Legend of Legaia

"It's Wild Arms, Final Fantasy 7 and Tekken in one, single CD."

When I was younger, I was a fanatic of Nintendo's NES. I bought almost every cartridge that I could. I never cared about the title and the genre, especially RPGs. I thought RPGs were plain, dull and _boring_. When I finally got a Playstation, I kept buying non-RPG games... until Final Fantasy 7 showed up. I bought it because it was SOOOO famous. That was when I finally "understood" what an RPG was. Since then, RPGs popped into my CD rack one after the other, but they all had the same fighting sequence wherein you do a single attack, cast a magic spell, etc. When Xenogears came, I was impressed by it's battle sequence. But when Legaia came, I was even more impressed by the combo-driven battle sequence. I thought it was the most creative game I have ever played. Call it a good mix of a fighting game and an RPG. However, just like us humans, no game is perfect. Read on, Joe, and you might just find out why I think so.

*** STORY *** 8 ***

Whatever the RPG is, it always has the "save the world using a motley crew" formula. FF7 had it's twists and turns, but it ended up following this formula. Legaia simply follows in FF7's footprints, but it's got a bit of Wild Arms, too. Wild Arms gave you a choice whether which character to use first. Since the developers of Wild Arms and Legaia are the same, they're pretty close because of the 3 characters, but you can't choose which character to use first, since Wild Arms is a bit semi-linear. You start with just one character until you finally get the other two. Sure, the plot has some twists and turns, but you still end up fighting a final boss who plots to dominate the planet, namely Legaia. You're also introduced to the Seru, special beings that attach to humans. However, an evil Mist has enveloped the whole planet, eventually turning the Seru and its' wearers into evil. Your group must find the Genesis Trees (special trees that can drive away the Mist), revive them, equip the Holy Seru inside called Ra-Seru, and vanquish the Mist from the face of Legaia. Overall, the story's simply above average.

*** GAMEPLAY *** 9 ***

Like I've said a while ago, the gameplay, especially the battle sequence, turned me on. It's similar to a fighting game wherein you can link attacks to make your own combo. You use the directional buttons to attack: Up for a high attack, down for a low attack, and left/right for the arm attacks. It also resembles Xenogears because of the special combos that do more damage. They're called Arts. Learning them is a lot simpler and easier than Xenogears, since you only have to do that combo to learn it. You'll also find stronger Arts called Hyper Arts which you can only learn through using a special item. There are also a lot of hidden Arts called Super Arts, and the strongest of them all, the Miracle Arts. Each Arts move uses a set amount of APs, or Arts Points. You are given a hundred, and it's up to you to use them wisely. Of course, you can refresh your AP Bar by using the Spirit command, since your APs don't regenerate every battle. Once you get used to all these, it will seem like second nature to you. Spells, on the other hand, require you to have a Ra-Seru in order to get them. Beat the monster with a special symbol beside it's name using hand-to-hand combat, and if you're lucky, your Ra-Seru will be able to "assimilate" it. However, once you fight the bosses, you won't be able to use much strategy. Your enemy will usually have only one special attack and a lot of combos. It becomes dull, boring and repetitive, since you can only use your Arts and some spells. But since it's fun to use the wide variety of Arts, it's not that bad.

*** GRAPHICS *** 9 ***

The graphics are Legaia's strong points. Like FF7, the in-battle graphics here are pretty flawless. You can see the equipment that you put on your warriors, and the spells are colorful and flashy. Each spell summons a creature that is created through multiple polygons, and it's fun just watching them duke it out with the enemy. On the World Map, however, the characters are cutsey and superdeformed, just like FF7's. Fortunately, they're NOT that cutsey and superdeformed as compared to FF7. Nuff said.

*** SOUNDS *** 8 ***

In Legend of Legaia, you'll hear the same old "clang" and "thwack" found in almost every RPG out there. The difference in this game is that the characters shout everytime they attack. Imagine you're watching a Chinese Kung-Fu movie, and you get the picture. They shout "Yoo-sa," " Haiiii," "Hoiii" and tons of other expressions when they do an attack. They even speak when you win, taunting the beaten enemies in Japanese just like in fighting games. However, don't expect it to be good: they're poorly done. I could've just given the sounds a 7 score, but since the voices is something new, I'm giving it an 8.

*** FUN RATING *** 9 ***

It's as fun as it gets. The battles may feel repetitive at times, but you won't feel it too much. Legaia also has around 5 or 6 mini-games waiting for you to play. They range from fishing games to even a dancing game, so that means you have a wide variety of fun once you get tired of the main game.

*** RENT OR BUY? ***

Since it's an RPG, rent it first for a couple of days. If you feel it's worth spending 50 bucks, then buy it. However, if you dislike RPGs, then steer clear of this game. You just have to make a choice.

*** OVERALL *** 9 *** It should be a surefire hit for fighting game buffs and RPG warriors alike. However you look at it, it will always be a great RPG that is worth putting in your shelves. Probably, it'll have a sequel in the near future. Or maybe it'll become a classic someday. The future is bright for this star.

Now look below and you will see my FINAL score.... Drumroll, please....

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99