I have always been a Japanese role playing game (JRPG) fan. Ever since the first time I got my hands on a Final Fantasy game I have been completely hooked. I don't know if it's the story, the strategy, the side missions or a little bit of everything, but I am always on the look out for the next great JRPG. When I did some research on Blue Dragon, and realized that the father of Final Fantasy's company was developing the game my interest level went through the roof; from that point on I knew this was a must play.

Blue Dragon follows a group of heroes on their quest to save their world. The story starts out in a small village that is attacked every couple of years by what the inhabitants refer to as a "land shark". Shu, Kluke and Jiro are all tired of seeing the destruction and suffering the land shark causes so they devise a plan to get rid of it. When the plan doesn't go as planned they find themselves in the middle of an adventure that will take them to all corners of the planet. Honestly I don't think Blue Dragon tells a bad story it's just a story that was clearly designed for children. From a corny script that feel like it was written by the creators of Sesame Street, to the villains that are anything but fear inspiring, Blue Dragon's story is probably not going to appeal to an older crowd.

Blue Dragon offers a new spin on an old favorite when it comes to the skills system. Instead of the traditional leveling up of characters and learning new abilities, the character levels up and the shadow learns new skills, and they work independently of each other. It's not too different from anything we have all seen before but it works very well and it allows you to get creative with your characters from the get go. I would not at all mind seeing this skills allocation system utilized again down the road. The battle system is not too complex but it does function well and it is easy to pick up for gamers of all skill levels.

Sadly Blue Dragon is a lot of good ideas wrapped up in a game that was designed for children. The battle system is fun but unfortunately it is integrated into a game that offers no challenge whatsoever. Blue Dragon is probably one of the easiest games I have ever played. Everything from random enemies to boss' could be easily defeated. About 15 hours into the game I started a new game on the hardest difficulty I had available at the time and was still not offered much of a challenge past the initial levels. Maybe it's just me but I like a challenge from JRPG's, and role playing games in general. There is something appealing about being out classed and having to out think or out strategize your opponents, and Blue Dragon simply does not offer this experience.

I can't really call Blue Dragon a bad game, but I also can't really recommend it to anyone. If you are looking to get your younger siblings or children interested in the JRPG genre then by all means check this game out; there is more than enough content for the price of admission. For everyone else, you may want to pass.