Skies of Arcadia Legends

"The directors-cut is better then the original in every way!"

When I first played Skies of Arcadia 2 years ago on the Dreamcast, I was hooked. I fell in love with the cast of characters, and the amazing, innovative style of gameplay. Never before had I gone around on a ship throughout the entire game. A world where there is only Skies...Arcadia is an amazingly innovative game that everyone who has ever been a fan of RPG's should play. Its smart, fun, and amazing. This game is worth a replay even if you have mastered the original Skies.

You start out as the young, and rather attractive air-pirate names Vyse. This young man is amazing with the ladies, and has some incredibly skill with his twin cutlasses. The game starts out excitingly, yet mysteriously. A young woman is flying around the world. obviously, since the world is all the sky, she is on a type of airship. But she runs into unexpected trouble and some members of the Valuan Armada shoot her ship down. they seem to have an interest in this young lady. Then, a few moments later, some ''Air-Pirates'' (basically like normal pirates from the stories, except in the air) come and take over the ship. You are one of the air pirates leading the charge head on. At this point, you are then forced into your first battle.

Obviously, thats quite a start. Being an air pirate kicks ass past almost anything. If you have always wanted to play a game where you get to raid ships, this game if the one for you. But ships are not the only thing you are raiding in Skies of Arcadia Legends.

Skies of Arcadia Legends features a hero, who, surprisingly, actually ACTS like a hero. Theres a new feature for developers to explore. basically, this means that when Vyse has someone close to him, like a family member or a friend trapped, he will go save them. One of the best parts has Vyse breaking into a place considered unexcapable by everyone just to save his family and friends. Not only is it heartwarming, but it is also a great show of devotion to those around you. And a great show of incredible stupidity. But hey, heroes aren't heroes for being smart, are they?

The rest of the cast in Skies of Arcadia Legends is very loveable. Each character is well developed, which is imperative in a game like this. But Skies of Arcadia Legends actually has some of the best character development I have ever seen. You actually grow to love, and to despise these characters. Even the most villainous of characters have well developed personalities, and have back reasons for what they do. Minor characters, like the lady Belleza are also extremely well developed. They each have their own history, and reasons of why they do what they do. Take the character Fina for example. She has no idea what the world around her is like. But as she travels the world, she slowly learns what things are. It isnt just one abrupt time she learns, and by the end of the game, she knows most of what she should, but is not completely knowledgeable.

Even better, in this Directors cut of Skies of Arcadia, has even more development. the character Rameriez is developed past the point of the old game, and you learn of the past of the Valuan Armada from a side quest. You even learn how Vyse got the scar on his cheek.

Skies of Arcadia Legends has two battle systems. Yes, two. But you have to fight with them both, you dont get to pick and choose. Both are good, but I am partial to the ship battles. Ship battles are battles fought with your ship (obviously), and the normal battles are fought with your characters. Ship battles are like watching a movie that you control the commands of. Basically, the ships fly around, and shoot at each other. Now that probably seems boring as hell, but the true fun is inputting the commands. There are four turns in one ship ''round''. And these turns have different colors. Depending on the color, you, or your opponent may have the advantage of the attack. So on turns that are red, where your opponent has the attack advantage, it is a smart move to defend, or heal before that turn. And on green turns, it is best for you to attack. Of course, that is all part of the strategy.

Normal battles are also performed a bit differently. Your characters have HP, and MP, like most other RPG's. But there is also a totally different type of bar here. This bar, the SP, or Spirit point bar, is the most important bar in battles. The higher the bar is, the more spells or special skills your characters will be able to use. This limits your party. You can choose things like: Do I heal my party this turn with that uber healing spell, or do I wait, and use the most powerful attack I have right now to try and kill the enemy off? You gain SP each turn, and can gain more by ''focusing''. This limiting makes your battles a lot more strategic, and actually makes you think. Sadly, since you can use your super skills as many times as you want, as they dont cost anything but SP, you can use them as much as you want. So random battles can be very easy. Especially when you kill all of the enemies off with a single Lambda Burst from Aika before the enemies can attack you.

Speaking of random battles, there are a hell of a lot of them in Skies of Arcadia Legends. If you have ever played the first Skies of Arcadia, you would know it. Luckily, the amount of random battles in Legends has been significantly decreased, but there are still a whole lot of them. More then most people will be able to bear. This is a huge flaw in the game, and can bring your mind up to extreme annoyance level. Personally, I found the level to be decent, but others may not. Just a warning before you buy the game.

The sounds in Skies of Arcadia are a mixed bag. the music itself is beautifully composed. Some songs are very memorable, and well written/performed. Sadly, the sound quality went down on the GC version of the game. Some songs just sound a bit muffled. While the music itself is great, the voices suck. Ever notice how all the games with good battle systems have horrible voice acting? And the thing is, it really isnt voice acting. Every once in a while the characters will say things, like ''Aye aye!'' and Okay. Or moan when they dont want to do things. In battle they say battle quotes, and the like, but there isnt really acting. Its quite pathetic. And falls through the kiddy voice-acting area. Damnit all! Why do all the games with good battle systems have horrible voice acting?

Skies of Arcadia Legends has plenty of extras for the players of the original. There are optional bosses, extra storyline, and even an extra side quest. It is definitely worth it to bu the game over even if you have completely mastered the original.

All in All, Skies of Arcadia Legends is an awesome game. Damn you graphics freaks for ignoring the game because it is older. Damn you damn you! Go and buy this game. Buy it now!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/05/03, Updated 06/20/03