There will be spoilers in this review, not many, but some can't be helped.
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to my first review of all time! My name is Seru_Kai and I am a video game lover. There, it's out in the open, so we can move on (to video games).
Today I'm writing about Legend of Legaia, for the original Playstation. The game was massively covered up by the giant we all know as Final Fantasy VII, and that pretty much gave Legaia a soft release, without too much press. I bought a copy of a gaming magazine (O.P.M., when it existed), and it came with a demo. On that demo was......Legaia! After that 30 minute fun ride that was the demo, I had to have this game.
If you are fans of this game already, then you pretty much know where I am taking this review, if not.......here we go!
Storyline
This is a little bit simple minded. There's the generalized 'save the world' story with a young cast of kid heroes (who we'll get to). The part that shined for me was the telling of the story. You start out in a small town with a kid you don't know and, piece by piece, you end up in a struggle against a Mist that produces Seru that try to stop you whilst you try to thwart evil from conquering the entire planet! You want more?....you'll have to play the game, as this is a review, not a guide.
Rpg's tend to give out the story in huge chunks with training and sidequests built in to help digest the story. Legaia actually builds the story as you play, and each area you visit is a new story piece added to the puzzle. You don't quite know what's going on at the start, but very soon (within an hour) you're sucked in and feel the need to get to that next town to see what's coming next.
Recap: Despite the semi-overused theme to the story, the method they told it in, and the details that it has, especially mid-late gametime, make it deserve the title Playstation Rpg. (aka PS had a lot of good rpg's).
8/10
Characters
Only 3 party members, and that's a good thing.
Vahn: The main charatcer, and he's mute. Muteness, in my book, is fantastic. It allows you to feel how the character would react to given situations, rather than having a built in dialogue to spout out. His Ra-Seru is Meta, Fire Element.
Noa: The cute one! Always upbeat and ready to rock, Noa steals the hearts of the unexpecting with her amazingness. She is the agile one of the bunch, having Terra as he Ra-Seru, and using Wind as her main Element.
Gala: Ever want a strict, tough, prodominantly silent monk on your side? Well here's Gala! Strong and Stable, as some would say, Gala packs a punch. Just don't think he'll be throwing a lot of them, as he's the slowest of the trio. Ozma accompanies him as a Ra-Seru, allowing the using of the Lightning Element.
But SERU! What ARE seru?!
Seru: The bad guys! There is a Mist being produced by the main villains of the game. The Mist allows animals and even people to be transformed and controlled by Seru. You fight many a kind on your journey.
Ra-Seru: Your helpers! Not only do they protect you from the Mist, but they serve as the magic system. Some Seru you come across will have an element attached, and you can absorb them through your Ra-Seru. After absorption, they serve as various summons to use in battle.
Cort: A very well done villain in my book. He has no concience, and he is bent on controlling the world with the Mist. He doesn't have a lot of screen time until about midgame and onwards, and doesn't have contact with the party until the end of the game. But the twist(s) involving Cort will not be wasted when you see it all come into place.
My favorite rpg cast.
10/10
Gameplay
This is what keeps you hooked. Every game will always have some semi-sleepy moments in it. The battle system in this game will keep your eyes awake and focused.
It's basically set up as a kickboxing/martial arts system. You insert commands using the Directional Pad on the controller, and that members execute the attack. There are various levels of 'Arts' to learn, adding power and style to the attacks.
The kink in the workings is that you enter all of your commands before each round. As the round plays out, each party member/enemy acts depending on status and speed that they have. It allows you to customize your battleplan. Depending on the fight, you can choose who your healer is, and who your attackers are.
This is my favorite battle system in any rpg I've played. It's unique, it's masterfully done, and it keeps the game fresh with each playthrough.
10/10
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are on par with that FFVII that was mentioned earlier. Semi- block characters in the field (not nearly as bad as in FFVII), yet highly (highly) detailed models in battle. Each gear and weapon you use changes the appearance of your characters when they are in battle. (That's a big deal to myself at least)
The sound is.....decent. There are a couple of songs that really fit the spot, and then there are some songs that just make you want to move onto the next city/field to get away from it. The battle music though.....I could listen to on a loop for hours.
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 7/10
Extras and Replay
There are a view sidequests in the game, mainly in the same area. You can pit youself against Seru or even previous bosses in a battle arena. There is also a ridiculously addictive slots game. These can lead to you purchasing powerful items, or even optional Seru magic.
As for the replay, for me it's one hell of a yes! For others.....not so much. There is one thing that people tend to hate about this game (that I personally love) is that it is a GRIND! The leveling is arguably the slowest I have ever played. Finishing the game in around 45-60 hours is average, with optional endings as well (you can just beat the last boss and pick your ending).
It also brings up a stats page when you are finally done, letting you know how many battles you fought, enemies killed, and treasure found. Pretty nice if you are into little things like that.
Extras - 9/10
Replay - 6/10 (always that feeling to get to level 99)
Overall
9.2/10
Overall, this is my favorite rpg of all time, and my second favorite game of all time. I may have seemed a little hard on the scores after saying that, but I tried to be honest about it. There's always one more thing;
Everyone hears about games that aren't highly rated, yet are fan favorites. This is one of those games, it will suck you in and make you realize it's not solely about the review scores.
