The Legend of Dragoon is a Japanese-style RPG, visually reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII (pre-rendered backgrounds, 3D characters and battle scenes, CG animations to advance the story). Battle mechanics follow the traditional turn-based prototype, with a few additions such as critical attacks dependent on precise timing, and "dragoon" transformations, which allow access to powerful techniques. Game progression is largely linear, with the "world map" replaced by locations represented as connected dots.
Despite reminding us of carefree years, in which video games were experienced in a significantly different way, The Legend of Dragoon is not the gem of JRPGs forgotten over time. The "Sony Final Fantasy" is in fact still a title too derivative, which has from its some creative flair here and there, lost in a sea of banality due to main characters without...
If you're looking for a PS1 RPG experience that typifies the era, The Legend of Dragoon is a solid shout. A big budget title at the time, its ambition is still hard to fault - but with the benefit of hindsight, it's also easy to see where this Sony-backed release stumbles. The combat system is uniquely satisfying, but it can feel frustratingly stunted....
