Developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (KCET) and published by Konami in 1997, in Japan, and in 1998 in North America and Europe, Azure Dreams is a ‘Roguelike’ Role-Playing Game about a young boy who wants to become a Monster Hunter.

Gameplay revolves around the town of Monsbaiya, and the nearby Tower of Monsters. After reaching adulthood, the town’s inhabitants are allowed to enter the tower to fight monsters and collect treasure. And eggs…

Monster Eggs, when collected, can be hatched by warming them. If an egg is hatched inside the tower, it will leave you when you exit the tower. However, if an egg is taken home, and hatched in the Monster Room of your house (every home should have one), then it becomes imprinted onto you and stays with you.

At the start of the game, since you don’t have a ‘familiar’ (a monster who fights alongside you), one conveniently asks to join you before you enter the tower, then acts as a helper throughout the initial stages of the game.

Inside the tower, movement is real-time, and the landscape can be rotated using the L and R buttons. When an enemy comes within combat range the game then pauses and waits for your input. Combat is a turn-based/real-time hybrid that works very well when you get used to it, but it’s all about making sure your character is facing the right direction when attacking.

There are a variety of traps inside the tower, and some of them are quite imaginative. One, if stood on, will flip the world upside down and reverse the controls for a while. Another will re-arrange the landscape. Others will simply explode, slow you down, or put you in a state of confusion. It is possible to disarm a trap by standing in front of it and swinging at it once, but you have to know it’s there first. Many traps are invisible.

If you’re defeated while inside the tower you’ll wake up back at home – alive, but without the loot you collected on that outing.

Leaving the tower on your own terms, and with your loot, is another thing entirely… and it is done by finding and using an item called a “Wind Crystal“. When you enter the tower you have no idea when you might find one of these, and you can’t take them in with you, so you have to bide your time and survive for long enough until you snag one. An alternative is to use an “Oleem Fruit” on a familiar, but this will eliminate the familiar it is used on.

Back in town and you can sell your loot, hatch your eggs, fill in your Monster Book, and talk to the locals. There are seven characters that you can also develop a romantic relationship with, should you feel the need to, although these are optional. And of course you can re-enter the tower and continue looting and killing to your heart’s content… And, if you can make it to the very top of the tower, then you’ll be able to unlock the mystery of missing Monster Hunter, Guy.

I enjoyed playing Azure Dreams a lot. It reminded me a bit of the Torneko Roguelikes, but not as difficult. Once you get into the rhythm of the movement and combat it really does become quite captivating.

A Game Boy Color version of Azure Dreams was also released.

More: Azure Dreams on Wikipedia