-Seru_Kai
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to my first review of all time! My name is Seru_Kai and I am a video game lover. There, it's out in the open, so we can move on (to video games).
Today I'm writing about Legend of Legaia, for the original Playstation. The game was massively covered up by the giant we all know as Final Fantasy VII, and that pretty much gave Legaia a soft release, without too much press. I bought a copy of a gaming magazine (O.P.M., when it existed), and it came with a demo. On that demo was......Legaia! After that 30 minute fun ride that was the demo, I had to have this game.
If you are fans of this game already, then you pretty much know where I am taking this review, if not.......here we go!
Storyline
This is a little bit simple minded. There's the generalized 'save the world' story with a young cast of kid heroes (who we'll get to). The part that shined for me was the telling of the story. You start out in a small town with a kid you don't know and, piece by piece, you end up in a struggle against a Mist that produces Seru that try to stop you whilst you try to thwart evil from conquering the entire planet! You want more?....you'll have to play the game, as this is a review, not a guide.
Rpg's tend to give out the story in huge chunks with training and sidequests built in to help digest the story. Legaia actually builds the story as you play, and each area you visit is a new story piece added to the puzzle. You don't quite know what's going on at the start, but very soon (within an hour) you're sucked in and feel the need to get to that next town to see what's coming next.
Recap: Despite the semi-overused theme to the story, the method they told it in, and the details that it has, especially mid-late gametime, make it deserve the title Playstation Rpg. (aka PS had a lot of good rpg's).
8/10
Characters
Only 3 party members, and that's a good thing.
Vahn: The main charatcer, and he's mute. Muteness, in my book, is fantastic. It allows you to feel how the character would react to given situations, rather than having a built in dialogue to spout out. His Ra-Seru is Meta, Fire Element.
Noa: The cute one! Always upbeat and ready to rock, Noa steals the hearts of the unexpecting with her amazingness. She is the agile one of the bunch, having Terra as he Ra-Seru, and using Wind as her main Element.
Gala: Ever want a strict, tough, prodominantly silent monk on your side? Well here's Gala! Strong and Stable, as some would say, Gala packs a punch. Just don't think he'll be throwing a lot of them, as he's the slowest of the trio. Ozma accompanies him as a Ra-Seru, allowing the using of the Lightning Element.
But SERU! What ARE seru?!
Seru: The bad guys! There is a Mist being produced by the main villains of the game. The Mist allows animals and even people to be transformed and controlled by Seru. You fight many a kind on your journey.
Ra-Seru: Your helpers! Not only do they protect you from the Mist, but they serve as the magic system. Some Seru you come across will have an element attached, and you can absorb them through your Ra-Seru. After absorption, they serve as various summons to use in battle.
Cort: A very well done villain in my book. He has no concience, and he is bent on controlling the world with the Mist. He doesn't have a lot of screen time until about midgame and onwards, and doesn't have contact with the party until the end of the game. But the twist(s) involving Cort will not be wasted when you see it all come into place.
My favorite rpg cast.
10/10
Gameplay
This is what keeps you hooked. Every game will always have some semi-sleepy moments in it. The battle system in this game will keep your eyes awake and focused.
It's basically set up as a kickboxing/martial arts system. You insert commands using the Directional Pad on the controller, and that members execute the attack. There are various levels of 'Arts' to learn, adding power and style to the attacks.
The kink in the workings is that you enter all of your commands before each round. As the round plays out, each party member/enemy acts depending on status and speed that they have. It allows you to customize your battleplan. Depending on the fight, you can choose who your healer is, and who your attackers are.
This is my favorite battle system in any rpg I've played. It's unique, it's masterfully done, and it keeps the game fresh with each playthrough.
10/10
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are on par with that FFVII that was mentioned earlier. Semi- block characters in the field (not nearly as bad as in FFVII), yet highly (highly) detailed models in battle. Each gear and weapon you use changes the appearance of your characters when they are in battle. (That's a big deal to myself at least)
The sound is.....decent. There are a couple of songs that really fit the spot, and then there are some songs that just make you want to move onto the next city/field to get away from it. The battle music though.....I could listen to on a loop for hours.
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 7/10
Extras and Replay
There are a view sidequests in the game, mainly in the same area. You can pit youself against Seru or even previous bosses in a battle arena. There is also a ridiculously addictive slots game. These can lead to you purchasing powerful items, or even optional Seru magic.
As for the replay, for me it's one hell of a yes! For others.....not so much. There is one thing that people tend to hate about this game (that I personally love) is that it is a GRIND! The leveling is arguably the slowest I have ever played. Finishing the game in around 45-60 hours is average, with optional endings as well (you can just beat the last boss and pick your ending).
It also brings up a stats page when you are finally done, letting you know how many battles you fought, enemies killed, and treasure found. Pretty nice if you are into little things like that.
Extras - 9/10
Replay - 6/10 (always that feeling to get to level 99)
Overall
9.2/10
Overall, this is my favorite rpg of all time, and my second favorite game of all time. I may have seemed a little hard on the scores after saying that, but I tried to be honest about it. There's always one more thing;
Everyone hears about games that aren't highly rated, yet are fan favorites. This is one of those games, it will suck you in and make you realize it's not solely about the review scores.
-Seru_Kai
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