One more pleasant surprise about the game is the high production values. Kannon disappears, leaving the staff behind. When it is later discovered that Homei, the temple elder, had the very same vision, Sanzo is chosen to make the 18,000-league journey west. The path to India is know to be fraught with monsters, so Sanzo is giving a compliment of servants. At its heart, Saiyuki is a turn-based strategy game similar to Final Fantasy Tactics or Vandal Hearts.
Players move their party around grid-based maps, selecting attacks, using items and casting spells.
While it doesn't seem to have the depth of a game like FFT, Saiyuki is not without a few innovations. Most interestingly, the 3D battle maps offer interactive elements where your characters can influence the terrain. In the opening battle, for example, there is a wooden bridge that can be destroyed to prevent enemies from following. Sanzo is alone for this first mission, but an unknown voice guides him to the top of the map and instructs him to remove a charm from a large boulder. The rock disappears, revealing Goku, imprisoned inside for attempting to invade heaven long ago.