I freaking love the storyteller's voice. I still do his voice when telling bedtime stories to my kids. They get a great chuckle out of it.

Oh no way. The music in this video gave me immediate nostalgia for a game I haven't thought about in over 20 years! I owned this on PS1 and was fascinated by the merging mechanic. Watching this back, it is amazing how developed the story is - it is a world with significant development that I did not pay enough attention to first time around (was far too interested in the creatures). The lore you outline is really quite deep and intricate for a short game. As a child, the merging mechanic felt almost infinite. Never knowing what I was going to get and how it would perform is my strongest memory of this game - infinite Pokémon! Without a guide or internet research it really was just a wonder of discovery. I had the sequel on PS2 but I don't really remember anything about it which probably speaks volumes for its quality. I may have to revisit it and see how it feels. The link to Studio Ghibli is fascinating, I had no idea! You pack so much information into your reviews that I don't think calling them a review does the good quality content justice. It really is more of a deep dive into the game to give a really detailed look into the game itself and its background. I'm learning a lot.

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

Yes! The music in this game was so amazing and calming, and had such an emotional impact. I think a lot of people dismiss the game as not having much of a story, or a lot of plot holes, specifically because they don't take the time to explore the village and talk to everyone after every event. Pity, really. The other thing that irks me is that people say the tree at the end is phallic and looks like a penis when actually it's upside down and the roots are what's visible. An NPC also explains this. I am not sure I want to play the sequel, but I suppose if I went through all the Arc the Lad games, including the terrible last one, I should at least give the sequel to this game a go. No problem! I am glad I could be informative. :)

@onerunfun6908

3 жыл бұрын

@@Venoix I seem to remember the sequel dulled down the monster taming/mixing elements so I was less captivated by it. Or maybe I was just older?

One of the most amazing gem there is, a game that could be believed to be a fever dream at some points ! One of the best jrpg there is.

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

Yup, it is a pretty fun game. I enjoyed playing through it.

@Goatisme

3 жыл бұрын

@@Venoix Im subbing in the hopes you review legend of legaia eventually hahaha !

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

@@Goatisme Thanks! Oh, it's definitely on the list. Just not sure when I'll get around to it. Haha.

8 hours? Thats a lot packed into a short game. I thought the battles would be repetitive and slow. Looks like an amazing mixture of all the old games in one. Games still sell due to the art and the creative force behind it. The sound effects though... And great review! You are always consistent with these old gems.

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

I mean, I suppose it could be shorter if you're not pedantic like me about talking to all the villagers. Haha. I'm a sucker for the good old prerendered 3D backgrounds, so generally feel right at home in any game that uses them. Glad you enjoyed the review.

I was first introduced to this game when my dad got me Shadow Madness at some warehouse sale since Shadow Madness included demo CD of this game. Years later fresh outta high school with my first job, one of the first things I bought was this game along with Jagged Alliance 2. Would definitely play through this again.

Blew our minds when we found out you can select your minion and a blank space to preview monsters that weren't even there. When merging, but it crashes your game often

Oh Jade Cocoon. I never really thought about how short the game is. That's another reason I liked it: i could actually FINISH the game, lol. But for real there is no other game like Jade Cocoon (except the sequel) and probably never will be. Furthermore there aren't even any games that come close to offering a great RPG story AND the monster capturing/mixing/leveling/management stuff

I completely agree that most of the people complaining about the lore are people who skipped a ton of dialogue\, it was how most RPGs of that time functioned

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

I think this one hid a bit more than some other games of the time behind NPC dialogue, but even a game like Alundra had the NPCs change what they said after every major event and I am sure not all players went around and talked to all of them either. Haha.

My oh my oh my oh my oh…. MAHBU! I’ll see myself out

I never finished this even though I know it's a stupidly short game. That's a lot of lore for a short game! Merging like this is azure dreams

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

Haha. Yeah, some people suspect that maybe the project was a little overambitious and the developers ran out of money. But for what it is, it's a pretty enjoyable experience. You could also look at it as an exploration of what purgatory truly is (which is why the villagers are stuck in a constant cycle) - but maybe that's thinking a bit too deeply about it. Ahhh, Azure Dreams. I had a lot of fun with that game as a child. Definitely should get back into that one, too, at some point.

Growing up playing this and being a boreal forestman, Venoix. I can definetly say the forest also robs us of ourselves, sometimes, just nature itself. Sometimes, the scenery does more than take your breath away, it takes your soul hahahah

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

Definitely a beautiful game. I love the aesthetics of Katsuya Kondo.

@Goatisme

3 жыл бұрын

@@Venoix I went to great lengths looking for the retail version of both it and its sequel, they're not even worth that much yet to me they are like the holy grail of ps1 and ps2 jrpg. Rule of rose and xenosaga 3 at 200$ or 100$ can go take a hike xD

Will you review the second one??

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

I don't have any immediate plans to do so, but it is on the backlog.

@keypath4389

3 жыл бұрын

@@Venoix i heard its not that good tho.. the character designer definitely not the same

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

@@keypath4389 Yeah, I heard it isn't the same kind of game either. But, I do want to check it out at some point.

@Hausbrauen

2 жыл бұрын

@@keypath4389 Yep... I've played both and have to say the second one loses *everything* I loved about the first.

I think the concept for this game could’ve worked better as a movie rather than a game I found this game too slow and painfully boring to play, I felt that cut scenes dragged on for too long and it made me go all like “shut up and let me play!”

@Venoix

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I can definitely see how some people would feel that way. Personally, I like the mix of adventuring and story telling, so it was a fine balance for me. I do like that it was created though, as an experiment to see what Katsuya Kondo could create as a game.

@flaminghead1va

2 жыл бұрын

To each his own. It's just ironic that you think an 8 hr game is too slow considering most other 'monster trainer' games expect you to spend at least 5 to 10 times that many hours grinding away. I get you were talking about the pacing of the story, but still I find it interesting 😁

@muaythaibachatero393

Жыл бұрын

I can see what you mean as some parts of the games cutscenes do tend to drag on a bit too long. I feel like this would've been a great miniseries rather than a movie or long anime.