but I've never seen physical copies of either in person, nor have I seen an online listing that was even a remotely reasonable price... That said, this particular version looks like it would be perfect for knocking out a few floors on the bus or before bed. I love monster catching games, and find rogue-lites really engaging, I could definitely see myself spending a lot of time with this between bigger adventures
I hope you end up with a copy of this in your hands someday. How you've described wanting to play it is how I think I'd like to try it sometime. I was playing it in long bursts for streams and I think it would've been a lot more fun casually. There is a ton to do in this game in the monsters department and that's really appealing to me for replay value.
@@hungrygoriya Yup yup! I love the monster designs, too. Konami has been all about the retro rereleases lately, so my secret hope is that Azure and the Suikoden games can all end up available easily on modern platforms soon
Most Mystery Dungeon games are more like Azure Dreams than Dragon Crystal. Where you have some form of hub to talk to people, store items and get companions. Though Azure Dreams probably has the better mechanics of this. I really wish they released a sequel that was super different and.. not as good as Azure Dreams (Tao's Adventure). Though I'm going to give Tao's another look.
I'm curious about other Mystery Dungeon games! There was someone else in the comments here mentioning how Tao's Adventure wasn't very good, but I am a little curious despite my skepticism!
@@hungrygoriya I think most of the "not good" comes from the lower screen magic mechanics. You have to draw to cast spells and the recognition was pretty poor. I think it might have been pretty short too.
Huh, never knew there was a GBC version of this game. Seeing how this one works compared to the PlayStation version, it seems they captured most of what the game is about. Some things look like they're missing but that's to be expected with the hardware limitations. It's still impressive they got what they did on there though based on what I'm seeing here. Pretty amazing they took a full PSX game and got so much of it crammed on to the hand held.
A reputation for being a troublemaker, a wiener, and a horrible person? I've never related so much to a video game character in my life! Thank you for mentioning the PS1 game because while I've never played either the name rang a bell and I kept thinking: "Isn't this the wrong system for this game?" I was so confused until you pointed that out.
I mostly enjoyed the PS1 version for a time when I played it back in the day. I borrowed it from one of my friends, but I didn't get all the way through it. The repetitive nature eventually took it's toll, I gave it back to my friend as I needed take a break from it. I think the game might been a bit more palatable if you had check points where you started at that floor and lvl rather the beginning every time. I think the game had a lot of good concepts , which was a good game but fell short of greatness due to the combat being being so so when you fight solo and having repeat too much of the game over and over.
I can definitely see the repetition growing old. I did find this Game Boy game a little boring walking through the first floors over and over again too. I just wanted to get back to the new action!
@@hungrygoriya I'd feel same way when I'd play old school games when Id run out of continues near the end of the game. I'd have replay so much stuff to get back to the part I screwed up. Generally those kind of games usually weren't too long but it's no wonder people always were looking for cheat codes for extra lives or level selects to get to the parts they really needed the practice on. At some point you'd like to make some progress.
This is one of those games that I would’ve loved to play when I was a kid but I never knew about it until just now
No time like the present!
@Engie Thank you :) I'm so glad!
0:44 - How is it that despite the smallest screen and resolution of just about any 8-bit system, the Gameboy consistently has some of the most impressive use of scale and proportion??? Seriously, so many Gameboy games give you the impression of a massive world outside the main game, but within the game world. Amazing.
I love love love how the Game Boy looks every time I pick up something new. This game's no exception!
That's just the PS1 box art in 8 bit rendition
I discovered your Odysee channel today by searching for random retro-gaming related stuff. I'm your only subscriber - WTF?
And then of course I subscribed to your YT channel, and then I came to Hungry Goriya's channel and found you in the comments. I should have predicted that - you guys are both too good to be popular.
The reason I'm looking for channels on Odysee is that TH-cam might get blocked on Sunday here in Russia and so I'll have to use other platforms.
@@thewingedavenger1007 That's really cool! I found Hungry Goriya's channel myself for the first time a few months back originally searching for Simon's Quest I think. It's an excellent channel.
I'm sorry you hear TH-cam may be blocked soon in your country -- that's really unfortunate. I had stopped cross-posting videos to Odysee because no one was watching but that's cool you actually found me there lol. Small world 🙂
I've always known that the Game Boy version exists but its absolutely fascinating to see how different it is than the Playstation version which is one of my absolute favorite games of all time. It looks like there are some characters and monsters that aren't in the other version here. The Playstation city builder aspect does everything from adding mini-games to introducing new love interests. I even think the Japanese version is voice acted. Your most valuable items in the game become your sword and your shield. I never saved in the tower and if I somehow died or "fainted" while building either up, I'd reset and scrap that run as a loss. +99 sword and shield are pretty much the equivalent of keeping your max levels. Plus that Tamawari soundtrack. Listen to it all the time. This was fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh nice! I'm really glad you enjoyed the review here, and it's cool to meet someone that's into the PS1 version! I'm curious to see what that one's like some day too. It sounds like your approach to it is very measured with a lot of experience. I wonder how you'd enjoy the Game Boy game knowing what you know from the other one!
@@hungrygoriya Hmmmm... that would definitely be interesting. Some of my main strategies for successful runs might not even be viable in the game boy version. Especially if the traps function differently. I should definitely see if I can get my hands on a copy for the comparison alone XD.
Something I really appreciate about your reviews is that, unlike many YT gaming channels, you provide a detailed personal account of your experience with the full game, rather than simply listing the back-of-the-box features and focusing on surface-level observations. I don't think I'll ever play most of the games you review, but it's nice to hear of the considered experiences of someone with vaguely similar tastes & perspectives to me on these games. I like experiencing these games by proxy through your reviews!
That's exactly what I'm going for! I've always wanted to make more subjective reviews that focus on my own experience because who am I to tell people what to like and not to like, you know? Everyone's going to have their own preferences and at the end of the day, the only thing I can really speak to are my own and my own experiences. Thanks so much!
This is one of those gems that I feel really lucky to have played when I was a kid. None of my friends nor i had ever heard of it but one day my best friends mom just randomly bought us both copies. We were like 8 and we both absolutely loved it and it felt like this secret game that only we got to enjoy out of our friend group. For some reason as a kid the game evoked alot of mystery to me and really captured my imagination despite the premise and story being very simple. Every few years I plug it back into my old GBC just for nostalgia sake. 🙂
Awww so nice to hear that you have such nice memories with this one! The one Game Boy game I feel I had a similar experience to you with was Link's Awakening. I replayed it a few years ago and it was such a nostalgia trip heading back through that game again. I'm glad you still enjoy it!
