A pedigreed project if ever there was one, The Legend of Legacy could easily have been named for its own lineage — this Furyu-developed RPG counts among its creators some of the legendary minds behind Chrono Trigger, the SaGa series and Final Fantasy XIII. As the latest in a long line of Atlus adventures for the 3DS, it's also following a strong legacy of JRPG gems on Nintendo's portable powerhouse. Happily, it's easily able to measure up to both its ancestry and contemporaries; with deeply satisfying battle mechanics, a wonderful atmosphere and a fascinating fusion of old-school sensibilities and innovative ideas, The Legend of Legacy is a delight for RPG fans.
Our legend begins on the island of Avalon, a newly rediscovered holy land that holds traces of lost gods and a bevy of secrets to unearth. After a very brief bout of world-building you'll pick one of seven adventurers and set off to explore the island. There's Eloise the alchemist, Liber the treasure hunter, Bianca the optimistic amnesiac, Meurs the elementalist, Garnet the loyal holy knight, Owen the mercenary, and Filmia the musical frog prince — a clear highlight — and each character has their own reasons for wanting to explore Avalon. They're all fun to use, too, and though each character starts with a fixed team of two of the others, you can recruit more members to your party and swap between them as you progress.
If this seems like a slightly sparse setup, it is. Though there's a quietly building overarching narrative, The Legend of Legacy is light on moment-to-moment story, and it's very happy to let you loose into its world after just a few minutes of exposition, rather than a few hours. This isn't a bad thing at all, of course, and it will be a huge positive for old-school aficionados; in its sparse dialogue, understated story and relatively restrained characterization, it calls to mind Famicom Final Fantasies and Dragon Quests more readily than any of Square-Enix's recent output.
Once you jump into the action, The Legend of Legacy's gameplay loop settles into a comforting cycle of genre standbys: exploration and combat. In the game's sole town of Initium you'll be able to come across maps of various uncharted areas of Avalon. Once you have a map you can set out for that territory — through a menu-like cartographic conceit, as in Fire Emblem: Awakening — and start exploring. Within each area there are several different sections to comb, and a stylized map on the bottom screen will auto-fill as you explore. Once you're satisfied you can head back to Initium to sell your filled-in map — earning significantly more money if it's 100% complete — and then stock up on new ones to head for further parts unknown.
While there's no 'overworld' in the traditional sense, within each map area you'll move around as you would in any other typical JRPG. One key difference is that there are no random battles; instead, in the grand, player-friendly tradition of EarthBound, enemies will appear as generic, shadowy figures on the field, and you can engage them or run away as you see fit. Once you do start up a battle, The Legend of Legacy comes into its own with a deep, dynamic combat system that really steals the show.
Battles in The Legend of Legacy are turn-based, but they're much more involved than similar systems, thanks especially to the idea of 'formations'. Formations act like a bundle of orders for your party, and assign each character a 'stance'. Different stances can emphasize Attacking, Guard or Support roles, and give boosts to stats accordingly — a support stance might grant you increased speed and healing ability, for instance, while a Guard role could let you block attacks for the whole party. The starter 'Pegasus' formation involves a beefy character soaking up damage in the front line while the other two party members get in quick jabs from the side, and using it effectively in battle requires playing to those strengths. You can create and save up to six formations to fall into whenever you like, and you can switch setups mid-match, so there's plenty of room for on-the-fly strategizing.
Along with formations, elemental affinities come into play in The Legend of Legacy, and not in the way you might expect. Instead of a simple weakness chain (though there's one of those too!), elements here are comprised of capricious, suggestible spirits that influence events both on and off the battlefield. There are four elements to keep track of — Water, Air, Fire, and Shadow — and their balance shifts continuously as you walk around the map. An Elemental Scale in the top right of the screen helps you keep an eye on the current standings, which become important for battles; if you go into a fight in an area with a strong Fire elemental contingent and very few Water representatives, for instance, flame-based attacks will be stronger while water will be weaker. You can actively help turn these tides as well, by forging 'contracts' with one of the different elements during battle, and once you're in accord with a particular element you can access powerful "charm" spells of that type to attack your enemies, heal your allies or protect your party.
