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Blue Dragon

(2007, Video Games - Role Playing Games, Rated T, Play it on: Xbox 360)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Final Fantasy-like RPG with plucky spirit.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Turn-based battle system encourages strategizing, planning ahead, and taking advantage of an enemy's weak points.

  • Messages:

    The villain, Nene, does numerous evil actions including unleashing the Land Shark on Shu's village for no other reason than he wants to hear the screams of the villagers. These actions are contrasted with the many good deeds that Shu and his friends perform, such as helping to cure a plague-stricken village and freeing a town trapped inside a magical barrier.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Characters use magic and physical attacks to battle hundreds of monsters, some of which resemble wolves, butterflies, rodents, and birds. There's a cutscene where you see tiger-like monsters getting riddled with arrows.

  • Sex:

    There's the occasional cheeky reference but nothing explicit. For example, after recovering from an illness, a character says to his wife "Honey, I feel like we could have another child or two! I feel energized!"

  • Language:

    Occasional mild cursing like "bastard," "dammit," and "you damn jerk" while confronting key villains.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    The towns have cafes and bars in them.
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Blue Dragon was written by Erin Bell

Parents need to know that this is a role-playing game in the style of Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior and requires a large time investment (around 60 hours) to complete. While the main characters are all virtuous, the villain of the game performs many evil acts including destroying villages on a whim, deliberately infecting people with diseases, and ordering robots to kill themselves. The game also earns its "crude humor" warning from the ESRB with numerous references to "poo." One of the enemy types is a "poo snake" and various enemies leave behind droppings that contain treasures.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about what personal qualities make Nene "bad" and Shu and his friends "good." How did each character demonstrate these respective qualities through their actions? Shu's mantra is to "Never give up" -- is this always a good philosophy to have?
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More on Blue Dragon

What’s the Story?

BLUE DRAGON centers on three children -- Shu, Jiro, and Kluke -- who live in a remote village that suffers regular attacks by a fearsome beast called the Land Shark. Eventually, the three confront the Land Shark and find out that it's owned by an even more sinister villain named Nene. To thwart Nene, the companions embark on an epic quest. Eventually, two other characters join the party for a total of five, and all possess the same ability: Their shadows manifest themselves as gigantic blue creatures capable of using powerful magic and skills.

The shadows can be assigned different jobs which, when completed, unlock different forms of magic and skills. A twist with Blue Dragon is that the monster battles aren't truly random; instead, monsters appear on the overworld map and can be engaged or avoided as the player chooses. Battle is turn-based, and characters can charge up their attacks for added effect in exchange for sacrificing their spot in line.

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Is It Any Good?

Blue Dragon was spearheaded by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and the soundtrack was written by renowned video game composer and fellow Final Fantasy alumnus Nobuo Uematsu. It has everything you would expect a game with its pedigree to have: beautiful graphics and music, cinematic cut scenes, an engaging (if clichéd) story, varied magic to learn, and plenty of monster encounters. The endless monster battles required to level up characters can be tedious, but it's something fans of the genre are used to.

Blue Dragon doesn't introduce much new to the role-playing genre, but it's a comfortable, well-paced adventure with characters whose plucky spirit you can't help but become attached to. Clocking in at around 60 hours of gameplay, Blue Dragon will certainly give gamers their money's worth if they're willing to invest the time.

 

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 8/28/2007, price $59.99, not online enabled
ESRB rating: T (for alcohol reference, crude humor, fantasy violence, mild language, mild suggestive themes)

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    basenjilove9
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language

    • My highlights are:
    • Safety isn't an issue

    Kinda hard

    Really fun, but it gets SUPER hard at a certain part not too far into it.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Parent Reviewer
    wavymouth
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0

    teen rated but cute looking

    I've played enough rpgs to know that this is most likely another great game and i need to get an xbox360 because the ds version was turned into a real time strategy game(so annoying to buy it and find out it isn't a turn-based rpg like this one i hear is.i've made DARN SURE to read that it is).

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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