The late 90s are often seen as a real golden era for JRPGs, especially after the release of 1997’s Final Fantasy 7. Square Enix’s magnum opus redefined the genre in so many ways, from its brilliant take on turn-based combat to its delightfully dark and mature storytelling. There was a clear shift in RPGs after that point, through more complex combat systems and more intricate storytelling, leading us to see the likes of Suikoden II, Xenogears, Legend of Legaia, Tales of Destiny, and more. But there’s one RPG often heralded as a “classic” that simply hasn’t aged as gracefully, and its derivative elements have only grown stale. That game is The Legend of Dragoon — an RPG that feels unfortunately derivative 25 years later, but perhaps more deserving of a remake than anything else out there.
Not to be facetious, but a single look at The Legend of Dragoon can show you just how similar it is to Final Fantasy 7. Both feature a spiky-haired protagonist with a dark past, two female co-protagonists, and a major character demise halfway through the story. Of course, you can’t boil an entire game down to bullet points, and while Legend of Dragoon has clear inspirations, it does manage to bring a host of new ideas and elements, and its story is fairly unique.
Legend of Dragoon takes place in a vaguely Middle Ages-like world called “Endiness.” 10,000 years in the distant past humans allied with dragons to defeat an oppressive race called Winglies, and a key part of that were human warriors called Dragoons, who harnessed the power of dragons. You play as a young warrior named Dart, who’s traveling to visit his hometown when he’s attacked by a dragon. A mysterious warrior named Rose saves him, and the pair realize Dart’s hometown has been attacked and burned to the ground by the Sandora army — with Dart’s childhood friend, Shana, kidnapped and taken to prison.
From there, a grand fantasy story plays out, with Dart and his friends rediscovering the power of the Dragoons and putting a stop to a vengeful God of Destruction. It’s a fairly interesting story that has some fun twists and moments but isn’t some genre-defining work. But the problem is a lot of that fun is dragged down by horrendous pacing and a bloated story.
Legend of Dragoon is a game inundated with issues that have only compounded over time. The main problem is that the story and characters simply lack the depth of other critical darlings of the time. There are good pieces, but everything feels a bit superfluous like there’s a layer underneath that the game just couldn’t dig into. Dart is a conflicted protagonist whose inner turmoil doesn’t really go anywhere. Rose is a hardened warrior who puts on an artificial front, but that aspect isn’t really explored.
Where other games would take the time to dig into rich characters, Legend of Dragoon is often more concerned with pushing onto the next big plot point. Things aren’t helped by a genuinely abysmally localization that constantly has incorrect spelling and English grammar, making the dialogue feel choppy and unrefined by today’s standards.
The other major issue is that Legend of Dragoon is simply tedious to play. The turn-based combat using something called the “Addition System,” where you need to press buttons at the right time to add on attacks. You can equip different combos that require different timing and can change each character’s attacks. It’s a good system that adds some interactivity, and it’s fun for quite a while. But the problem is there’s no option for auto-additions; this was a game in 2000 after all.
This means that in every battle the entire game you have to do additions, or have reduced damage — until you find the single item that lets a single character have auto-additions. Again, it’s a good idea that doesn’t have enough depth and can easily grow stale. On the flip side, the Dragoon transformations are unabashedly fun and flashy, giving you some dynamic options to break up the rote combat.
All of Legend of Dragoon’s good ideas feel like butter spread too thinly over bread, but despite that, there’s something inherently, undeniably charming about the game. Its world and aesthetic strike right at the heart of that nostalgic PS1 feel, and there’s some pretty complex and fascinating lore to boot. While they lack depth, the characters are fun and distinct, and the way they each play into the breakneck speed of the story can be a delight.
All of this is to say that a full remake could really do Legend of Dragoon justice, and bring the good ideas that are clearly there to their full potential. A full-blown remake could dig into the personalities of each character, enhance the combat with modern sensibilities, and lean into the game’s vibrant visual style. There’s so much untapped potential in Legend of Dragoon — it’s often tantalizing to think of how much better the game could have been if it had been released on PS2, instead of PS1. Even something as simple as redoing the game’s script and localization could go a long way to making it an overall better experience.
There are so many beloved games getting remakes and remasters these days, but I’d argue a game like Legend of Dragoon is so much more deserving as one. Remakes should be used to lift up games that just didn’t get the chance they deserved, and that’s Legend of Dragoon to a tee. Twenty-five years ago it felt fresh and exciting, but age has made Legend of Dragoon spoil like milk — but even then there’s a chance it’ll turn into a fine cheese.
