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.
