10 Great Video Game Franchises People Simply Abandoned
5. Breath Of Fire
Breath of Fire, as a series, has always been a somewhat darling franchise. It hasn't taken the Western world by storm, or revolutionised anything in terms of technical prowess, but it's always put out some solid entries. Starting out on the SNES back in 1993, it's as standard a turn-based, fantasy series as players can expect. With dragons, which is never a bad thing, really.
And then Dragon Quarter came along.
It's very easy to use the word "divisive" about something "that some gamers didn't like" and call it a day. However, it's an apt word here. Dragon Quarter didn't just tweak a few things, it changed the formula too drastically, adding what it essentially a ticking death counter looming over Ryu's head.
In retrospect, the death/restart mechanic is actually quite a neat feature, as more story unlocks upon demise. Nowadays, gamers relish a repetitive and challenging grind (if Elden Ring hype is anything to go by).
Yet back in 2002, it was such a massive departure from the tried and true Breath of Fire the fans knew, and as such, killed the series.