That's a fairly good discription of what the Legend of Dragoon is all about. Some say that this game is a Final Fantasy clone, but it has enough unique features to shake that stereo-type.

Additionals are the first unique thing, this battle system, uses timed button presses to create powerful linked attacks. After you choose to attack a blue square will come from the edges of the screen, spriling to the center of the screen and the static blue box located there. The key is to press the X button just as the blue squares intersect if done correctly the attack continues and each succesive attack gives more damage. If the press is too slow or too fast the attack ends and less damage is taken by the enemy. Some Additions are slower and may allow an enemy to counter attack, when this happens you have to press circle then same way you'd normally press X, if this is too slow or too fast then your character is sent flying and takes damage. At first the Additional attacks have only one or two button presses but later Addionals get more difficult to pull off. Up to seven(read: 7) presses can be used, and don't even think that the timing of the presses are all the same as they are not, some are fast and some are slower. Some attacks are rhythmic dance like attacks and some are wild quick affairs. Also each character(there are seven, but one doesn't use addtionals due to using a bow and arrows, so 6) have thier own unique moves so there is a lot to master.

The second unique point of TLOD is the Dragoon transformations. Before the heroes beacome Dragoons a bit into the game, they cannot use magic(hey they're mortals), they have to rely on the defend option(which gives back a 10th of your total HP) in battle or use magical items to heal them selves. There are also magical attack items that use a rapid button pressing to power up(and more powerful ones that don't). When they do gain the ability to transform the heroes gain a good advantage over the enemy, but... they need power to transform, by Additional attacks the characters build up there SP(Spirt Points) meter, when it fills to the top the character can transform in to a dragoon. Dragoons have magical abillities and powerful armor that gives enhanced defence. Dragoons also have powerful Dragoon attacks, when ATTACK is chosen, a meter appears on screen, pressing the X button starts the meter spinning, the player needs to push the X button when the light thats spinning hits the top of the meter. If this is done succesfully 4 times the full power of that characters atack is unleashed. Magic(you start with one power) is straght forward and uses MP(each character gets 100MP which can't be raised), and is gained when Dragoon levels are raised. Dragoon levels are raised by collecting SP, as you collect it via Additional attacks and reach a cirtain amount, you will raise a D Level which grant's you one more turn as a Dragoon. That's right you can only hold your form for 1 TURN per D Level(up to max of 5), this gives dragoon transformations a huge strategy element. Dragoons are also impervious to status ailments, like poison or paralize. Also if all party members have full SP meters than one character can intiate a group transfomation. The character who starts this gets automatic full power Dragoon attacks.

The third and final unique point is the Element system(yeah I know this is in Final Fantasy(using fire magic will sometimes heal a fire character)but not to this extent), each character in the game including the main characters and some items, have a base element. Each base element has an opposite element, attack a enemy with the opposite element yields increased damage, attacking an enemy with the same element yields only 1/2 damage and attacking a enemy with any other element yield normal damage. Dragoons really enhance this feature as it becomes more prominent when in Dragoon mode(espcially during a characters group transformation, as the element of the intiating character becomes the field element. The elements are: Fire vs. Water, Earth vs. Wind, Darkness vs. Light, with Thunder and non-elementals not having opposites.

I hope this has given you a good idea of and maybe even interested you in this great RPG. It is available in Greatest Hits now on PS One, so it's only approx $19.99(US) or approx 24.99(CAN). You can't go wrong with this game if you like RPG's and you'll enjoy the great story(which unfortuantly is not well translated(Read: Localized) there is a lot of Engrish type lines in the dialog that'll make you cringe(like words in seemingly the wrong places ) but it's not too bad.) with great plot twists(some obvious, some not so)that really shake things up. Overall one of the best RPGs on PS One, if need a fresh new RPG that isn't called Final Fantasy, try this game, you won't be dissapointed.

9.3 out of 10

Central Focus:

Hosted By: