Parents' Guide to

Blue Dragon

By Erin Bell, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Final Fantasy-like RPG with plucky spirit.

Game Xbox 360 2007
Blue Dragon Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 2 parent reviews

raffivegas
raffivegas Adult
March 12, 2020
age 10+

Bastard.

The little kid main character in the game keeps YELLING out the word "BASTARD!" I just don't get it. He repeatedly calls the main bad guy "YOU BASTARD!", quite literally, yelling it at the top of his lungs. I play this here and there and my 8 year old watches (he was 7 when I started playing). My wife would not approve, but we sneak it by since there's hours of game play where no bastards are given. My son knows not to repeat the bad word. This is a game made for kids by secular adults who do not understand children. Aside of the bad words here and there, I'd say the rest is kosher.

This title has:

Too much swearing
wavymouth
wavymouth Parent of 6 and 13-year-old
June 26, 2009
age 12+

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).
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What’s It About?

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.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (4):

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • 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?

Game Details

  • Platform: Xbox 360
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Microsoft
  • Release date: August 28, 2007
  • Genre: Role-Playing
  • ESRB rating: T for alcohol reference, crude humor, fantasy violence, mild language, mild suggestive themes
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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