Review on the Past: The Legend of Dragoon

With all the new gaming systems available now, with high-tech graphics and all that, games from the past (especially the ones with obscure fanbases) don’t get as much attention anymore. As for me, I’m a huge fan of them (and play them often), and I believe they need more notice. One of my favorite games for the original Playstation (and am currently playing again) is The Legend of Dragoon (2000).

I believe this was the first PS game I played. I wasn’t much of a gamer as a young teen; however, looking through stacks of used games, the cover really caught my eye: the mystical ‘dragon-people’ on the cover created intrigue, especially with the fantastic-looking armor.

The story centers on Dart, returning to his village after five years searching for the Black Monster. However, when he gets there, he finds that his beloved friend (and future love interest) Shana has been kidnapped. Of course, he goes after her, beginning the whole adventure to figure out why they took her.

One of the most fantastic features about this game is the complicated plot and all the back stories that eventually converge. The nine playable characters have unique life experiences that bring something new to the dynamic of the entire story. There is a tragic undertone, throughout the entire plot.

The legends of the Dragoon warriors began with the Dragon Campaign that happened 11,000 years ago. Humans, wanting to be release from the Winglies‘ slavery, gained control of dragons and they fought a horrible war for their freedom. Many of the original Dragoons die, but their spirits sleep through the ages and arise again in a time of great strife… Enter the group of travelers searching for answers.

The Legend of Dragoon spans through four disks, so the game is incredibly long. For the most part, it keeps fairly interesting. Each disk has a different main villain in the pursuit of mega-villain Lloyd and his mysterious master, Emperor Diaz (who supposedly died during the Dragon Campaign… hmmm~ interesting). And the end has some pretty cool plot twists (that I’ll leave you to discover).

The villains also have pretty interesting stories to tell, which sometimes play into the main plot and sometimes work to develop the playable characters’ back stories. They are fairly difficult to fight (especially if you cannot master the Additions feature of battles, which needs a lot of eye-hand coordination). Some are harder than others. I especially hate the ones who have dragons on their side.

As an extra feature, users can find and collect Stardust, which is a wishing stone. Collecting a hundred enables the user to unleash a hidden boss, the hardest fight of the game. I’ve only ever done this once… and I’ve yet to beat Magician Faust.

I really hope this gets more people interested in the games of the past, and The Legend of Dragoon, most specifically. I find that this kind of RPG just doesn’t exist anymore.

For your viewing pleasure, I give you the opening theme + cut scene video. (The graphics are pretty superb in cut scenes for the time period.)