@Hungry Goriya oh cool! Yeah links awakening is such a great game another gbc gem for sure.
BTW I really enjoyed the video and I think you gave azure dreams a pretty fair review :)
I'm always curious to hear what others think about it (specifically the gbc version)
I haven't subscribed to a channel this quickly in quite a while! Your voice overs and attention to detail are top-notch! Keep up the good work!!
Thanks very much! Glad to have you on board.
Azure Dreams was unexpected, and I loved it, even never having played it before. But it wasn't only that, I think this was your best video so far. You're getting better and better! Great job! Don't ever stop.
Oh thanks so much! I find with every video, I'm trying something new or looking into how to introduce a new edit or two, so I'm glad it's paying off.
I played this version as a kid and had an awesome time with it, went back and played the ps1 version just last year. I would definitely recommend that version but it also comes with a steep initial learning curve. the gbc version has a lot more monsters which is a tad disappointing when you dont see your fav in better graphics. both versions are overflowing with content and as a kid having a game like this on a long trip was a godsend. I think the monster designs are pretty underrated too, there are some that give pokemon a run for its money. I also want to say that the gbc version has the best home screen of just about any video game Ive ever played. The intro song and seeing Koh staring at monsbaiya and the tower with his hair whipping back and forth is iconic.
Sounds like you're a huge fan then! I'd love to try the Playstation game one of these days just to see, but it's a bummer there's less monster stuff there. I wonder if I'd like the town/dating stuff as replacements for that though? I guess time will tell!
I also loved the intro, especially the music they chose. It's so uplifting! There's so much wonderful music in this game and it's a shame you were always mostly stuck listening to that one song in the tower.
@@hungrygoriya Heya, big fan of Azure Dreams here (it's where my internet name has come from, and stuck after all these years, hehe!). I love both versions of the game, and can say with confidence that both are worth experiencing, because the versions are so different.
The PS1 version, for example, doesn't have ANY bosses like the GBC version did. You can actually make it to the top floor on your first run, if you play very strategically and get a ton of luck on your side, lol. There's also far less Tower; the GBC version has 31 floors and 99 basement floors, but the PS1 version is just 40 floors. Good news is, the PS1 version has more musical variety within the tower; the music changes every 5 floors. The GBC version does sport more monsters and variety in that regard, but the PS1's dungeon crawling mechanics are a bit deeper (for instance, there's elevation mechanics). The PS1 version is also much harder, probably because there's far fewer actual dungeon floors to get through, haha.
Would the dating and town-building stuff make up for that? I'd say no, they just offer something different. Which is why I firmly believe both versions are worth experiencing, because of how each focused on and expanded different parts of the gameplay ^u^
@@tamerkoh It's really neat that they both offer such a similar but also unique experience at the same time. I'd be curious to see what the PS1 version is all about someday, and also explore the 99 basement floors too. I didn't mention it in the review here since I didn't want to spoil the new game plus, but I think it's so cool that there's so much more to get to!
I love the Playstation version and had no idea there was a Gameboy Color one. Have to add that to my cartridge hunting list. It looked very similar to the PS version but hearing that the dating sim was dropped is a bummer. It was fun part that made the town feel that much more alive in a game. Thank you for the video!!
Yeah there was no dating in this one and barely any town stuff to do from my experience. That extra stuff sounds like a lot of fun, but apparently the GBC game has way more monsters to find if you're into that part of the adventure. And you're very welcome!
The town gets very pretty when you donate enough. Fusion was OP, arachne and alloyer would double the atk and def respectively for the resulting monster. Add doublestrike and the one Killer had and all you had to do is stay near that thing. I still use it to fall asleep.
I still need to play the NG+ and see what else awaits me there. I donated as often as I could and things barely changed!
What a treat this awesome video is! I'm glad the GBC version of Azure Dreams somehow made its way to you, as it definitely deserved a great review.
I played this when it was new, not knowing what a rogue-like was. I liked it even though it wasn't what I expected. I still have the cartridge, and I see that it's worth over sixty bucks!
Not many people know about this game, and that's probably because, as you pointed out, there were very few console games in this genre. Rogue-likes and rogue-lites have only become mainstream in the past few years. The 8-bit and 16-bit console generations didn't have a lot of games in this genre, but there were a handful, some of which you've reviewed:
Taloon's Adventure (SNES)
Shiren the Wanderer (SNES)
Dragon Crystal (SMS)
Fatal Labyrinth (SMD)
Azure Dreams (GBC)
Cave Noire (GB)
Brandish (SNES, but the PSP version is preferable)
One could argue that Azure Dreams isn't really a rogue-like because the combat is different from the above games, but it's still turn-based and the rest fits the bill; it also doesn't fit any other genre. There's a NES game called The Immortal which could also be classified as a rogue-like. Overall, gamers were unlikely to ever play this type of game back then!
It's disappointing to know that I've already seen over half the list of console experiences like this :( How sad! I do look forward to the rest, but especially The Immortal. It looks so fun to get destroyed in and I enjoy that kind of challenge. I hope you're hanging in there. It's very nice to see your comment this morning.
@@hungrygoriya The Immortal is probably the best example of a game that should be played with save states. It's sadistic.
If things get ugly over here, I'll just go to Siberia!
@@thewingedavenger1007 I've seen a few people play The Immortal but remember virtually nothing but the awesome music!
You always manage to find cool and unusual titles to show off, and this is another really nice find.
Thanks for sharing it. I do like rouge like games but always find I get bored after an hour or so, and never go back to them.
ITs a nice GBC game for sure, and I would have loved that as a kid I think :) x
I do my best to focus on the stuff that's less talked about! I enjoyed my time with this game quite a bit and also think I would've had a blast with it when I was little.
The PS1 version has an interesting feature. If you play Metal Gear Solid, Psycho Mantis will detect any saves for Konami games on your save cards, including Azure Dreams. He will then say the names of every Konami game you have saved, before stating which genre of games you favor based on your saves. It's a neat little feature which I have never seen anywhere else.
If you enjoyed that you should try out eternal darkness something requiem. Great game cube game that messed with the player. Made you feel crazy at times.
Another great review indeed, you make me nostalgic about things I never knew or could never imagine existed, and this comes from a huge fan of retro games. You have quite a power, keep up the good work 👍
Right on! I'm so glad you're liking the channel!
I haven't played the GBC version but looks pretty cool! I remember renting the PS1 version back in the day, then years later I found it at the flea market and bought it. You should definitely check out the PS1 version! I think I may have to revisit it myself, its been a long time since I've played it.
