Skies of Arcadia Legends

"Just an excellent old-school RPG. Period."

Now, I know many people will disagree with me on this review, but isn't that the point? This is my opinion of one of my favorite games of all time. Deal with it. ^_^ Now, to start the review....

I first came across this game as I was reading an article about it in Nintendo Power. (Yes, I am a Nintendo Fanboy. Bear in mind, this was originally a Dreamcast game.) I looked through the pages of the articles and decided this game looked like a good play... but alas, there were no copies to be found! So I rented this game, and beat it. my first rent. I ended up renting it two or three more times afterwards, as well, I just enjoyed the game so much. But they finally made some reprints, and the game isn't nearly as rare anymore, so I finally got a copy. So for all of you RPG-lovers out there, I think you'll enjoy this....

Gameplay - 8/10
The game's menus, in my opinion, were very self explanatory and eaay to follow, so the game is easy to pick up. The games magic system is pretty unique. Each spell uses 1MP, no matter what the spell. The catch is they will also each use a varied amount of SP (Spirit Points.) This can be tricky, because you're entire party shares one SP pool. The color system for the magic is nice, but not really important. Red is fire, purple is ice, green is healing, yellow is electriciy, blue is wind/water, silver is life/death. Now, these colors are weak and strong against eachother, depending on which color goes against which. For example, Purple(ice) is good against Red(fire) but Red is good against Green(Healing). But the differences between the weaknesses and strengths are usually so minor, it doesn't matter what color you're using. The trick to learning magic is making your weapon the color of the spell you want to learn. The more you battle, the more MP XP you get. Pretty simple.

One of my favorite parts about this game is the special attacks. Each character comes with his/her own set of special attacks, unlocked by using items known as moonberries found throughout the game. Each attack has its' own edges. Attacks that deal a lot of damage, or that protect you from magic, or that petrify your enemies. Each special attack uses, and in a larger amount than MP, SP. Generally, the better the attack is, the more SP it costs.

Possibly my favorite part of this game is sailing. Throughout the game you'll acquire your own ship, and you'll get to sail freely through the world of Arcadia. I personally like the flying boat style. The ship battles are interesting, but can become boring for those of you who are more into real time action and such. It's turn based, as is the on-foot battling. The on-foot fighting is similar to pretty much any other traditional RPG.

My only REAL complain... is the camera can be very akward at times. It can be slow, or fix itself in akward positions. But all in all, the gameplay is excellent. Bear in mind, the original version of this game is NOT new.

Story - 9/10
I think the story is excellent, but still pretty darn cheesy. It's pretty standard.
You are Vyse, a teenage Air Pirate who, at the beginning of the game, is a crewmember of his dad's Pirate Ship, "The Albatross." Pirates are seperated into 2 factions. "Blue Rogues," who steal from the rich and give to the poor, basically. Just like good 'ole Robin Hood. Then there's the "Black Pirates." Cold, heartless, stinky guys who attack any ship they see, whether it's armed or not. Of course, being the hero of the game, you are a righteous Blue Rogue. You stand for everything that is right, and I mean EVERYTHING, which gets a little cheesy at times. You're companions are the real light of the story. You're best friend, a Red Haired Air Pirate from the same crew named Aika. He wields a huge boomerang, and is needless to say, just a liiiiittle ditzy. Fina, the beautiful, oddly-clothed foreigner who is hesitant to reveal anything about her past, and who knows nothing of your world, a grouchy, mysterious old fisherman/pirate who's chasing after a giant, flying whale, a justly and proper royal Prince, and a suave, debonair, ladies man of a pirate with a taste for adventure. Ah yes. It's quite wonderful.

Graphics - 7/10
Okay, the graphics are rather blocky and don't really flow very well. THIS IS A DREAMCAST PORT! and it's not exactly new. For it's time, it was pretty darn good. The graphics may not hail to Final Fantasy X, X-2, Xenosaga, or whatever, but they're certainly not bad enough to hinder the game experience. The game is very colorful, and the characters are designed excellently. The facial expressions, espcially on Vyse and Aika, are at times very funny. The graphics may not be spectacular, but they are good.

Sound - 10/10
The music in Skies of Arcadia is just absolutely amazing. The music has an orchestral and dramatic feel to it, making you sometimes truly believe you're really on a journey, and that Arcadia is a real world that is really in danger. The sound effects, while slightly dated, fit the game just fine. Swords swish when they should swish, lava gurgles when it should gurgle, and wind whooshes when it should whoosh. There's really no reason to complain. Now, if you listen REALLY hardly, you CAN tell the difference between Legends and its' original DC counterpart, as the original is SLIGHTLY clearer. But unless you're a sound buff, you'll never, ever know the difference.

Play Time - 7/10
If you choose to partake in ALL of the sidequests, this game can take a hefty chunk of your life away from you. The main storyline in itself doesn't quite last as long as I'd like, but to find ALL the discoveries throughout Arcadia, to claim ALL the bounties, to find ALL the treasure, and to gain the highest status ranking, can take a long, long, long time. So if you're a gaming perfectionist looking for a challenge, SOA:L should definitely quench your thirst. If you don't mind not getting 100%, like me, then this game is JUST about the right length story-wise. I'd still like it to be a little longer..

Replayability - 7/10
Like I said, if you're a gaming perfectionist, you'll want to find everything in the game. But chances are very slim that you'll find everything in your first play through. But as for most RPG's, when you're done, you're done. You know the story, you know the plot twists, and the game loses that epic feel after a few play throughs for most people. But the game is so genuinely fun and well done, that it may take 2 or 3 play throughs before you're not having fun anymore, then just take a break to check out a few new titles, and come back to good 'ole SOA:L. Yeah buddy, that's what it's all about.

Rent/Buy/Ditch - Buy
You COULD rent this game, but unless you spend a good chunk of your day gaming, then you probably won't get everything done and be satisfied with yourself within 5 days, and even if you can, this game is an amazing game and always good for another play through. It's an excellent under-rated treasure to add to your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/04