It seems like a lot to think about, and it is, but it's very well implemented; the elements add strategy to both fights and exploration, and after a few hours of play tuning into the elemental balance comes naturally; it starts to feel like the Avalon equivalent of checking the weather. Even the way the elementals themselves are presented — as a swirling collection of shimmering lights flitting around above the battlefield, visible by holding down 'Y' mid-fight — makes them feel like an extra layer on top of the battle and a part of the wider world, rather than just another combat mechanic.
Thanks to the focus on formations and the elemental system, battles in The Legend of Legacy have a unique feel, but there's more to it than that; right off the bat you can tell that Avalon does things differently. First off, your characters won't level up with experience; rather, individual stats (Attack, Guard, and Support) will increase based on the actions you take in battle. Spend a few rounds protecting your teammates and you'll see your Guard stat rise, while whaling on enemies non-stop will increase your Attack. Similarly, skills can evolve the more you use them; they might level up to do more damage or even 'Awaken' into new, more powerful variants.
The biggest change from RPG business as usual, however, is that your party members will regain all their HP after every battle. This doesn't make the game easier; in fact, individual battles are significantly more difficult here than in most RPGs, and thanks to the importance of formations and the relative strength of ordinary enemies, spamming 'Attack' is a totally non-viable strategy. These tough, engaging fights are possible precisely because your HP won't carry over between them, which lets normal battles matter in and of themselves, and not just as part of a larger process of attrition. It's a refreshing change of pace — rather than trying to get you in and out of encounters as quickly as possible, The Legend of Legacy aims make them worth fighting, and it largely succeeds; we felt invested in fighting enemies right from the get-go in a way that's usually reserved for bigger baddies in most RPGs.
That said, there are a few issues with this approach. While encounters aren't random, and you can technically run away from any you don't want to fight, they still felt a bit too frequent given the length and commitment each battle entails; we spent a fair bit of time actively running away from enemies just to space the battles out more. And while the battle system as a whole is a delight, individual elements can start to feel repetitive — the elemental balance and customizable formations keep the mechanics fresh, but after fighting the same set of three enemies twenty times in the same area we found ourselves wishing for more variety in our foes, at the very least.
In fact, a bit more variety wouldn't hurt in general. Battling and exploring are both lots of fun, but the gameplay loop doesn't really let up; you'll head out to explore a new area, battle as much as you can, and return to Initium to restock and rearm your team before heading out to press on ahead. In this sense it's reminiscent of Etrian Odyssey and other classic dungeon-crawlers, but it's lacking both the environmental puzzles and map-making elements that keep those games interesting for longer sessions, as well as explorable towns that give traditional JRPGs a sense of scale and wonder; taken all together, these are noticeable absences. There are a few fun extras to make up for it — including an intriguing StreetPass feature that lets you send out ships to explore the high seas of local Wi-Fi and bring back the asynchronous spoils — and Avalon is still a lot of fun to dip into; it's just best enjoyed in shorter spurts that let you really appreciate the intricacies of the combat and the atmospheric setting.
That atmosphere goes a long way, too, since The Legend of Legacy is absolutely gorgeous. It sports a subtly colourful storybook look that calls to mind a more muted Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light, and it's completely committed to its aesthetic. Foreground elements like trees and boulders are rendered in a watercolour style and hoisted up individually as you pass within range, making walking around Avalon feel like flipping through the pages of a life-sized pop-up book. It's a breathtaking effect that looks amazing in motion, especially with the 3D slider turned up, and it's one of the coolest graphical tricks we've seen on the system since Bravely Default's citywide pan-outs — which are incidentally present here as well in Initium. Elsewhere, the presentation owes a lot to its 32-bit forebears, with chunky chibi character models and dramatic, dynamic camera angles during battles that reminded us of a much smoother Final Fantasy IX. One of the coolest nods to these influences is the wide variety of visually interesting screen transition effects that trigger when you enter a battle, replicating the impressive feel of PSOne-era loading screens, but without all the waiting.