I would like to play the PS1 game sometime. It seems a lot more varies which might help curb some of the tedium I felt with the GBC game in places .
I used to play the playstation version with my best friend when we were 8 years old. I have so many beautiful memories of that period.
I'm happy to hear you got to experience this when you were a kid. I would really like to try the Playstation version one of these days.
Always looking forward to your next upload, HG!
Your retro reviews are the best!
Too kind! Thanks for watching!
To this day, this is my favorite Game Boy game, if not game over all! Thanks for the great review, you did a really good job there! :D
Hey thanks so much! This one definitely needs more love!
Great review, and it was good to hear a bit of your own feelings during your final comments on the music aspect!
Glad you enjoyed it!
There's a sequel to this game on the DS called "Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal". I don't remember much of it, but from reviews, I can gleam that it wasn't too great, forcing a touch screen gimmick on the player any time they wanted to use spells and not really innovating on the gameplay of the gbc/psx games.
Oh yeah? I didn't know that! By the sounds of your description, I'll probably pass on it.
I’ve played some of Tao’s Adventure a few years back. There’s a town, but none of the characters are memorable, so I wasn’t motivated to try to improve the town. No dating either to my knowledge.
The combat is okay. Unfortunately, the main character keeps his level and there is far less focus on monster breeding.
Overall, I’d say don’t play it
I knew it had some link to that. Too many similarities to be just a coincidence. The story was very tame, and the spell writing was a nice touch at first, but got reaaaally annoying as the game went on, especially when certain spells had similar shapes, and you'd end up casting the wrong thing. I never finished it because it felt extremely repetitive, and I got it randomly without really looking into it, so I wasn't expecting that the game would be spent in the tower the entire way through. Other than that, I think they added an arena for your monsters to battle, and the characters weren't memorable. I also remember being terrified of opening chests and switching my equipment every time I came across one cause they could just degrade your gear back to the start in the blink of an eye. It was my first roguelite, and I enjoyed it for what it was, but definitely not a great one.
@@fralosemerned6990 Tao’s Adventure was made by Konami’s Shanghai studio, so I’m fairly certain it was a completely different team that made the game compared to Azure Dreams. I think that contributed to the drop in quality we experienced.
But speaking of weapons and armor, there were rust traps in Azure Dreams that drop it’s power by one point. But at least some weapons and armor can’t rust, so it’s decently avoidable.
I forgot all about that game...wow
Why did I discover this channel just now? Terrific presentation and explanations. And your voice is quite pleasing, very radio-y. (is this a word?)
Thank you, I recently rekindle interest in the game boy color and wanted some inspirarion.
Awww thanks so much! I'm glad you found me here!
I'm enjoying getting to know some of these games from other systems. I didn't have any Sega or Gameboy systems as a kid just a Nintendo so these are brand new to me. With all the stress of pandemic/post-pandemic life it's nice to relax in the evening with your content, thanks for making them.
Awww you're very welcome! I really enjoy making these videos, and it's nice to know that folks like you are also getting something out of them. Thanks for watching!
Thorough and thoughtful review of an obscure title! Thank you! :-)
Thanks for stopping by :)
The idea of everything falling out of pockets while being dragged back to your bed upon a Game Over had me both laughing and horrified. A perfect balance for a fantastic review video. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and pocket sands with us.
Just wait until you play Ultima IV and Lord British raises you from the dead and takes your 5000 gold weapon that took you 3 hours to grind for as payment. >:(
I like and respect your attemtps at getting out of your zone of comfort, good video as always!
I always got a kick out of these roguelike games, precisely because the risk you have to live with. Defeats are lessons in either what types of danger you're really dealing with, or to teach you that being cocky will bite you in the rear; while managing to do a succesful run or find something cool and keep it is a rush of satisfaction.
The "bad" things people tend to point in these sort of games with punishing design choices are, to me, part of what makes them so memorable and engaging.
Keep the good work and have a nice day!
Thanks! I thought this was a pretty fun little game. I love risk in adventures like this as well, but the only ones that were trouble were the boss fights. They were super unbalanced compared to most monsters you'd get beaten down by. Learning and strategizing in games is what I live for these days!
Great review. I can tell a lot of thought and care went into it. Thank you.
Thank you very much! I'm glad that effort shows through :)
What a great review! Looking for information on this game, I stumbled upon a Hungry Goriya video, so I clicked, as simple as that. Coming from Twitch, I didn't even realize Hungry was on TH-cam (have I been living under a rock?). Looking forward to checking out the back catalogue!
Hahaha well, I'm not really huge on self promo even in my own stream, so I'm not surprised it has been a well-hidden surprise until now. I hope you enjoy the rest of what I've been doing over here, and thanks for checking everything out!
Thanks for the video HG this game looks like a lot of fun, I enjoyed it on the stream. You mentioning rogue like games had me realize that Twitch adds a rogue like flag to Diablo 1. So according to Twitch you probably have a lot of time on rogue likes.
Is that so? I didn't know that! I have never streamed any Diablo but I probably should one of these days.
@@hungrygoriya I know you like that game and you’d have a good time doing it.
There are a ton of great little JRPGs on the GBC, with Lufia 3 and Star Ocean Blue Sphere being my favorites
I had no idea there was a Star Ocean game on GBC. You learn something new every day!
Hot damn, I love the look of GBC games. The palettes soothe the soul.
It's beautiful! I agree. I love the aesthetic.
An unexpected review! When I was going on my buying spree a few years ago buying any game that caught my eye. This came up a lot and I ways always curious but I never pulled the trigger. Watching videos sort of pushed me away and hearing you talk about, I don't think I would be interested enough to keep going. Great video as always! Hope to see your take on GBA rpgs at some point!
Honestly, it's a bit tedious at times. I think as a game you'd pick up once or twice a week and try to get through might be a fun way to play, but for something you're dedicating yourself to playing several nights a week for long periods like I did while I was streaming it, it wasn't as fun.
I would love to play some GBA RPGs. I have a few in my collection I've been interested in trying out. Any suggestions?
@@hungrygoriya With this one, I blitzed it over the 3-4 days that I spent visiting family one festive season. That worked out pretty well. I'm not sure I'd have stuck with it if I'd been playing it gradually over the course of a couple of weeks.
@@TheIndieOcean I'm not sure if I'd like it gradually either. I just know long bursts with it did start to feel a little drawn out on stream a few times despite enjoying my time with it.
