Vimm's Lair: PS1 Reviews - Legend of Legaia
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PlayStation
Legend of Legaia

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
7.65
7.93
8.22
8.04
Votes: 55
Reviews: 1


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Reviewer: Decsm Date: Oct 6, 2022
Graphics: 7
Obviously for a PS1 game, the graphics aren't exemplary compared to later consoles, but for a PS1 game, they are pretty good compared to OTHER PS1 games. The level designs out of combat are low-poly, but detailed in objectiveness, and in-battle they jump a mile high. Not to mention the special effects are pretty impressive, especially when the characters get to higher levels.

Sound: 8
The audio for OST is awesome, as was usual for JRPG's back in the day, and the sound effects for combat were definitely top notch for combat. The fact they added real voices for the combat scenes was kind of a rare thing for PS1 games back then since the hardware and software back then didn't allow ease of use for that type of stuff until the PS2 came around, and when they did it, it was done right; this game was no different. And the OST was, as was Sony's penchant, done just at the right time in the right way for the mood in an RPG.

Gameplay: 9
A JRPG with excellent story-telling elements, all the ones that made oldschool JRPG's really good AND original back then, while being innovative, like combining the traditional aspects of turn-based combat with something akin to a combo-based fighting game system that also unlocked special abilities that rewarded the player with visual spectacles. And there were tons of sidequests and special rewards from side stories, and the usual tropes of mini-games, and a few unique things for this particular game that I won't ruin for you. :P However, I will mention this....you can summon monsters :O You can fight against monsters, and sometimes when you kill them, you can absorb them, then later you can summon them at will to use as special spell attacks. And the more you use them, the more powerful they become. It's basically a well-balanced feat of multiple game concepts, combining turn-based JRPG, combo-fighting, and monster-capture. Plus, it was the first game I ever played where every piece of gear you equip actually showed up on the character avatars in-battle!
This game has it all!

Overall: 10
This game is mostly nostalgic. That's the prime reason I'm giving it a 10, but also because of the aforementioned reasons as well. Otherwise it would just be a 9. This game, made originally by Sony's own studios, was and still is easily one of the top contenders in the JRPG arena against some of the best, like Final Fantasy. I would honestly give this game a sure try if you're interested in a hidden gem.