All in all, it's an incredibly stylish presentation, and it's matched in kind by the music. Composer Masashi Hamauzu — who's previously scored SaGa Frontier 2, Unlimited Saga, and Final Fantasy XIII — has put together a beautifully unique soundtrack that layers melodic piano, synth, strings over birdsong, pad hits, and experimental noise. It's an enchanting fusion of organic and futuristic sounds, and a huge part of the charm of exploring Avalon is in discovering new soundscapes as you go. The soundtrack is accompanied by excellent audio design in general, too. The Legend of Legacy makes great use of its audio space, and a good pair of headphones is recommended; ambient noise and off-screen animal calls contribute to the feeling that there's a real, living world behind the glass. There's very little voice-over work, with only a storybook narrator providing occasional commentary, though that's in keeping with the game's old-school, story-light sensibilities, and the silence feels very natural in context.
Conclusion
The Legend of Legacy plays like a love letter to JRPGs, and just how much you enjoy it will hinge on what it is you love about the genre. If you're after world-spanning scale, intricate stories and complex character interaction, you'll likely end up disappointed — all of these elements are either backgrounded or absent from Avalon entirely. But if you love RPGs for the sense of exploration, engaging battle mechanics, and overall atmosphere, you're in for a real treat; The Legend of Legacy plays to these strengths and delivers a lovingly crafted adventure with a gorgeous graphical style and an outstanding soundtrack, easily earning its place in the 3DS' pantheon of portable RPG gems.
Comments 43
Great review! I will be picking this up...once it reaches the UK
Will probably pick this up, depends on when it hits the UK. If it launches too close to Bravely Second...hopefully the publisher will avoid that happening!
NIS said "Winter 2016" for this game in Europe
The complete lack of story or interesting characters really put me off this game...
I thought people said this sucked? Now I'm considering buying it.
@LztheQuack It comes out in February
Sounds right up my alley, might pick this up in February.
@stocko
Nice avatar btw best character in FFIX!
I wonder why you guys are so late with getting this review out. Don't y'all get NA copies of games that aren't released in EU yet?
@Drac_Mazoku Not necessarily, he got out the Stella Glow one first and that got released about a month after Legacy.
I'll get to this game in due time. Stella comes first!
Good review, but I think it focuses more in the good things and it doesn't count the bad things, which are there too. No story and almost no character development. Just explore the dungeon, go back to town, sell the map and repeat with another tougher dungeon. Not many different monsters out there and lots of pallette swaps.
There is exploration, but it works only the first time you play. In new game+, this is not a plus, because you already know where is everything. Developers said that you must finish the game with every character if you want to see the true ending so... good luck enjoying the same dungeons 7 times.
The customizable options are there, but in truth, the game is designed to have a party member in every stance and it shows in the latter dungeons, where hordes of monsters can dispatch you in one turn if you don't have your support stat (a.k.a. speed) raised a lot.
About elemental magic... you need 2 turns to cast it, one to call the spirits to your side and another to cast the spell (unless you are near a temple of that element), but monsters can call the spirits to their side AND cast the spell in one turn. What happens when there are more than 3 monsters of the same kind in battle? You never get to cast the desired spell. I've only used spells (primarily defensive ones) when fighting bosses, which, being as tough as boss battles usually are, were the only moments in which the game actually played fair with you.
I've enjoyed the game, but I think it's not a game of 8 but more a 6, which is not a bad game, remember. Just not for everyone.
I like the different approach to the battle system, makes me want to try the game out. Looks like I'll be waiting a while for it though.
I was telling people this was a decent little game- not excellent but good enough.
People just wrote it off without even giving it a second thought.
But the REAL star of the show is Stella Glow. The game that gives Fire Emblem Awakening a thorough run for its money.
'loveletter to jrpg...' i,m in!
It's not an 8, really. More like 6 or 7. A shallow, broken and repetitive battle system ruins the whole thing. Too bad, because the art style is very good, close to the eye candy that made Bravely Default so great.