@@hungrygoriya I think I've seen a few that you happen to have at some point. Which if you haven't tried out either Fire Emblems on the system then I highly recommend them. Some more interesting ones that I've been meaning to get to myself have been Sigma Star and Cima. Of course Golden sun as well. Riviera is something I've been eyeing for awhile but I'm unsure if I really want to get into that haha.
Sorry for a little winded reply, a mix of something I'm very familiar with along with games that are more out there. Stay away from Yggdra Union unless you want to have a bad time.
Top-notch content, bonus points for using the word "meander".
Many thanks!
Great video
Might actually check this one out as a big fan of rogue lites of all sorts
I hope it does the trick for you. Good luck!
I've never heard of this game. But, it sound very interesting. Thank you for sharing it with us.
On the ps game there was diamond, mirror and I think copper equipment that were immune to rust traps so were good options to put sand on to keep from loosing stats- something I wish I had learned early on. From what I remember there was a bit of path branching to at least one of the dating/character development storylines. A number of the town projects opened up minigames or introduced more characters to interact with. The town upgrades are also probably more rewarding with the better graphics. I remember hitting certain points in the tower where progress slowed to a crawl due to needing to grind up my familiars to keep progress with the stronger enemies- though that could be the product of trying to fully clear floors all the time. For a more traditional take on an rpg with a dating sim element I'd recommend checking out Thousand Arms. It feels a little unfinished in a few places, but has some neat stuff and characters to make up for it.
Yeah most of that town/dating stuff was removed from this version of the game, but good to know that it was fun in the PS1 version. I don't think I ever ran into anything diamond, mirror, or copper here. I might not have played for long enough by the end of the game, but I was at least 20 hours in before I put it down after reaching the tower top.
I've heard interesting stuff about Thousand Arms. I think I'd really enjoy it!
I got the PS1 version because someone said it was kinda like Pokemon. Now I have to check my RG300's GBC library to see how it compares. Nowadays the most Gameboy Color games I play are either the Zelda trilogy or something with a Rumble pack like Vigilante 8 or Pokemon Pinball.
From what I understand, this game has a ton more focus on the monster stuff if that's what you're into. It has some aspects of Pokemon for sure but the battling and "evolving" is quite different. Tons here to do, but a bit of a learning curve. I hope you enjoy it either way!
Given the set save spots, I wonder how this would have been for travelling, say, for a commute, back in the day. Was the tower gameplay modular enough to accommodate that, or was just "one of those things"?
Also, this video has made me really curious about the PS1 game now!
Getting to save every floor was a treat so if you had to shut your game off quickly, you weren't losing too much progress. You never really got screwed over by saving too often either. The only problem I could see is ending up in a sticky situation but not having a wind gem to warp out with and having to take a death, but that never happened to me.
I hope you check out the PS1 game. I'd like to as well sometime!
@@hungrygoriya Oh, I know you mentioned that you could save when moving floors, but I didn't realize that the floors were structured in bite-sized chunks like that - that's really cool, and a great design for a handheld game! Thank you for answering! 🙂
This looks great! Thanks for the recommend.
It's definitely a cute one, and something I hope to return to more casually in the future. I might play it on mute though!
@@hungrygoriya If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend Torneko no Daiboken for SNES if you feel like exploring further into the console-rogue genre.
That one is full of charm and very well made. There is an English translation patch that covers both the story and gameplay/menus, though the intro has a bit of text condensed due to limitations on how they could manipulate the code. This and its sequel on SNES called "Shiren the Wanderer" are my favorite console rogue games. (There's a good translation for Shiren also)
@@WalrusFPGA I have it but haven't played it yet! Thanks for the reminder. Shiren the Wanderer is one I haven't picked up yet, but I'll definitely keep an eye out.
Yeeesssssss, can't wait to see how you feel about this one!
I enjoyed this one a lot. I want to pick it back up again and see where the game goes!
@@hungrygoriya We really lined up on this game, it's got it's points where it kinda feels like you're just doing the same thing over and over again but once your run gets deep and you have items of value you suddenly feel the weight of the risk of each decision to not return.
I really loved the art in this game, I can only really remember Lufia and Shantae being even close to as gorgeous as this game was at the time.
I think partially that was just seeing decent anime art in a GBA game was pretty impressive, I loved the portraits.
Still do.
@@EatingCtrlV It's that discomfort of risk that I really enjoy in games and I wish this one just had more of it! More scary enemies, more things to overcome. The final few floors were really jam-packed with those feelings but it would've been cool to see even more still!
I can't wait to play Lufia and Shantae too. I've yet to play a single Shantae game, but Lufia 1 and 2 were easily some top games for me (though Lufia 2's puzzles can go and die a horrible death). There's something very lovely about this game's presentation that I was very enamoured by. I'm glad we are on the same page here!
It's cool to see how the GBC stacked up against the PS1 version, and in some cases provided better content!
It seems like that's a consensus from a few folks here. Definitely more monsters, but sorely lacking in the social aspects. Thanks for checking this out :)
I saw a small review for this game in Club Nintendo (the Mexican version of Nintendo Power) and I got really excited about it... Sadly, it was never sold on my country. Now, my curiosity for this game has finally been solved. Thank you for sharing your experience!
It was my pleasure! I'm sorry you never got to play it.
This game hit just right for me. One of my favorite monster raising games to date. Thought the handheld version was the better one considing how much more content they could pack into that tiny cartridge.
It's definitely got a lot of neat aspects that offer a lot in terms of replay value. I really enjoyed it!
I had the PS1 version as a kid, and I really remember my time with it... With the airbike thing. I don't remember too much about it though, tower, missing dad, town fixing, digital anime girl friends, little sister.
I think that about covers it. Great video though, as I've never touched the GBC version, and you made it sound like fun.
There is no airbike thing in the GBC version so I'm grinning over here wondering what that's all about!
Thanks very much for the kindness. It was a fun game! I think I'd like to play it a bit more casually and see where the game goes, or even replay with different monsters.
@@hungrygoriya When you get enough money you can buy the "Airbike thing" and zip all around town on it.
You can't take it to the tower with you, and I don't know if it gives you in game clout, but I really enjoyed playing with it, I think I was like 11 or fresh 12 when I owned this game.
@@galloe8933 That's really cool! I guess it lets you move faster through the tower then? That seems like a great plus to have on your side. There's a run button in this version, thank goodness!
@@hungrygoriya Yeah, the bike was only for in the town part of the game. I still loved it though, like I bought my first car lol.
@@galloe8933 Awww bummer! Coasting through the tower on a bike sounds dangerous and... fun!
