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LEGEND OF LEGAIA (PS)
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Prokion. Released: May 2000 (Europe). Genre: JRPG. Posted 18th June 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
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When we talk of hidden gems, it’s normally with a degree of licence. A catch-all for a game that didn’t garner the praise we felt it deserved, but not literally hidden. In the case of Japanese RPG Legend of Legaia though, there’s a substantial degree of truth to the label, at least if you grew up in the UK. Despite the game’s abundant quality and lavish production values, this Sony-published PlayStation exclusive wasn’t reviewed in the Official UK PlayStation magazine, nor PLAY. My only encounter with the game was in a rental shop, and despite my best efforts, five evenings was not enough time to finish the adventure. Twenty-five years later, I finally rectified this, rediscovering an excellent game that’s all the more mysterious for its absence in the cultural mainstream.
The story goes that Vahn, a young man raised in the village of Rim Elm, is tasked with venturing into the world after becoming attached to an entity known as a Ra-Seru. Not only can he perform magic, but more significantly, this grants him the ability to survive in the Mist, a zombifying miasma that has caused mayhem, with Seru (the normally docile monsters of the land) attacking people and reducing the broader populace of Legaia to shambling shells. He soon teams up with Noa, a mysterious, hyperactive young lady raised by a wolf, and Gala, a monk struggling to justify his monastery’s isolationist attitude to the unfolding strife.
One of the few fully-3D role-playing games on the PlayStation, the battles in particular look awesome
Legend of Legaia is a captivating experience. Every town sports a self-contained story, cultural identity and geographic aspect to distinguish them, helping bring the world of Legaia to life. The town of Vidna utilises its hot springs to power windmills, keeping the Mist at arms-length. Octam appears deserted, only for a bit of digging to reveal its townsfolk have moved to live underground. Help them out, and you’ll be able to ride the wondrous, Seru-powered monorail. Many locations have been completely overrun by the Mist, and it’s up to the player to work out how to unravel the mess. In the case of Ratayu, saving the town precipitates further problems, as you discover a population cowed by a dangerous leader who demands sacrifices for a dark project in the laboratory under his castle.
It’s these locations, and the world in general, that carry the game more than its overriding story. The light-hearted approach is welcome, and the translation delivers a few funny moments, but dialogues among the main party serve largely to keep things ticking along. You’ll find engaging people to chat with, enriched by the variety of lifestyles and cultures represented by the game’s diverse set of locations. Prokion went the whole hog, committing to every area and coming up with a game world which is as engaging as it is expansively realised. The before-and-after nature of the Mist is also a great motivator, as changes, and rewards, are often significant. Freeing Drake Castle, the first place you’ll happen across, sees a Bazaar opening in its courtyard, whilst helping clear the Mist from the megastructure of Sol results in several new floors and shops becoming available. It’s great for its little, rewarding moments. There’s a brilliant scene where, should Vahn return home to Rim Elm having sold the hunting gear made especially for him by his sweetheart, he’ll face awkward questioning.
It’s these locations, and the world in general, that carry the game more than its overriding story. The light-hearted approach is welcome, and the translation delivers a few funny moments, but dialogues among the main party serve largely to keep things ticking along. You’ll find engaging people to chat with, enriched by the variety of lifestyles and cultures represented by the game’s diverse set of locations. Prokion went the whole hog, committing to every area and coming up with a game world which is as engaging as it is expansively realised. The before-and-after nature of the Mist is also a great motivator, as changes, and rewards, are often significant. Freeing Drake Castle, the first place you’ll happen across, sees a Bazaar opening in its courtyard, whilst helping clear the Mist from the megastructure of Sol results in several new floors and shops becoming available. It’s great for its little, rewarding moments. There’s a brilliant scene where, should Vahn return home to Rim Elm having sold the hunting gear made especially for him by his sweetheart, he’ll face awkward questioning.
FOCAL POINT: A LITTLE BIT OF HEART AND SOL
Of all Legaia’s marvellous towns, Sol is its most extensive and fascinating. A settlement in the shape of a cylinder with a staircase spiralling through numerous floors, the party first arrives to discover that everywhere below 4F has succumbed to the Mist, with its populace trapped in the upper floors when the deadly fog has failed to permeate. Here you’ll find a range of people living opulently to forget their isolation, and much like Final Fantasy VII’s Gold Saucer, it’s awash with themed areas and mini-games. There’s a casino with its own 3D fighter arcade game and slot machines, a Battle mode set in a Boxing ring, and a Disco that harbours its own timing-based dance game. In the basement, you’ll find a library, whilst elsewhere there are numerous shops, a bakery, a jazz bar, an orphanage and a fun sequence in Sol’s version of Broadway. It’s an awesome place to explore and return to.
