The Legend of Dragoon Review (PS5 / PS1) | Push Square

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For many, the PS1 was defined by the global recognition of Japanese role-playing games. Final Fantasy VII obviously led the charge in this regard, but it was flanked by now legendary properties like Breath of Fire, Wild Arms, and Suikoden. It's easy to see the impact that the JRPG boom had on the gaming landscape of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Understandably, Sony wanted a piece of the pie. At the time, The Legend of Dragoon was a big budget, large scale production. A 50-hour epic packed with CG cutscenes and cutting-edge visuals, it was pushed to be a true competitor to Final Fantasy and its established peers. However, Japan Studio's effort fell short of those lofty goals — both critically and commercially.

When The Legend of Dragoon came West in 2000, it was met with a wave of rather lukewarm reviews. Many of these critics made unfavourable comparisons to — you guessed it — Final Fantasy, which had undoubtedly set the JRPG standard. In hindsight, such comparisons were perhaps a little unfair given that this was a completely new property from a relatively inexperienced developer, but again, The Legend of Dragoon had significant backing from Sony. It was meant to be the next big thing — and that set certain expectations.

Playing The Legend of Dragoon over two decades later, you can understand where some of the original complaints were coming from. This is a stereotypical RPG of its time, held back by a rough English localisation and a combat system that's still more than capable of dividing player opinion. But even with its noticeable flaws, there's an undeniable charisma to this fantasy epic, and for long-time fans of the genre, it makes for an effective nostalgia trip.

The Legend of Dragoon's strengths lie in its