History VideoGame / SaiyukiJourneyWest

''Saiyuki: Journey West'' is a 2001 UsefulNotes/{{Playstation}} StrategyRPG by {{Creator/Koei|Tecmo}}, based on ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' and heavily inspired by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''.

* AdaptationalBadass: In the original story, Xuanzang was a non-action guy who got kidnapped a lot. This game's version of Sanzo, while still the [[SquishyWizard physically weakest member of the party]] and lacking the SuperMode transformations the others have, compensates by being able to summon giant floating Bodhisattvas and use their attacks (like, for instance, summoning a giant sword the size of the battlefield to cut an enemy in half.)

* GenderFlip: You can choose to have Sanzo be female, flipping her gender from Xuanzang's in the original story. Since Xuanzang was already the feminine emotional type, it doesn't change very much, thematically speaking.

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: The Were forms of So Kinrei and So Ginrei are giant robotic ogres, which make use of [[AnachronismStew lasers and guns in their attacks]].

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Each character has an element in the [[ElementNumberFive Chinese five-element system]], which determines which spells they're best at, which they're strong against, and which they're weak against.

* TheChick: Sanzo (Xuanzang), who remains TheHeart of the group and in this version can actually be a chick. On the other hand, it's downplayed compared to the original; Sanzo gets several moments of awesome and generally comes across as a bit less naive.

* GenderFlip: You can choose to have Sanzo be female, flipping her gender from Xuanzang's in the original story. Since Xuanzang was already essentially an UnbuiltTrope version of TheChick, it doesn't change very much, thematically speaking.

** [[spoiler: Prince Reikan turns into a [[TurtlePower giant turtle]].]]

** [[spoiler: Lord Taurus turns into a [[ALoadOfBull monstrous minotaur]].]]

** [[spoiler: Chin Genshi turns into a [[WhenTreesAttack a living willow tree]].]]
** [[spoiler: Prince Reikan turns into a [[TurtlePower a giant turtle]].]]
** [[spoiler: Lady Tessen turns into a [[ScaryScorpions a scorpion woman]].]]
** [[spoiler: Lord Taurus turns into a [[ALoadOfBull a monstrous minotaur]].]]

''Saiyuki: Journey West'' is a 2001 UsefulNotes/{{Playstation}} StrategyRPG by {{Creator/Koei}}, based on ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' and heavily inspired by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''.

In it, you play as the monk Sanzo (Xuanzang, though you can choose Sanzo's gender) on an adventure loosely inspired by Journey To The West.

'''Saiyuki: Journey West''' is a 2001 UsefulNotes/{{Playstation}} StrategyRPG by {{Creator/Koei}}, based on ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' and heavily inspired by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''.

'''Saiyuki: Journey West''' is a UsefulNotes/{{Playstation}} StrategyRPG by {{Creator/Koei}}, based on ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' and heavily inspired by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''.

'''Saiyuki: Journey West''' is a [=PS1=] StrategyRPG by {{Creator/Koei}}, based on Literature/JourneyToTheWest and heavily inspired by VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics. In it, you play as the monk Sanzo (Xuanzang, though you can choose Sanzo's gender) on an adventure loosely inspired by Journey To The West.

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* AdaptationalBadass: In the original story, Xuanzang was a non-action guy who got kidnapped a lot. This game's version of Sanzo, while still the physically weakest member of the party and lacking the SuperMode transformations the others have, compensates by being able to summon giant floating Bodhisattvas and use their attacks (like, for instance, summoning a giant sword the size of the battlefield to cut an enemy in half.)

** The dragon-princess Shu Ryorin is only ''very'' loosely based Yulong, the dragon who serves as Xuanzang's horse in the original, and draws more directly on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longn%C3%BC Longnü]], an unrelated figure from Buddhism and Chinese mythology.

* KillerGorilla: Son Goku's SuperMode is a KillerGorilla that, especially in the opening cinematic, almost qualifies as a (recursive!) ShoutOut to Anime/DragonBallZ.

* SummonMagic: Sanzo can summon Buddhist Guardians, who float overhead and provide a persistent bonus to your entire party for three turns, in addition to giving Sanzo a free special attack based on their abilities for the duration.

* TacticalRockPaperScissors: Each character has an element in the [[ElementNumberFive Chinese five-element elemental system]], which determines which spells they're best at, which they're strong against, and which they're weak against.

* LostForever:
** Each piece of Emperor equipment can only be found on one unrevisitable boss stage. If you miss even one of them (aside from the last, which for some reason isn't necessary), you also miss out on Sanzo's best summon. And the later ones don't even appear in the first place if you fail to get the Emperor's Helm and then take it to the blacksmith in Yuimen.
** Leave an area without mastering all of its dojos, and you'll never be able to get the strength-increasing Gallant Ale.
** Likewise, leave an area without finding all its ingredients (which can only be found by visiting shops), and you'll miss out on Chef's Paradise, a spell for Cho Hakkai.
** All of the optional characters can be missed by progressing past the PointOfNoReturn for the chapter they're recruited in. Also, some of them can be lost without any indication of why just by doing levels in a weird order (basically, whenever the path branches, always play up to the point it rejoins itself before you go back to explore the other branch.)