Review of The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered

Even after nine years, FuRyu’s role-playing legacy is still felt, although not quite legendary.

The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered 
Platform: PC, also on PlayStation 4/5, and Switch
Developer: FuRyu Corporation
Publisher: NIS America
Release date: March 22nd, 2024
Price: $49.99
Digital availability: Steam

FuRyu’s The Alliance Alive returned in 2020, offering an enhanced graphics port to the majority of modern platforms. The Shibuya-based publisher is now releasing The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered, delving a little farther into their archives. Undoubtedly, the resurgence is peculiar and lacks the enjoyment of Alliance Alive. But it would be unfortunate if Legend of Legacy faded into obscurity. The campaign of the game exudes an indisputable sense of exploration.

An Island Packed with Treasure Waits

Although the premise of the game revolves around seven distinct playable characters, Legend of Legacy lacks a strong sense of traditional storytelling. Here, context is key, highlighting the background of the island where the game is situated. There are several hallowed relics scattered over the island of Avalon, such as the Star Graal, which is said to bestow immortality to its possessor.

In Legacy, the devastation of Avalon is chronicled, leading to the invasion of fierce animals. That’s when you enter the picture. The monarch of the island commissions you to map the uncharted areas of Avalon after you choose a protagonist. Fortunately, you will receive a substantial payment for each map you finish.

The Most Holy Graal?

You will gradually discover more about Avalon and the events that lead to the construction of Star Graal as you play the virtual cartography game. It’s interesting to gradually discover more and more lore, but if you’ve played many RPGs, you’ll probably recognize the exposition.

Although each playable character in the game has a unique reason for exploring the island and a unique conclusion, there isn’t much character development. Given that Masato Kato (Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger) wrote the story, one might anticipate a complex web of interconnected stories. However, there isn’t much character connection overall, which seems like a wasted opportunity.

Charting It Out

Luckily, exploring is a reasonably pleasurable process. In contrast to a laborious dungeon trek akin to Etrian Odyssey, most of the work in Legacy is done for you when it comes to drawing walls and pathways. You will occasionally be handed blank maps, which will automatically fill in as you explore new regions. A map has a number at the top that indicates your current completion status. Furthermore, even while it would have been wonderful if the game had highlighted the difficult-to-reach places that kept you from reaching 100%, the maps themselves aren’t large enough to make this a persistent problem.

There are no gimmicks in any of these maps that you would find in a wonderfully prickly dungeon adventure. However, progressively diminishing at empty spaces might be satisfying. Numerous genre entries require your consideration. If you encounter a wandering F.O.E. in Etrian Odyssey, even a single mistake could have dangerous repercussions. However, Legend of Legacy usually warns you when you’re in a dangerous area before eliminating your adventure group.

However, this does not imply that Legend of Legacy is a simple game. There is very little explanation provided for many of the game’s mechanics. To understand their nuances, you’ll have to experiment, which seems like a purposeful design choice meant to foster a sense of discovery. Sometimes, the instructions for a mission are unclear. Other times, you can get a little frustrated just trying to move the story forward. Positively, however, the remaster comes with a manual that provides a more thorough explanation of some of the fundamental gameplay mechanics.

Ascend to Form

Though turn-based menu-driven combat, Legacy strays in a few ways from the norm. Players can set up several Formations, which offer minor statical benefits, prior to an engagement. There is a little bit of strategic nuance in that you can switch between your various configurations before each turn to increase your attacking output or have a member protect their colleagues from injury.

Surprisingly, Legend of Legacy uses a SaGa-style system instead of the standard RPG levels. Each character will be more likely to learn new weapon arts and hone their current ones the more they use their weapon arts (think of them as “skills”). Traditionalists may be offended by randomized growth, but the method does let players create custom character builds. Sadly, it doesn’t lessen the requirement for grinding. You will also need to improve your team because bosses and subordinates in the game differ in severity.

The good news is that Legacy eliminates the need to rest in between fights; following each encounter, your health and the points you need for weaponry are restored. If a party member is defeated in combat, they will be brought back to life following the battle, although with a slight reduction in their maximum health. However, the effect is just momentary because you can reset your capacity in the lone settlement on the island.

In summary

Mobile games were hugely popular when the first Legend of Legacy was being developed. Then, in an effort to revive interest in console role-playing games, director Masataka Matsuura collaborated with a group of seasoned professionals from the industry, including the aforementioned Masato Kato, Ryoji Shimogama (Resident Evil, Parasite Eve), and Kyoji Koizumi (the SaGa series). Legend is a better-than-average adventure that should thrill aficionados of the genre and the joy of discovery, even though it falls short of living up to its illustrious history.

It was The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered.
using a PC using the publisher’s review code.

Review Overview

Gameplay – 65%

Controls – 70%

Aesthetics – 75%

Content – 65%

Accessibility – 60%

Value – 75%

68%

OK

Summary : A remastering of The Legend of Legacy is a good concept, since 3DS hardware becomes more and more expensive and emulation becomes more difficult. FuRyu’s RPG is still engaging after almost ten years because of its unconventional character development and focus on adventure and discovery. However, be aware that the title lacks the polish and sophistication of the majority of modern role-playing games.