Breath of Fire

Breath of Fire is a series of turn-based RPGs from Capcom that, in the early nineties, led Super Nintendo players into a world of humans, monsters and dragons. Its hero is always a young man named Ryu, who can transform into a dragon and, on his quest against dark forces, gradually gathers companions from strikingly different races. From the very first entries the series stood out for its emphasis on travelling across varied lands and cultures and for assembling a party of mismatched characters, giving it a more fairy-tale, adventurous tone than rival JRPGs.

The turning point came with Breath of Fire III in 1997, which moved to PlayStation, offered hand-drawn 2D art over 3D backgrounds, and told a darker, more mature story following Ryu from childhood into adulthood. Breath of Fire IV pushed the visuals further still and split its narrative between Ryu and his mysterious rival Fou-Lu, giving the series one of its strongest stories. The real break, however, came with Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter, which abandoned the traditional RPG format for cramped underground corridors, permanent risk of death and a limited number of attempts - a radical shift that split long-time fans of the series.

After Dragon Quarter the brand lay dormant for years, revived only briefly by a free-to-play mobile spin-off available in Japan alone. Even so, thanks to its atmosphere, music and willingness to reinvent its own formula, Breath of Fire holds a firm place among Capcom's RPG series, and fans still bring it up as a franchise waiting for a modern comeback.