I’ve recently been working through the three Game boy handheld libraries in search of games that are worth playing. I started this one but put it aside for some reason. It is a good title though. I can imagine playing countless hours of it during downtime at work overnight :)
I ran across a regular Game boy adventure game called Ninja Taro that’s worth a shot if you’re interested. I’m sure you have a sprawling backlog.
I picked up Ninja Taro a few months ago actually! Rolan's Curse broke my heart, but Ninja Taro looks like it's the game I wanted Rolan's Curse to be. I'm excited to try it out sometime!
@@hungrygoriya Rolan’s Curse 2 is much better than the first one. I played through both of them a few years ago, actually starting with the second one since I’d heard that it was a bit more polished.
Another odd title on the original Game Boy is Mysterium; it’s a first person dungeon crawler type without the character development but instead has a fussy sort of alchemy formula worked into it.
I’m not really selling it well, I realize, but it is worth a try. As a portable game there just wasn’t anything like it back in the Game boy era.
@@7thangelad586 Yeah I'm looking forward to Rolan's Curse 2 as well sometime for the reasons you mentioned. And now that you mention Mysterium, I think I ended up buying it after a conversation just like this one in the past. It may have been with you actually!
Dang! I have to play this game now! it looks like a mix of Dragon Warrior Monsters and Pokemon Mystery dungeon!
Another great review as always! also The Dad of Hun?! lol
It's definitely a fun time! I hope you have fun with it if you do end up playing it.
And thanks so much! I always name my character "Hun" so folks know I actually played the game myself, and "the dad of Hun" came up a lot from NPCs. It was so funny! I think the localization got worse as the game went on. That seems to be a trend in a lot of the things I play.
I had no idea that this came out in *Game Boy* as well.
*Amazing!*
I think they did a good job making a few changes a portable system. The monster stuff is really well done!
I really like monster management ganes with real time combat. I especially like the ability to modify the ai, or have monsters with different behaviors that are usable in combat. Does anyone know any high quality games that focus on gathering and using a team with close to real time combat, risks, and rougelite elements?
I wish I had some suggestions for you. Hopefully some other people will pull through here!
I really enjoyed the PS1 game, but never played the GBC one. It was certainly tedious at times, but it was fun leveling up my gold sword/mirror shield (weak, but immune to the constant barrage of rust traps on higher levels) so I could save my trusty golem with double speed until higher floors of the tower and conserve its MP. I thought that building up the town and relationships with the townspeople was a lot of fun, but it looks like the GBC version either downplayed that, or you just didn't find it compelling enough to stick to it. I'd be curious to try this sometime just to see how it compares.
I think the dating's missing entirely from this version, unfortunately. From what I know about the port to GBC, they added more monsters and stripped out a lot of the town building and dating stuff. And for the relationships with townspeople, their dialogue changes as you go but other than finding a few items through the tower that changed the town once in a while, there wasn't much more than that.
Gotta love the friend that always insults your hometown whenever they see you. This looks pretty fun, and kind of makes me think of Torneko: The Last Hope though I know it's not the same genre. There is definitely something here to get lost in. You would think they'd work more on the inventory space, but maybe it'd a memory thing. Awesome review!
Yeah who knows what the limitations were? Pretty cool nonetheless!
I know a few people who still trash talk my hometown whenever we visit... it gets old pretty quick!
What makes you say they’re not the same genre? They’re both mystery dungeon rogue likes, aren’t they?
@@dracoerrarus4834 Ya know, I don't know why I said they weren't. Maybe I was just thinking about some of the aspects, but they really are the same genre.
@@PragmatikReviews okay. I loved me some Torneko and Chocobo’s Dungeon 2 back in the day. It’d be nice to find those again.
@@dracoerrarus4834 I can't believe I found Torneko in the condition I did for the price. They are so hard to find now.
Awesome to enjoy this journey. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
"She'll lock her giant gaze with yours" XD One of several turns of phrase here that made me laugh!
It's good to hear what your final thoughts were. I'd be curious to see what you'd make of the Playstation version, though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it in light of the criticisms you had of this one. It suffers from the same repetition of the early floors, and it takes significantly longer to reach the top of the tower (I never did, despite playing for much longer than I played (and finished) the GB version).
I wonder also what you'd think of Shiren the Wanderer. That was a Super Famicom game originally, though it was ported (and translated) for DS eventually. It's another "semi-roguelike but no permadeath" game, and I suspect it was an influence on Azure Dreams.
Oh, and the lack of weapon stats here is baffling. I realise that GB carts had very limited storage capacity, but surely they could have dropped one or two monsters to make room for something as fundamental as indicating weapon strengths?!
I'm surprised that you never made it! That's a significant change in pacing and I'm not sure that I would've appreciated so much work that never came to fruition like that.
I think I've heard of Shiren the Wanderer before. I'll have to look into the SFC version and see if a) I can find it and b) if it got a translation patch. By your recommendation I imagine it did!
@@TheIndieOcean Totally baffling! It was very frustrating for me to never know what was better or not. The PS1 game seemed to have some of that in the manual, but I didn't know if it crossed over to the GBC game. Plus I didn't check that while I was playing either, haha
@@hungrygoriya Well the tower on PS1 is several times the size, and the town stuff takes A LOT longer. You probably spend almost as much time in town as you do in the tower. So between those two factors it increases the play time enormously. I'd guess it's probably a 40-50 hour game.
@@hungrygoriya I did check the GB manual and it doesn't contain anything useful about weapons. So there's just no way of knowing!
I didn't know there was a GBC version of this game. Then again, I only briefly played a friend's PS1 copy and never got the chance (or the time) to go back to it via other means. Not to mention I was never fond of portable systems after the classic Game Boy; I ended up with the Super Gameboy for SNES, GB attachment for the Gamecube, and even nowadays I keep my Switch docked 99% of the time. I'm apparently so old-school I can't even appreciate portable consoles. :/
Welp... guess I'll live vicariously through your review. :)
I played this one with the GameCube's Game Boy Player, which essentially does the same thing as the Super Game Boy but just for GBC/GBA games. It also plays regular Game Boy as well, which is really convenient! I'm not a huge fan of portable consoles at this age. My old lady eyes just won't deal with the smallness of things. I much prefer playing them on a bigger screen. I keep hoping they'll release something that does DS on a big screen too!
This game is actually one of my favorites of all time (I played it on PS One) I am curious to see what you have to say.
Fun fact, the bully can in fact become a love interest in the Japanese version of the PSX release. And a pro Tip, if you can get and keep a gold sword and mirror shield and build them up, you can turn the character player into a god. It does mean you can't die, you have to hold on to those and keep putting sands on them, but neither of them can rust so they never lose power as long as you don't die.
