Why was Vahn?

I've been here ALL month. Rather than linger on Legend of Legaia any longer, let's get down to brass tax.


What does the OG LoL do that sucks?

Let's start with the story. It gets confusing and weird. Unless I missed something, there are also a number of plot holes. Do sim-seru function without the Great Genesis Tree? I also never found the reason why everyone thought the mist was holy. I assume it's because of Rogue, but what was his endgame in this? If there's nothing there, what are you ruling over?

The gameplay was fine, but it gets pretty boring once you've "unlocked" all the arts. Spam the same buttons repeatedly until your opponent dies. And in random battles, there's no difference between this and traditional turn based games. And don't get me started on how useless magic is.


Those may be the only deeply flawed issues I have with the game, but those are some of the most vital parts. Perhaps the good can outweigh the bad!

Noa quickly became one of my favorite all time characters. Her bubbly personality and infectious optimism with adorable ignorance towards common things drew me to her. I don't see myself in her, but she's just so fun!

The charm! By god, the charm! All the fun little things I want to see in RPGs are here. End game stats are the greatest. More importantly, gear actuality changes appearance when equipped. This was practically unheard of in 1998, but it never really caught on despite everyone everywhere loving it. Not even Final Fantasy stole this idea, but some "nameless" company did it! Shout out to Prokion! Nine-year-old me would have loved this game for that inclusion alone.


But that's kinda it. Everything else is middling, although far from terrible. Time for the numbers!

Plot: mixed bag. I've only known Noa for thirty eight hours, but if anything happens to her, I will kill everyone in this room and then myself! I don't care for her brother, though. 7/10

Gameplay: too long. Tedium sets in about twenty five hours in. Bosses become punch sponges, and new gear costs way too much. But the dungeons are short and fun. Shame magic is useless... 6/10

Sound: hookless. I enjoyed the variety of tracks we hear, but it's missing those earworms I need. 8/10

Visuals: lenient. I probably could dock the game for its use of pallet swaps, but there are enough enemies for me to say, "Look! The gear changes!" Flashy magic spells, unique locations, and quality are within. 10/10

Charm: love it. Legaia has memorable NPCs, a decent world, exploration, and just enough cute little things to make me see the game's got It. Lingers a but, though, and gameplay tedium creates more flaws... 7/10

Add those numbers up and deduct the cost of gear aggravation (-2) and the questionable translation, which creates some... odd moments of text (-1), and Legend of Legaia is a solid 35/50. A good seventy percent fits well. I enjoyed my time in Legaia, but I don't know if I could recommend it. The fighting game aspects are only novel for so long, and the weirdness with translation ("silence") keeps it in the cult classic realm. I didn't mention this anywhere else, but there are four different endings, all made at a choice after the final boss. That's always a plus!