In the 1990s, developer Square — which had yet to merge with rival Enix — was on a roll. Within just a few years, the studio released a handful of the most beloved Final Fantasy games, along with classics like Final Fantasy Tactics, and Chrono Trigger. It seemed that almost everything it produced in that period either defined the series it was part of or launched successful sequels of its own. A few years after the PlayStation’s launch, Sony saw the success of these turn-based RPGs and wanted a game of its own to rival Final Fantasy. It took a historically big swing on a brand-new RPG, only for it to flounder on launch and be all but forgotten a quarter of a century later.
The Legend of Dragoon was released in North America on June 13, 2000, six months after its debut in Japan. Set in a medieval fantasy world of humans and dragons, The Legend of Dragoon opens with the protagonist’s village being destroyed and his childhood friend kidnapped, kicking off a quest that eventually leads the party to confront an evil god. If that all sounds a bit too familiar to you, players at the time felt the same way.