I'll have to give the PS1 game a run through someday. It looks like the stuff they added in would make for an interesting replay at least!
And thanks for the tip about the gold sword and mirror shield! I'll keep that in mind!
I can't wait to start this on the PSX. Looking forward to it.
The PSX version does look pretty fun! I'm very partial to this game's aesthetic though!
Huh, I never knew there was a gameboy version. I have the playstation version lying around deep in my backlog, though. Sounds like the standard form of JRPG roguelikes. I'm not sure just how the evolution went, since I haven't played too many of them, but they generally have a loose your stuff when you die mechanic, and tend to punish you for resetting and reloading. I've always found that frustrating, so it's nice to know Azure Dreams lets you reset without penalty.
I know they are trying to replicate that true roguelike feeling of risking it all to explore the dungeon, but I actually prefer a game like Dragon's Crystal where you just start over if you die. Knowing that I'll never get to keep my stuff no matter what is very freeing; but knowing that I could have kept my stuff if only I hadn't died, that just pisses me off. Maybe it's weird to think that way, but that's just how I am.
Yeah they let you save very often in Azure Dreams so resetting isn't such a detriment. I love Dragon Crystal but it's just too damn hard to keep motivated with how much RNG there is. I know that's the point, but waiting for that one good run is like torture as well!
I laughed about your sentiments on losing stuff when you die! Thankfully other than weapons, I didn't feel there were too many heartbreakers when I died, but I didn't die too often either. I was a wimp and warped out at the first sign of trouble. You have a chance to escape for the most part.
This seems like a cute little game I'd like to try on a rainy day. Although some those character dialogue portraits could back off an inch or two or be shrunk a touch. Maybe on a gbc screen it's not so... overwhelming.
It might've been better on a smaller screen, totally. I had them on my 25 inch TV while playing which was very jarring sometimes!
14:32 You could also just call It the post-game. (Which Is exclusive to the gameboy color version.)
I didn't want to just blurt that out in case people want to play this for themselves and be surprised. That's a pretty big spoiler!
Interesting review of a game I only have ever played on the PS1. I knew of the game boy version but I have literally never looked into it because I had no more gameboy at the point.
Thanks very much! This version's definitely great if you like the monster bits but it has virtually none of the town building/dating aspects of the PS1 game. Different strokes!
@@hungrygoriya Indeed, and it doesn't even really end there with the differences.
The Japanese version has proper voice acting, too. They took that out for the overseas release.
The music is also really good on the PS1 (imho), I used to be a huuuge Konami fanboy of that era, with Suikoden I being my top fave.
On a sidenote, Masters of Monsters, Disciples of Gaia also had a pretty good monster battle system, including fusion.
The free and open source game "Battle of Wesnoth" is based on the Masters of Monsters series.
But it's likely that you know this already...but if you didn't, well, random videogame trivia.
@@dorklymorkly3290 Oh nice! I had no idea about those two you mentioned there... I always like to learn about new games so thanks for the info.
I need to have a listen to the PS1 soundtrack apparently! The music in the Game Boy game was okay but pretty limited.
really loved this and the one on the ps1. both were a great time as a kid.
I need to try out the PS1 game someday!
This game got me through many long bus rides to and from places as a kid.
Sounds like some great memories!
It took me a minute to realize that "Hun" was your name and not all the other characters being oddly affectionate
Haha yeah, I always try to make sure I put my own name into the game so people know I played it myself, but Hungry is weird? So I default to Hun. There was a clip in this game where someone calls you "hon" and it made me chuckle.
Lufia II for the SNES has a pretty great Rogue-lite subsection, but you have to play about 20% into the game before you can access it.
Yeah! The Ancient Cave! I just finished up Lufia II a few weeks ago and I really liked it in there. I only played through once since I was streaming it and didn't want to bog down the game progress too much but it's something I'm looking forward to returning to.
I fell in love with the PS1 version so I hope you get a chance to check it out!
I have it kicking around but just haven't gotten around to it yet. I would love to play it someday.
I was thrilled to learn from you about this Roguelike that doesn't have perma-death... until I looked on eBay to see that it sells for over $100. Wow. Was this just a rare game? Thanks for the videos!
I know it came out after the PS1 version, but I didn't think it was particularly rare? I'm not entirely sure, but I think there's a pretty large inflation in retro game pricing at the moment. I've mostly stopped collecting because of how expensive everything's gotten. I picked this up six years ago with some Pokemon games.
Another great review HG
Thanks so much for watching, Zerfall! Always a joy to see you in the comments!
what's up HG? do you prefer playing on the native platforms or use emulators so you can use a typical controller/etc.?
I have a physical collection so I tend to stay on original hardware. I have nothing against emulation, but owning the games gives me an excuse to play them.
Finally a main character I can relate to: a total weiner.
Same.
Awesome video, I love the old 8 and 16 bit R.P.G's, have you ever played Great Greed on the GAMEBOY? It's brilliant.
I have! If you dig around long enough in this channel you'll find a review on that one. I enjoyed it quite a bit!
@@hungrygoriya I like the story and the silly names.
@@9ElevenGamer The enemy names were one of my favourite parts! Ham Man
@@hungrygoriya If memory serves me there was one called Cabbage Head too.
@@9ElevenGamer That sounds familiar!
I played the PS version. But not very much. I liked the idea but I just couldn't stick with it. I kept feeling like I never made progress and I hated started at the start of the tower.
It wasn't bad but not for me. I had no idea there was a GBA version. I wonder if that would have stuck with me more
I enjoy the idea of a roguelite where you are chipping away at a larger story as you go, even though you're always starting over. Roguelikes with their permadeath and clean slate every time have their appeal, but it's nice when there's progress to make on a grander scale. I hear you though... the repetitiveness was a bit much for me towards the end. I wonder if newer games in this vein have streamlined things somehow.
@@hungrygoriya I think it would have worked better if it didn't feel like a slog. And if I had been more familiar with roguelike games back then
I’ve played the PS1 version many times, and while it’s never been in my top favorites, it has an appeal that brings me back over and over.
Thanks for letting me know there’s a GBC version. I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
There are a few differences between this one and the PS1 version (some for better and some for worse) and I'd be curious to hear what you think about them. Enjoy if you play this!
Check out Konami's Cave Noire for GB, there's a translation patch
Thanks for the review, Hun. I put some time into Dragon Crystal awhile ago and it was ok - but like all roguelikes it was WAY too dependent on RNG, so I gave up on it after awhile.