The battle system is a beauty, mixing martial arts combos and magic. Functioning a little like FFVII’s Enemy Attack materia, each character has the chance to capture Seru (of which there are around 20 distinct types) by defeating them in battle. They can then be called on for a variety of elemental magic attacks, or more significantly, healing. Some of these are incredibly grand. Perhaps a little too grand, they can last upwards of 30 seconds. Not to be outdone, some of the later bosses have some truly apocalyptic attacks, including ‘Doomsday’ which involves the planets, presumably to give you an idea of the scale of hurt you’re about to be in for, and ‘Final Crisis’, the most nineties-PlayStation thing I’ve ever heard. The battles are a touch on the slow side, but enjoyable enough to get away with it.
Its graphics are also vastly underappreciated. One of the few PlayStation RPGs to feature full, polygonal 3D backgrounds instead of sprites or pre-rendered backgrounds, Legend of Legaia looks tremendous. The towns are full of personality and impressive details, and whilst many RPGs recycled assets across their habited spots, Legaia’s locales look remarkably distinct. The mist-shrouded world map is gorgeous, and even amongst the fearsome competition of the time, its battle visuals rank among the most impressive in the genre. Huge, detailed 3D character models deliver a multitude of flash combos whilst sporting a wide range of weapons, armour and accessories, every single one altering the characters’ appearances. The Seru summons are cool too, some of them matching the scale and extravagance of peak Final Fantasy.
Its graphics are also vastly underappreciated. One of the few PlayStation RPGs to feature full, polygonal 3D backgrounds instead of sprites or pre-rendered backgrounds, Legend of Legaia looks tremendous. The towns are full of personality and impressive details, and whilst many RPGs recycled assets across their habited spots, Legaia’s locales look remarkably distinct. The mist-shrouded world map is gorgeous, and even amongst the fearsome competition of the time, its battle visuals rank among the most impressive in the genre. Huge, detailed 3D character models deliver a multitude of flash combos whilst sporting a wide range of weapons, armour and accessories, every single one altering the characters’ appearances. The Seru summons are cool too, some of them matching the scale and extravagance of peak Final Fantasy.
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There's no shortage of depth or nice touches, Legaia is a rich and rewarding place to explore
The music doesn’t let the side down, either. The main flute theme is superb, whilst the world map themes are gorgeous fantasy fare. Borrowing from FFVII in its musical blueprint, Legaia utilises similar strident choral elements, impactful percussion, shimmering tambourines and tribal undertones to create a powerful range of RPG-friendly background songs. The Battle theme is good, but not world-beating: catchy in an under-the-radar manner, but not so much as to become overly repetitive. Handy, given you’re going to be hearing it hundreds of times. Matching its moods, it carries off sombre, exciting, comedic and maudlin vibes with assurance, ensuring an experience that appropriately carries over its emotional intention to the player.
The difficulty, apparently gentler for the game’s European release, is just right. You’ll need to keep your character’s levels moving, though never to the point of a trudge, and many of the bosses made for down-to-the-wire, close encounters that were genuinely exciting. Players who aren’t fans of random, turn-based battles might baulk at a few of the lengthier dungeons, and in hindsight, it’s fortunate there isn’t any voice acting, as there’s plenty of scope for the caffeinated Noa to have become very annoying. The story lasts around thirty hours, though this slightly lean figure largely has quality-of-life touches to thank for this, namely limiting level grinds and offering fast-travel functions to already-visited locations.
The difficulty, apparently gentler for the game’s European release, is just right. You’ll need to keep your character’s levels moving, though never to the point of a trudge, and many of the bosses made for down-to-the-wire, close encounters that were genuinely exciting. Players who aren’t fans of random, turn-based battles might baulk at a few of the lengthier dungeons, and in hindsight, it’s fortunate there isn’t any voice acting, as there’s plenty of scope for the caffeinated Noa to have become very annoying. The story lasts around thirty hours, though this slightly lean figure largely has quality-of-life touches to thank for this, namely limiting level grinds and offering fast-travel functions to already-visited locations.
Many RPGs mimicked Final Fantasy VII around the turn of the millennium, some so closely they were unable to step out of its shadow (yes, you, Legend of Dragoon), but the same can’t be said of Legend of Legaia. Lavish battles, adventurously-designed towns and a running sub-plot of the Mist and its effect on characters’ lives make Legaia a thoroughly absorbing experience. Its 3D visuals are beautiful, its soundtrack highly evocative and its gameplay engaging and rewarding. Maybe this sounds like hyperbole, but after being so thoroughly overlooked a quarter of a century ago, it’s praise that’s long overdue: Legend of Legaia is a great game.
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VERDICT"A world lit up by its vibrant locations and adventurous design. The story is light-hearted fare, but the graphics, battles and music all score highly. Legend of Legaia is one you'll stick with to the end. I enjoyed every minute." OVERALL: 9/10 |
OTHER MAGICAL JRPGS FROM THE NINETIES REVIEWED
Final Fantasy VII (1997, PlayStation)
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Suikoden (1997, PlayStation)
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