The popularity of Japanese role-playing games on a worldwide scale helped many people identify the PlayStation 1. In this sense, Final Fantasy VII undoubtedly took the lead, but it was surrounded by games that have since become legendary, like Breath of Fire, Wild Arms, and Suikoden. It’s simple to see how the JRPG boom changed the video game industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
It seems of sense that Sony wants a piece of the action. The Legend of Dragoon was a high-profile, large-scale production at the time. A 50-hour epic jam-packed with computer-generated cutscenes and cutting-edge graphics, it was promoted as a serious rival to Final Fantasy and its more seasoned rivals. Nevertheless, both critically and monetarily, Japan Studio’s effort fell short of those high expectations.
The Legend of Dragoon received a wave of mostly unimpressive reviews when it first released in the West in 2000. As Final Fantasy had unquestionably established the JRPG norm, many of these critics made unfavorable parallels to it. Given that this was a brand-new franchise from a developer with no expertise, such comparisons may have been a touch unjust in retrospect, but The Legend of Dragoon enjoyed tremendous support from Sony. There were certain expectations since it was envisioned as the upcoming great thing.
Having played The Legend of Dragoon for over 20 years, it’s clear why some of the initial criticisms were made. The awkward English localization and the divisive fighting system prevent this RPG from being more than a typical example of its era. Despite its flaws, however, this fantasy adventure has an undeniable charm that will delight longtime fans of the genre as a nostalgic journey.
The sense of adventure in The Legend of Dragoon is one of its strongest points. It’s a classic good-versus-evil story that takes you on an enjoyable global map filled with recognizable places. Although the game’s core charms carry the experience, its predictable structure—the same template that so many great RPGs rely upon—is clear in retrospect. Its artistic direction, distinctive character designs, and musical diversity provide a voyage that yet manages to be interesting.
The Legend of Dragoon manages to portray a remarkably poignant story despite its clumsy Japanese-to-English screenplay. You control a motley crew of misfit heroes as they each grapple with unique issues and come to grips with the story’s occasionally gloomy themes. When the story calls for a hard-hitting moment, this RPG may occasionally be a welcome example of being unflinchingly direct.
The premise of the story revolves around a powerful kingdom, magical artifacts, and dragon power, which is a conventional theme. However, the story does have some intriguing concepts in its finer details. Despite being 23 years old, the primary characters are still captivating and remain the driving force of the story, as previously mentioned.
The Legend of Dragoon’s gameplay is mostly what you’d expect from a Japanese-developed PS1 RPG from 2000, although it does include a few unique elements. Due to a structure that still seems original, battles are obviously where you’ll find them.
The two primary foundations of combat are Dragoon transformations and Additions. Each party member learns their own repertoire of skills for additions, which are essentially combo attacks. You must practice pressing X at the appropriate moments in a sort of rhythm mini-game in order to apply these skills in battle, although calling it that undersells how crucial the mechanic is to your success.
More potent In addition, opponent countermeasures demand you to press a different button before your attack is halted, which necessitates longer, more complex rhythms. It’s an odd method compared to the menu-based, more tactical approach of other RPGs, but that’s not always a bad thing. Again, it contributes to the game’s individuality, and once you’ve mastered the timing, the process is strangely enjoyable.
Since you can only equip one method at a time, you may experience monotony when you discover your favorite Additions. You’ll end up repeatedly tapping through the same assaults and begin to question the system’s depth.
Luckily, the introduction of Dragoon forms several hours into the game gives later battles a much-needed degree of strategy. Spirit points can be used for character-specific transformations after they have been acquired via successfully completing Missions. These temporary transformations provide powerful new abilities and magical spells that can offer a significant advantage in challenging fights. Just when the monotonous fighting system starts to creak, a game-changer and, perhaps, a game-saver.
Before we conclude, we should absolutely talk about the PS5 version of the game’s extremely frequent technical faults. Throughout our playtime, we discovered a ton of visual problems, from flickering backdrops to clipped character models. Moreover, speech lines might frequently cut off, and countless action scenes lack sound effects. Although restarting the game seems to alleviate the issue, frame rate hiccups are still a difficulty, especially during combat, and bouts are already conducted at a glacial pace.
Conclusion
The Legend of Dragoon is an excellent choice if you’re seeking for a PS1 RPG experience that captures the spirit of the time. Its ambition, which was commensurate with its large budget at the time, is still difficult to blame, but with the advantage of hindsight, it’s also simple to see where this Sony-backed production falters. Although the battle system is incredibly rewarding, at times it might seem painfully limited. While an emotive plot is carried by charming characters, the writing is almost ruined by an inept localization attempt. Despite its flaws, the classic is nonetheless a fascinating journey.