Azure Dreams just seems too _slow_ for me. I enjoy roguelikes and put a lot of time into them as a kid (just call me @), but I'll give this one a pass. I do like the big, detailed character graphics though.
One I _will_ recommend is Torneko's Mystery Dungeon for the Super Famicom, which Aeon Genesis gave a wonderful English translation. It's a based on Torneko (Taloon), the arms dealer from Dragon Warrior 4, and is a roguelike where success in the dungeon expands your weapon shop. Like all things Dragon Quest it can be very cute, and IMO it's worth playing.
Roguelikes are different from traditional RPGs in that you can play a single run of the dungeon, get as far as you can, and turn it off to play next time. I think a portable roguelike could capitalize on that aspext really well, since portable games tend to be characterized by short, repeatable experiences. I'm just not sure this one will deliver for me.
Thanks for the review, Hun!
- the artist currently known as icandanc3, for some reason
Oh hey! Fancy meeting you here as well!
This game was quite slow, you're right. That was the spirit of what I was trying to get at towards the end: it'd be good as something to pick up once in a while and play a bit, but not to approach it how I did while streaming it where I put in several 4-5 hour stints a week.
I think I have a copy of Torneko's Mystery Dungeon! I can picture the label in my head. I haven't tried it out yet but I thought it looked very fun when I was looking at SFC lists to find some games to pick up. I'll have to move it up the list!
When I was a kid, I loved this game on PS1.
That version does seem very charming. I'm curious about it!
you should play some of the newer PC roguelikes to get accustomed to the genre. games like Caves of Qud, Tales of Maj'Eyal, and Cataclysm:DDA (though I don't think the last is really a roguelike, everyone calls it one, so...) are way easier than the usual trappings of the genre and are how I learned how to get into the genre when I was a young teenager, since most knowledge from them is transferable to others.
If you really weren't interested in the real artistic origins and design choices of the main roguelikes, the ones that came out on handhelds work great too. Shiren the Wanderer/Pokemon Mystery Dungeons games are all super easy and arguably more roguelites and are definitely great introductions to the genre as a whole, especially counting their wonderful stories (in the pokemon games) which is something most roguelikes tend to ignore beyond lore and worldbuilding.
Still, I highly recommend those PC roguelikes I mentioned at the top. They're the easiest of the genre and most of them even let you straight up turn off permadeath (or skirt around it without major consequence, as in CDDA) and are, honestly, some of the most fun the genre has to offer.
I'm sure I'll get around to some other roguelikes eventually. Right now I'm working on retro stuff primarily, but I definitely enjoy the genre and would love to see more games like this one! Thanks for the suggestions!
Hmm... This game's font and windows remind me of the first Robopon.
...and every time I mention Robopon, I feel obligated to mention Robopon 2, which clearly had people from Quintet working on it. (No, really. Four Quintet names are literally in the credits, including Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, and it "borrows" distinct graphical elements from old Quintet games.)
Robopon eh? I can't say I've heard of that one before. I'll look into it!
@@hungrygoriya Okay, but don't forget the sequel. Most people do.
this game seems super cool! nice review :D
Thanks so much! I had a nice time wandering for a bunch of evenings with it.
Well, thank you for introducing me to Dragon Crystal, it looks a lot nicer than the last Megasis roguelike I played, Fatal Labrynth
I hope you like it! I'd love to finish it someday. It's on the Master System and the Game Gear, and from what I know, the Game Gear version's supposed to be a little kinder.
@@hungrygoriya Just started it, and love that it is effectively a predecessor to Fatal Labrynth. I thought it was neat how they used a similar interface between generations, but getting to the second level, and seeing "Those [redacted] crystals," this game has officially taken priority over my trying to get a full run of Fatal Labrynth
Wow! Didn’t know this game existed. Gotta buy it!!! ❤❤❤
Enjoy it if you play it! It's fun!
“Your a total wiener or a horrible person.” Caught me off guard lol. Also I love staring at someone’s face when saving my game, it’s a past time of mine.
The people in the bar were so mean at the beginning of the game :( When's your list of top 5 games with people staring at you while you save coming out?
When hearing the word roguelike, I instantly think of the Shiren the Wanderer series. It's part of the larger Mystery Dungeon series and I personally believe it's the best one. Do you think you'll review one of the games in the future?
I'll have to track down some of those games to play them. Unfortunately I don't have anything from the Shiren the Wanderer series just yet.
thanks for the vid teacher Hungry :)
Thank you for stopping by here!
I’ve been waiting for this review which as usual is informative as heck. This is the one game I never really got around to playing. It looks good and I would like to give it a shot, but damn the price of it now just sucks. Most of my expensive games were worth the money like Metal gear solid for GBC, Survival kids, Lone Ranger for NES and a few others, but this one idk.
Yeah, I hadn't realized the price had gone up so much. I got my copy as part of a lot with some Pokemon games back in 2016 and haven't looked at its price since.
@@hungrygoriya oh nice yea a couple of my expensive games I got a few years back as well at a decent price some were still expensive, but nothing like now. For me prices have been flat out discouraging now. Emulators aren’t my thing plus I don’t know much about them, but it does seem like a route I’m going to have to explore sometime.
@@gameboydadtm37 Yeah, it's a bummer the way things have gone price-wise. I've thankfully already got a lot here and could never buy another game and be pretty happy with my collection, but I really, really miss the hunt. Collecting used to be a big part of my gaming adventures and the fact that it's all just dwindled down to nothing has been so sad for me.
@@hungrygoriya I know what you mean. That’s a good point until you just mentioned it I’ve thought about it, but I haven’t given it much thought. The thrill of finding a new game to play is almost gone. I don’t really play many new generational games, but lately I have been trying to find games that have been ported over to newer consoles like the DS, switch and PlayStation. Games like star ocean for the SNES and the Valis series. Also there’s new games like Hyper light drifter and Huntdown that are like games of our time. While that’s cool there’s still so many games out there that haven’t been ported over and new games that try to replicate games of our time, but fail. I do have a good amount of games in my collection and my collection is of games I love to play, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be yet. Theres games like Soulblazer, metal slug advance, flink, great greed and a few others I wanted to play. Also Azure Dreams, but now I have no idea when I’m ever going to get to play them.
@@gameboydadtm37 That's a disheartening feeling, and I can totally relate to that as well. I'm sorry you're not able to collect what you want at the moment, but I truly hope that things quiet down in the retro gaming collecting realm. You're right that we're lucky to live in a time where we're seeing so many remakes and can experience some games, but it certainly won't replace the excitement of game hunting.
