The Legend of Dragoon

The Legend of Dragoon is a fantastic JRPG from what I consider to be the golden age of RPGs, the 32-bit generation on the original Playstation. After having played Final Fantasy 7 and 8 some 20 years after they were released, I decided to try my hand at an RPG that wasn't part of the FF franchise. 46+ hours of gameplay later, I find myself very impressed.

Legend of Dragoon is a beautiful, original, and highly-entertaining game in its own right. The character designs, background artwork, and numerous enemies make for a very fleshed-out and epic fantasy world. It's very clear how much work and love went into making this game.

The true highlight of this game, however, is in the battle system, which uses a unique set of combos called additions that keep the player on their toes and rewards them for precision and timing. I realized very quickly that I would look forward to the random battles rather than dread them as usual.

The flaws in this game are few and far between. TLOD only allows you to carry 32 items max, which can become a bit bothersome for completionists, but is understandable to keep the boss battles realistically challenging. The full-motion cut scenes are still pretty amazing to look at, but a combination of mediocre voice acting and some wonky face animations make for a slightly unsettling experience. Fortunately, these are not too frequent and don't detract from the otherwise endearing and captivating experience that this game creates.

Ultimately, I reccomend The Legend of Dragoon to any fan of RPGs or games in general, especially those who long to return to a time when games were simpler and more pure. This game has loveable characters, a compelling story, and a top-notch combat system. My only hope is that the higher-ups at Sony will revisit this gem by way of a remaster or even remake a la Final Fantasy 7. Until that day comes, though, I reccomend anyone looking for a great game to dust off their PS1, grab a soda of their choice, and get lost in The Legend of Dragoon.