The smaller scale, without new towns to explore or environmental puzzles to keep thing from being repetitive, is what bums me out. Although thank goodness you don't have to draw maps - I absolutely can't stand Etrian Odyssey because of that.
I'm so happy somebody gave this game a good review it deserved. I played the demo and got hooked instantly, bought the game and have been playing it ever since. it's a great game guys, don't let the other bad reviews scare you, try it and see if you like it yourself before putting it off already. You never know, you might be missing out on a hidden gem right here!
Seems like reviews are really downplaying the lack of story and good characters. Also the fact that the game will dropkick you with random mid boss encounters and just plain bad balancing (from what I heard at least).
Still, good that people enjoy it. I'll wait for a price drop just in case. It MIGHT be enjoyable as a placeholder for the real SaGa game that's coming to Vita soon.
@JaxonH
Really, really looking forward to getting my copy of Stella Glow in the mail. However, it being better than Awakening's gameplay is not hard to do. At all. In terms of Fire Emblem games and then in terms of SRPGs overall, Awakening is VERY VERY VERY weak. It's enjoyable in its own right, but it just can't hold a candle to past pre-reboot titles and other SRPGs out there.
It was okay. I really liked the art direction and character design, but I found the soundtrack dreadfully boring, which I honestly was kind of expecting since those we're my exact feeling on Final Fantasy XIII's soundtrack as well. I just don't like that particular composers work.
And when I don't like a game soundtrack, the game itself doesn't hold my interest for long either since that is one of the most important parts of a game in my opinion.
@AVahne
Ask SpoonyTech- he can vouch for how amazing Stella Glow is. But I hold Awakening very high indeed- I think it's the 3rd best FE game (only behind the GC and Wii entries) and tbh, I really don't like any other SRPG's in comparison. Always thought Tactics was good, but not great, whether it be War of the Lions or A2 on DS. I did like Jeanne d'Arc though. That was at least as good as the GBA Fire Emblems.
But ya, I love Awakening so when I say I think this gives it a run for its money, that's really saying something. In truth, it's not as hard and there's no permadeath, and not quite as technical. Yet somehow I'm enjoying Stella Glow almost just as much.
They really borrowed the Awakening formula- and it shows. A flash of the future endgame starts you off on a dramatic note (like FE:A). Support conversations and dating sim like elements (like FE:A), you've got your serious damage tank, your merchant, etc, the visual style is also very similar.
And strangely, both Stella Glow and Awakening were potentially the last one- only Stella Glow really did turn out to be their last. The similarities are incredible.
But enough babbling- you're gonna love the game. It starts off very cliche (oddly) but it gets so good once you start chapter one. And the game continues to open up. I'm 11 hours in, and JUST gained the ability to use the overhead map, conductor ability and a few other things. Let me know how you like it once you play for a while in the Stella Glow forum topic!
FE: Awakening, Stella Glow and now the LoL. Aside from Awakening's handful of cinematics, Stella Glow's voice work and the LoL's soundtrack, these games are epitomes of what is wrong with the 3DS doing rpgs. Cheap, interchangeable characters, minimalist in scope, repetitive (and strained) combat and horrendous writing. If devs could find a way to make these experiences more like console rpgs and less like an odd mish mash of 90s nostalgia and mobile phone shovelware, that would be great. There's nothing here that wasn't done better 15, 20 years ago.
I have this, but got bored with it after a few days.
That review sounds great, I'm really looking forward to this. I keep forgetting that this is a RPG and keep thinking it's a strategy game. Thankfully I love RPGs a lot more.
The only things that disappoints me with this game is the Winter 2016 release date in Europe, and the high chance that the special edition won't appear here.
@AVahne This. Awakening is a really weak FE title until you compare it to something like the Famicom entries or their DS remakes.
Also, I might want to note that the (lack of) difficulty in Stella Glow is by design. Removing one thing would render the game too difficult to be played with having to rely on items.
PS. I find myself enjoying Stella Glow more than I did with the non-console FE titles. I can vouch for how good its music is, especially!