Awesome! 🥰
"Talking to you seems to take forever. At least I got to stare at your *big face.* "
She asks a lot of questions like all the regular moms do, I guess.
These guides are great.
The PS1 version of this was the cheapest used game at the shop back in the day, so I bought it. I didn't know what a roguelike was, I just saw the random levels and thought it seemed cheap or lazy and took it back. To this day, I don't remember what I actually got instead. But had I gotten it for the GBC, I think it would have been much more in line with my expectations for that platform and I would have given it a fair shake. I didn't know it was as involved as all this.
Awww too bad you didn't take the plunge back then! There's still time to give this one a go someday if you're so inclined. The genre's pretty awesome and rewarding.
@@hungrygoriya I was at that age where I was desperately trying to prove I wasn't a little kid anymore, so I didn't jibe well with anything I found too cutesy (which in hindsight, was a very blurry line). So it wasn't the right time for me. I did eventually learn to appreciate roguelikes through all the elements that made it into other genres, and I'm playing through Fatal Labyrinth on the Genesis in between other things (Octopath!). So maybe this is the right time to go back & give PS1 Azure Dreams another shot.
@@philmason9653 Better late than never!
I got this when i was eleven on a family trip to Hawaii i loved this game.
I bet you got to put a lot of time into it. That's awesome!
My first roguelike was Azure Dreams for the PS1 and it's still one of my favorite games. I don't have a Game Boy Color, but I'd really like to try this version too. It seems to retain a surprising amount of the features from the Playstation game...
There's more monster stuff here for sure. I can't speak to the rest, but that's what I understand based on what I've read elsewhere.
@@hungrygoriya I'm going to look into it! Love your videos and your style of review by the way, thank you for what you do :)
@@jacobthesnacob4192 I really appreciate your kindness! I'll definitely keep going here as long as I can!
Art looks good on this one
I agree. It's a great-looking game, especially some of the character portraits.
a clasic even tough i played it about a year ago. Beat it in like 3-5 tries. If anyone likes pokemon mistery dungueon or similar this one will most likelly be a pleasure to play
Did you get into the new game plus mode at all?
@@hungrygoriya i stopped playing as soon as i completed the story but i still have the save and a lot of things to do so i'll probably continue playing sometime in the future
It still blows my mind that they got the core gameplay loop of a PSone game crammed into a Game Boy Color cart. I know AD wasn't the most technically ambitious title on Sony's console, but it's still impressive.
Both this and the PlayStation original are games I've wanted to play for a long time, but I've never seen physical copies of either in person, nor have I seen an online listing that was even a remotely reasonable price...
That said, this particular version looks like it would be perfect for knocking out a few floors on the bus or before bed. I love monster catching games, and find rogue-lites really engaging, I could definitely see myself spending a lot of time with this between bigger adventures
I hope you end up with a copy of this in your hands someday. How you've described wanting to play it is how I think I'd like to try it sometime. I was playing it in long bursts for streams and I think it would've been a lot more fun casually. There is a ton to do in this game in the monsters department and that's really appealing to me for replay value.
@@hungrygoriya Yup yup! I love the monster designs, too.
Konami has been all about the retro rereleases lately, so my secret hope is that Azure and the Suikoden games can all end up available easily on modern platforms soon
@@HybridAngelZero Fingers crossed this happens! That would be very cool to see!
Most Mystery Dungeon games are more like Azure Dreams than Dragon Crystal. Where you have some form of hub to talk to people, store items and get companions. Though Azure Dreams probably has the better mechanics of this. I really wish they released a sequel that was super different and.. not as good as Azure Dreams (Tao's Adventure). Though I'm going to give Tao's another look.
I'm curious about other Mystery Dungeon games! There was someone else in the comments here mentioning how Tao's Adventure wasn't very good, but I am a little curious despite my skepticism!
@@hungrygoriya I think most of the "not good" comes from the lower screen magic mechanics. You have to draw to cast spells and the recognition was pretty poor. I think it might have been pretty short too.
@@Maverynthia Ahh booo... that doesn't sound fun :(
Huh, never knew there was a GBC version of this game. Seeing how this one works compared to the PlayStation version, it seems they captured most of what the game is about. Some things look like they're missing but that's to be expected with the hardware limitations. It's still impressive they got what they did on there though based on what I'm seeing here. Pretty amazing they took a full PSX game and got so much of it crammed on to the hand held.
I thought it was a pretty neat leap as well. I would love to try the PS1 version sometime just to see what it's like.
I got hooked on this show because i heard the faxanadu death song in the intro. Dont forget your mantra 🤘
Hooray! Faxanadu's one of my favourites.
A reputation for being a troublemaker, a wiener, and a horrible person?
I've never related so much to a video game character in my life!
Thank you for mentioning the PS1 game because while I've never played either the name rang a bell and I kept thinking: "Isn't this the wrong system for this game?" I was so confused until you pointed that out.
Hahaha kindred spirits, no doubt!
And you're welcome. I wish I'd had more to say about the PS1 game.
I mostly enjoyed the PS1 version for a time when I played it back in the day. I borrowed it from one of my friends, but I didn't get all the way through it. The repetitive nature eventually took it's toll, I gave it back to my friend as I needed take a break from it. I think the game might been a bit more palatable if you had check points where you started at that floor and lvl rather the beginning every time. I think the game had a lot of good concepts , which was a good game but fell short of greatness due to the combat being being so so when you fight solo and having repeat too much of the game over and over.
I can definitely see the repetition growing old. I did find this Game Boy game a little boring walking through the first floors over and over again too. I just wanted to get back to the new action!
@@hungrygoriya I'd feel same way when I'd play old school games when Id run out of continues near the end of the game. I'd have replay so much stuff to get back to the part I screwed up. Generally those kind of games usually weren't too long but it's no wonder people always were looking for cheat codes for extra lives or level selects to get to the parts they really needed the practice on. At some point you'd like to make some progress.
6:10 ok so it's clearly the cameraperson's first day...but at least they didn't lead with chin. C- we'll give 'em another try.
So close up, haha
Makes me think of Fatal Labyrinth on the GENISIS
I think it's similar in the rogue-like/lite department, yep!
@@hungrygoriya wish I knew this one back on the day. but hey! now I got a game to look up hehe. Thanks
There was a game boy version?! I played the playstation one a bunch as a kid never new this existed!
Yes! It's not as fleshed out in some areas and more fleshed out in others, but certainly a fun one nonetheless.