For those reading this and are unsure just what Azure Dreams is, it was a wonderfully built RPG for the Playstation, with a downgraded version for the Game Boy Color. Released in 1998 by Konami, the game was quickly swept into my heart as a favorite Playstation game ever made that like Xenogears and Final Fantasy 7 and 8, still hold up today in terms of fun, story, sense of accomplishment, and customization.
In Azure Dreams, you play as Koh, the son of a monster tamer, named Guy. At the start you can change the default name to anything you would like and begins the story, told as a few flashbacks of you growing up with Nico, a tomboyish green haired neighbor. Before you get control of Koh, in the final flashback your father is hinted to have being killed in the monster tower. Now an "adult" in terms of the village, Koh enters the tower to become a tamer himself, because it worked out smashingly for his father, and help his mother raise their young daughter, whose name I have forgotten, but we'll go with twerp as that is what she is. The gameplay is something almost as chess, making a move turn-based style to make your way across a room or hallway in the tower and battle wild monsters searching for eggs. As time goes on options to fix up your town, house, monster den and "friendships" with the girls of the town comes up as an expanded story, instead of just reaching the top floor. Some areas can give side quests just to give new characters usually, or open the pool, that is completely useless. If you like Anime, this may be the type of game for you as it really feels as if you are watching anime, just with no voice acting and a blue bat-thing following you that only you apparently notice.
Azure Dreams is, was and always will be a favorite game of mine and I highly recommend it to anyone ages 8 and up. Besides the quirky cast of characters that you will most definitely find someone to relate to, a wide cast of options for monsters, weapons, and building placement, can make every play trough a fresh one, as the dungeon is also randomly built, from about 3 different versions of the first floor, the rest seem different always. The game tells a story of growing up and accepting the death of the characters father and to build up the town of Monsobiya (Probably misspelled, but weird I remember that and not his stupid sisters name though) and help others. Along the way you'll encounter an almost Pokemon like feel to the game, as instead of catching, you hunt the eggs and hatch as their tamer and instead of fighting other tamers, you fight the wild monsters of the tower, most of which look as though hours were spent on each one. Finding the game now is hard, as it is PS1 and not on the PSN store, but if you come across a copy, its a really good game and you probably won't be disappointed.
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