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Grissom: Please, a moment. My body is not... cooperating.
[he sees Ashley]
Grissom: Y-you!
Tieger: I am sorry, Brother. We cannot help you now.
Grissom: What... what is happening?
Neesa: Grissom, you have left this coil. The Dark has filled you; you have joined the cold ones!
Grissom: [begins to tremble] An ironic fate. I suppose it is better than the endless wand'ring... but to happen upon your own corpse!
[Grissom then falls to his knees, buries his head in his hands. He screams.]
A Voice: Kill... Kill them all.
Grissom: Wh-who speaks?
A Voice: It is bitter...lonely... They must join us... Kill them!
Grissom: The walls! The walls speak?
A Voice: Your friends, they dream of killing you. They would steal your body! Kill! Kill them, Grissom!
[at that, Neesa and Tieger move towards Grissom, weapons drawn]
Grissom: My flesh... is mine, and mine alone!
[Grissom suddenly leaps over their heads and runs out the door]
Neesa: [running after him]
[shouts]
Neesa: Grissom!
[Ashley tenses as Teiger decides whether to deal with him or run after his brother, but then follows Neesa out of the Undercity. Ashley relaxes.]
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Callo Merlose: [discussing Sydney's intentions] It is sad...
John Hardin: What is?
Callo Merlose: Even if he can see the past and clasp the truth, how are we to know if he speaks it? If he can push us to believe anything, how do we tell truth from falsehood?
John Hardin: Why single him out? Everyone lies, surely you know that. Whether they are Dark sorcerers or corrupt clergy, they all lie, and we believe. Am I wrong?
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Ashley Riot: Reinforcements? I am the reinforcements.
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M?llenkamp Cultist: You fools think the Dark will bend to you?
Commander Grissom: We are prelates of the Lord, scum. We are not here to bend aught, we are come to cleanse.
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Romeo Guildenstern: The Dark is formless and invisible. It invades the body like a plague, an unseen visitor. Yet those it taints become... undying.
Commander Samantha: "Undying?"
Romeo Guildenstern: Yes. They do not die.
Commander Samantha: But... he did die. Turned to dust. Leaving no trace. Did he not?
Romeo Guildenstern: What is death? Is it the ruination of the flesh? Surely, that is death, but it is only one facet of the truth. True death... is the death of the soul.
Commander Samantha: And theirs is not a true death?
Romeo Guildenstern: Even should their flesh crumble to decay, their souls will wander eternally. The undying of Le? Monde do die. But, it is... an incomplete death.
Ashley Riot: [listening from afar] "An incomplete death"...
Romeo Guildenstern: Trapped in purgation, they yearn for life. Thus, they seek bodies without souls. And the "corpses that walk" are born. They say the howl of the north wind is the cry of the wandering souls.
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Commander Grissom: Where did he go?
Jan Rosencrantz: Through the wood, he says. You will follow him?
Commander Grissom: I must avenge the foul murder of my brother, Duane.
Jan Rosencrantz: Of course you must. But be wary, your foe is strong.
Commander Grissom: God is stronger.
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Ashley Riot: Rosencrantz, was it? Your words bear much meaning.
Jan Rosencrantz: Please, my friend! I speak only the truth.
Ashley Riot: Yet, you have no evidence.
Jan Rosencrantz: For that, you must search.
Ashley Riot: [turns to walk away] I will cut you, next we meet. Leave the city before sundown if you value your life.
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Editorial Review
Vagrant Story is one of those games that wows you at the start--a big "WOW!" in this case--but maintains only a tenuous hook in the long haul. In this mix of action/adventure and fantasy role-playing, players are cast as a Riskbreaker (think one-man army) named Ashley Riot, whose pursuit of a villainous cult leader takes him to the mysterious city of Lea Monde. The highly stylized graphics in Vagrant Story are easily some of the best ever seen on the PlayStation, and give the game a gorgeous, distinctive look to match its somber tone. Cinematic story sequences blend in almost seamlessly with gameplay, which takes place in 3-D environments (viewed from a third-person perspective) that can be rotated to provide the best angle. Vagrant Story features a rich battle system that's built on both strategy and quick reflexes. In addition to character statistics, weapons and armor have detailed numbers of their own and can be disassembled, assembled, or even combined to create new items. Hand/eye coordination factors heavily into combat, as Ashley develops offensive and defensive battle abilities that require perfectly timed button pushing in order to be used. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to get bored with Vagrant Story. The painfully linear gameplay here doesn't rise above killing enemy after enemy in room after room, and (oh boy!) solving puzzles by manipulating boxes. If not for the wholly intriguing (but sparsely littered) plot, one would be strongly tempted just to leave Ashley to rot in the catacombs beneath Lea Monde. --Joe Hon Pros: - Highly stylized graphics
- Rich battle system
- Intriguing plot
Cons:
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