Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated Review
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning Reanimated is a ground-up remake of an Xbox 360 indie classic.
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning Reanimated. Credit: Shadow Layer Games
Shadow Layer Games has released a remake of the hit Xbox 360 Xbox Live game Breath of Death VII: The Beginning in a new “Reanimated” edition. Remade from the ground up, Breath of Death VII: The Beginning Reanimated allows new players and old fans to experience a modern classic.
The game features classic JRPG gameplay, with top-down exploration and a first-person battle system similar to Dragon Quest's. The turn-based combat is fast-paced, incorporating a combo system and special “unite” techniques that allow party members to combine their powers. Combat is manageable as long as you remain attentive, and you can adjust the game’s difficulty on the fly. Each area has a fixed number of monster encounters, after which you will only engage in battles if you choose to do so from the game’s menu.
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning Reanimated. Credit: Shadow Layer Games
The post-apocalyptic story has a light tone and features funny dialogue. Dem, the skeleton warrior, teams up with ghost historian Sara, vampire techie Lita, and zombie prince Erik to save their world. While I wasn’t particularly captivated by the story, the game doesn’t drag on and stays engaging throughout.
The game features impressive 16-bit graphics, with large sprites and detailed environments that resemble classics such as Chrono Trigger. This marks a significant improvement from the original version, which had smaller sprites similar to those found in earlier Final Fantasy games. In addition to the revamped graphics, the remake boasts a new soundtrack created by HyperDuck SoundWorks, known for their work on titles like Cosmic Star Heroine and Dust: An Elysian Tail.
Breath of Death VII: The Beginning Reanimated. Credit: Shadow Layer Games
I didn’t own an Xbox 360 when Breath of Death VII: The Beginning was first released, but I was very interested in what Microsoft was doing with indie games on Xbox Live at that time. I’m glad I finally had the chance to experience one of the biggest classics to come from that era, and the Reanimated edition was a fantastic way to do it.
Breath of Dead VII: The Beginning Reanimated is available now on PC (Steam).
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