I'm 47 hours into the game and at the final boss. I've really enjoyed the time I spent with the game but I've got to it admit it has some sharp flaws. This game is NOT for you if:
If none of these sound like deal breakers to you, then you'll probably have a pretty good time.
EDIT: I don't know why the list turned to bold. Fixed.
Cool. I'm glad this turned out to be great. I thought it looked good but heard a few negative things about it. Another great 3DS JRPG to get.
While I did enjoy this game's demo quite a bit more than the one for "Bravely Default," it's still not my cup of soda. (I don't drink tea.) The story is really lame, I don't like the chibi character designs, and as stated the enemy encounters happen too often. While the gameplay is good, it's not so good as to make up for these flaws.
@AVahne @TheWPCTraveler I don't have all that much experience with SRPGs, but I really love "FE: Awakening." How exactly does it pale in comparison to other entries in the genre like "Stella Glow" or even its own franchise, keeping in mind that difficulty and permadeath arguments are invalid seeing as those are optional choices?
Hate the art style. Why can't they make a jrpg that looks like ff8?
I don't mind the grind, but the downside is eventually the only way to level up abilities is to fight shadow beasts, and eventually not even that works.
Also, you generally use the same strategy with each fight after a certain point. One character is always going to block, so that's all they will level up. And often times one other character has to spam contact with an element so the enemies don't steal it back.
Having been said, it is still an enjoyable game. I made the mistake of picking Garnet as my main the first time out, and her story sucks compared to the others.
I really like the presentation of this game and the battle system, but I am put off by dungeon-crawlers. I'd play it if I had no other RPGs to play, and well... XCX. Nothing else for me to say
@MeloMan I'm very thankful Legend of Legacy came out in the US before XBCX. It's actually been what's tiding me over in an RPG-y way. : )
Very interesting. I don't read anywhere in the review where it claims this claims it is difficult. The reason why this is relevant is because I remember seeing a bunch of Japanese reviewers complain about the game being brutal, so that put me off from buying the game. I still probably won't get it though, since the character depth and story progression seems abnormally weak. At least the game looks pretty!
I will buy this game together has Stella Glow for Christmas
@Expa0 Yeah, when I heard Masashi Hamauzu was composing the music, I groaned. I guess it makes sense, since he scored SaGa Frontier 2 and Unlimited Saga, but I can't stand his style. Like, it sounds beautiful, but has no soul or hook to them, unlike Kenji Ito's work. His stuff in this game is okay, but suffers the same problem. At least SaGa Frontier 2 used leitmotifs, which is rare in video games.
Really liking the demo, I'm enjoying this more than Etrian Odyssey which I found a bit boring.
This one I'm really liking although it's starting to feel a bit repetitive.
Here is another interesting take on this game: http://gamasutra.com/blogs/ChristianNutt/20160122/264111/The_secret_of_The_Legend_of_Legacy.php
This review and that article makes this game sound like a must-try for me.
just tried out the demo liking what played so far think i'll buy this one soon. jrpg hell this year my wallet is already reeling for all the games coming...i'm gonna end up buying them all including red blue yellow U_U...
Super late to the party, but I just found the LoL collector's edition with OST and art book for cheap at Gamestop and had to snag it.
@zipmon I'm so glad that I can count on your reviews to spotlight the elements that make an RPG shine. I think we have similar attitudes about gaming. I really want to enjoy every game I play, and if there is praise to be given or a singularly great aspect to a game, I want to focus on those things.
While there are weak points, as you mentioned, the best parts of LoL make it a really enjoyable experience. I guess folks have different tastes in art direction and music, but personally, I love them both here.
Overall, I'm really glad that I took a shot on this and picked up that collector's edition. Another great review BTW, Morgan.
@NImH That's awesome! And thanks!! I definitely feel the same way about focusing on the great points in games — for a lot of games, a few shining points are all it takes for me to really enjoy myself! Glad you're enjoying LoL especially, it really clicked with me and I love the art and music too!
Great review! I am glad my favorite game got a good score here!
Playing the demo now and really enjoying it . Going to get it eventually .. played the Stella Glow demo and loved it . I think I will play that first
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