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Saiyuki: Journey West[a] is a tactical role-playing video game released for the Sony PlayStation by Koei. It is based loosely on the Chinese novel Journey to the West.
| Saiyuki: Journey West | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Koei |
| Publisher(s) | Koei |
| Director(s) | Minoru Honda |
| Designer(s) | Minoru Honda |
| Artist(s) | Akihiro Yamada |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Plot
editThe game follows the basic outline of the Journey to the West's plot, in which the main character, a Buddhist practitioner named Sanzo, travels from China to India on a religious mission and has a variety of adventures along the way.
Gameplay
editSanzo can be played as either a male or a female character at the player's choice. Every character except Sanzo can transform into a monstrous form for a limited time. Instead of transforming, Sanzo has access to summon spells that each boost the party's stats in different ways for a number of rounds and allows him/her to use an extra spell at will. Furthermore, each character has a native element that powers their spells and weakens them to opposing elements.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 73/100[1] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |    [2] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8/10[3] |
| EP Daily | 7.5/10[4] |
| Famitsu | 31/40[5] |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10[6] |
| GameSpot | 8.1/10[7] |
| IGN | 8.4/10[8] |
| Next Generation | [9] |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [10] |
| RPGamer | 7/10[11] |
The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] Eric Bratcher of NextGen said that the game "won't dazzle your eyes, but with compelling characters, a unique setting and plot, and nice tactical depth, it's still a grand experience."[9] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40.[5] However, Four-Eyed Dragon of GamePro called it "an unsuccessful attempt to make a popular Chinese literary legend come alive."[12][b]
The game was nominated for "Best Game No One Played" at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 Awards, which went to Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory.[13] It was also a nominee at The Electric Playground's 2001 Blister Awards for "PSX Game of the Year", but lost to Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.[14]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Saiyuki: Journey West". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Jon. "Saiyuki: Journey West - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Mielke, James "Milkman" (September 2001). "Saiyuki: Journey West" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 146. Ziff Davis. p. 148. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Tapia, James (September 24, 2001). "Saiyuki: Journey West". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ a b "プレイステーション - 西遊記". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 22. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Saiyuki: Journey West". Game Informer. No. 100. FuncoLand. August 2001.
- ^ Speer, Justin (August 24, 2001). "Saiyuki: Journey West Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on October 5, 2001. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ Smith, David (August 29, 2001). "Saiyuki: Journey West". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Bratcher, Eric (October 2001). "Saiyuki: Journey West". NextGen. No. 82. Imagine Media. p. 81. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ Baker, Chris (August 2001). "Saiyuki: Journey West". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 47. Ziff Davis. p. 108. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Koehler, Paul (2002). "Saiyuki: Journey West - Retroview". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on August 24, 2002. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Four-Eyed Dragon (October 2001). "Saiyuki: Journey West Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. No. 157. IDG. Archived from the original on December 22, 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ GameSpot staff (2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 (Best Game No One Played)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on June 11, 2002. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
- ^ EP staff (2002). "Blister Awards 2001 (Console Games 3)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on July 13, 2003. Retrieved January 10, 2024.