Legaia 2: Duel Saga

"A very impressive game in its own right."

Legaia: Dual Saga

STORY

You play the role of a young 17 year old, Lang who finds that he needs to embark on a journey to recover the water crystal needed to sustain life in his village. But twists rears its ugly head as Lang is delved deeper and deeper into the evil plans that are taking place but also finding out the identity of who he is. The plot is in the most case, simply rehashed from various other RPGs with the predictable save-the-world scenario and other HE can save it. Nevertheless, the story is still engaging enough though.

GAMEPLAY

One of the most interesting features to note is the battle system. Whilst it is turn-based, you are allowed to enter button combinations in order to formulate your attack structure and at the same time, able to learn new moves or arts. It is also worth pointing out that the enemy size contributes to how well your attacks can connect. If the enemy is flying, then a low kick will naturally result in a miss - it is this kind of detail that really creates a sense of realism in the battles than in most other RPG games. Origins are Legaia's version of summoned creatures all neatly attributed to each of the game's protagonists.

In addition to all this, by equipping various accessories, characters are able to attain new indirect skills, whether they be to increase the strength of your art skills or increase statistical attributes, there are plenty to choose from. There's even more you can achieve from being able to combine weapons/armor/accessories to create a new and improved item. This customization option definitely allows for more flexibiliy in the game for you to play around with. There are quite a few mini-games and side-quests to do in this game including growing your own plants to doing guild jobs very much like those in Arc the Lad II and III. You can even cook from recipes so that your characters can raie their attributes in battles. This certainly adds an even more strategic element for the player to consider.

It is also worth mentioning the difficulty of the game itself. Refreshingly, battles and even normal monster battles can leave you reeling because the monsters can be unforgiving. Entering new areas and exposing yourself to new creatures does leave you dreading in fear because in many cases, they can kill off your party quite easily even with the best equipment in hand.

MUSIC

Nothing terribly exciting about the soundtrack but the in-battle voices does generate a feel of the characters' personalities though even if some of the voices sound weird.

GRAPHICS

Though the graphics don't exactly take advantage of what the PS2 can achieve, I felt that the graphics were very very good. The battle animations and graphics are particularly worth noting here because every strike that Lang or any of the other characters do is very well presented and the action intensity is well demonstrated. Different movements (and hand movements in the case of Maya the magician) gives a sense of realistic action in the game which I am most definitely impressed of.

OVERALL

An excellent RPG that makes the most of quite a number of innovative features that had been introduced in different RPGs over the years. I found it a pleasant surprise that the game is not easy and the monster and boss battles are actually challenging - adding to that the customization options and you have a game that will entertain you for a few weeks or so.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/02, Updated 10/17/02