It Plays Like a Glorified Soap Opera

I am not what you would call an avid gamer. In fact, I'm more of a button masher, but I live with a gamer with a soft spot for playing RPGs. Over the course of the past couple of years, I've sat and watched him play a few including Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy VIII, and most recently, Wild Arms 2. But I have never been so captivated by watching him play an RPG as I have been by Legend of Dragoon.

The story is about a Dragoon named Dart who embarks on a journey to avenge the death of his parents. During the course of his journey, he meets a series of characters who join his party and help him achieve his ultimate goal while discovering things about themselves along the way. The story is full of mysterious twists and turns as little by little the characters, including Dart, reveal more about themselves causing the story to come full circle. There is even a love story, of course.

The graphics are really beautiful. The artists did an excellent job in creating a fantastic world that is pleasing to the eye with a bunch of distinct enemies along the way. Donau, the Flower City, is especially pretty with its bright colors and little butterflies dancing about. There are also many places to explore within each spot on the map for those who are naturally curious.

As Dart and his team travel from place to place, they get many opportunities to fight minor enemies. With each battle, they get a chance to practice their own distinct additions (also known as attack moves). These moves can be difficult to master at first since they involve a series of precise button presses from the player. Every once in a while, during the course of executing the addition, the enemy will try to strike back causing the player to have to guard or risk taking damage thus disturbing the rhythm of the addition. Once the character has successfully delivered the move, they are one step closer to leveling up on that particular move (eg., "Gust of Wind Dance") and will gain more power up until they reach level 5. All experience points, will go towards each character's special Dragoon powers, and they learn new magic as the game progresses.

The sound effects are well-done and the music is pleasant and appropriate for each scene. I have gotten a kick out of the rubber band sound that is made before thwacking one of the characters by some of the killer trees in the Evergreen Forest and by the hollow coconut sound that some of the different little mushrooms make.

All in all, I have never been so addicted to watching a game as my husband has been to playing one. We have had a lot of fun rooting for our team and strategizing against the more challenging enemies as well as reading the storyline. Even though it is four discs long, we were sad to see it end when he fought the last battle.