While Azure Dreams for the PlayStation wasn't exactly a hot seller, Konami still decided to port it to the Gameboy Color, possibly to cash-in on the Poke’mon craze. While still having the same premise and plot as Azure Dreams, the downsized version has a number of changes.
The graphics were now all 2D (obviously) with all the characters turned into squat little blobs. The art style for the characters is a bit different also. There are a total of 116 monsters (called "Tameons" here) to collect rather than the 50 from the PSOne game. Also, there is the option to exchange monsters with a friend (which furthers the Poke’mon connection). The plot is a bit involving, as you meet some of Guy's old companions, who will chat a bit and give you items. You also fight a stronger Ghosh in the upper levels, as well as a few boss battles. After beating the game, you unlock a 99 floor dungeon that hides a second ending. The music and sounds have been reproduced pretty faithfully, but still aren't amazing or really catchy.
Unfortunately, a lot of aspects have been dumbed down or cut entirely. The relationship building aspects of the PSOne game have been ditched. Because of this, Vivian, Cherral, Mia, and Patty are nowhere to be found. Fur is still here, but she no longer gets a character portrait. Also gone are all of the town construction elements. You can only upgrade your house and monster hut, and you can donate money to Nico in order to beautify Monsbaiya, but you can no longer build and place individual buildings. While both features were mostly useless, they were fun things to do outside of the Tower and I missed them when they were gone.
Strangely, many people claim that the game mechanics in the GBC version are better than the PlayStation version. I have to disagree. Sure, the monsters aren't nearly as aggressive, nor do they do as much damage, so it's not as immediately intimidating. And monster fusing is also a bit more in-depth. However, combat is even clunkier since you can no longer move or attack diagonally. It's hard to see Koh's attacks, and the view occasionally changes into a Poke’mon-style combat view, which slows down the pacing. There's still a map, but you have to go through the menu to get it, slowing the game down as it’s fairly easy to get lost. Items are far more plentiful, and for no reason whatsoever, all the items and spells were renamed, despite the translation otherwise being pretty similar to the PSOne game.
Overall, the GBC version is a bit of a letdown. The two features that made the first game feel unique were taken out (along with some of the characters), the game feels much slower than before, and the whole ordeal is just a bit too easy. I guess those are the sacrifices that had to be made in order to translate such a huge PSOne title into a tiny Gameboy cartridge back in the late 1990s.
