Lufia: The Legend Returns

"Personally, I have no real problems with this game."

Intro

Back in about 2000 or so, there was news that a third chapter of the Lufia series was in the making. First, there was talk of it being released for the Play Station. Then, that changed in favor of a Game Boy Color release. Originally, it was set to take place 300 years after Lufia 1, and it was originally called Ruins Chasers. Again, that idea was scrapped in favor of what ultimately became Lufia: The Legend Returns. Even once that at least was settled, the game's development was riddled with financial difficulties and other delays that kept coming up right around the time the game was due for release. First it was due in spring, and right around the time it was set to come out, there'd be a delay. It was pushed back to July 29th, and right around then, it was pushed back again, fortunately by just a little over two months. Then, finally, on September 19, 2001, Lufia: The Legend Returns arrived on US shores. Unfortunately, as many times as it was delayed, it was riddled with typos and translation mistakes. But don't let that fool you. I do not, in spite of the rant, think Lufia: TLR is a bad game. In fact I am proud to own it. Lufia III haters are free to think I'm crazy, but you need send no flames. Actually, some of those typos are really quite amusing.
Control 9-10. My only problem is that they made it so you press the Start button to turn on the spot. This isn't needed often, but there are some occasions where it is necessary. The problem is that Start brings up the main menu, so if you don't do it just right (you have to hold down the button), you can find yourself in the menu when all you wanted to do was face another direction. Other than that the controls are quite good. A uses your sword in dungeons, and B runs in both dungeons and downs but not on the map. You should already know how to move around.
Gameplay 10-10. Lufia III features none of the Zelda style puzzles found in Lufia II, a fact which left many gamers disappointed. Personally, I'm fine with it. Yeah, those puzzles were fun, but some of them were damn frustrating. Lufia III features a somewhat different system. Dungeon layouts are randomly generated each time you enter (although it's nothing really earthshaking in most cases), and there are different types of traps that will trip you up if you're not careful. They aren't like the kinds of stuff you'd find in---say Prince of Persia, none of the slammng jaws or spikes (actually there are spikes in some of the dungeons if I remember right), but nothing that'll kill you instantly like in POP. Usually they're floor tiles that disorient you or put you to sleep when you step on them. Even then, it's only temporary and doesn't really inconvenience you too much unless there happens to be a monster right next to you when you get zonked. This has happened to me on occasion, and it's the only time the traps can really screw you up. One thing you'll discover about the dungeons is that there are a lot of secret passages, usually containing groups of four treasure chests. These generally hold relatively common items, but the way I look at it is the more healing items you have, the better. Besides, you never know when one of those chests might contain something really handy.
Lufia III also brings back the IP system from Lufia II, though in a different form. Here, IP abilities are learned via Ancient Texts which are found throughout dungeons, sometimes in those secret passages I mentioned. You also need SF or Spiritual Force to use them. This is obtained by having companions. I'd explain more about this but then I'd be here all night. It's explained in the game, and then of course there are web sites where you can get help. It's not as much fun as Lufia II's IP system, but it's good all the same.
Audio 10-10. The music in the game is very good. It may not stack up to the prior games, but it's good in itself, and what remixes there are in this game are done well. The classic victory fanfare is here, as is the Fortress of Doom theme. All in all, I was not disappointed with this category, and any complaints I had were due more to the limitations of the Game Boy Color's sound hardware than the composers themselves. Hey, it could've been a heck of a lot worse.
Story: It's been 100 years since the ending of Lufia 1. Lufia and the Hero presumably married and had a family. Now, a century later, the Sinistrals are back. This time they have an ally, though not the mysterious Sir Arek of whom we learned in Lufia II. They are aided by Balzak (the game actually calls him Zalbak), god of Eternal Flame. The hero is...duh...a descendant of Maxim named Wain. He is aided by a mysterious fortune teller named Seena, and a group of others whom you pick up along the way. The dialogue isn't as funny as the prior games (in fact there were times when I could picture Maxim turning over in his grave with disgust when his descendant got all whiny), but it could've been much worse. The typos, while irritating, make for some pretty funny quotes. Frue destruction anyone?
Overall 10-10. Personally, I have no big problems with the game. True, certain things I liked probably shouldn't have been changed from prior games, but like I said, it could have been a hell of a lot worse than it was.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/06/03