The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered Review

Back in 2015, Nintendo 3DS fans were swamped with choices when it came to RPGs. The little handheld had a plethora of brilliant — and exclusive — games, with The Legend of Legacy being just one of them. Although not exactly a smash hit, it sold relatively well despite its mixed reviews. Now, we have The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered, bringing the game to home consoles and PCs for the first time with a shiny new coat of paint. Is this a lasting legacy? Or were the original middling review scores accurate? Let’s find out!

Fabled to be the land where the Gods once resided, the mystical island of Avalon is rumoured to be full of treasures just waiting to be claimed. Many would-be adventurers seek fame and fortune on Avalon, only to never be heard from again, thanks to the unforgiving island and the creatures that dwell there.

Our story focuses on seven protagonists, each of whom comes to the island in order to fulfil their own individual desires: the optimistic amnesiac Bianca, the Alchemist Eloise, the anthropomorphic frog prince Filmia, Templar of the Holy Order Garnet, the treasure hunter Liber, Meurs the Elementalist, and “the Baron” Owen, a mercenary. I decided to start the game as Filmia (he’s a frog prince; how could I not?) where I was joined by Bianca and Liber as they set out in search of some forest ruins. It doesn’t take long to get to know the three adventurers through the snippets of conversations they have with each other, and the same is true no matter which character you begin the game with. Regardless of which three heroes you start with, you’ll have the chance to recruit the others during your visits to the island's sole town of Initium.

Despite an interesting premise and opening scenes suggesting something grandiose, the narrative never really picks up and becomes a bit of an afterthought. Each character has their own reason for being on the island, but none of them are fleshed out enough to care much about them. Even switching which character as the lead doesn’t open up new story events, meaning the potentially great replayability is dwindled down to just how much the player enjoys exploring Avalon.

For what was originally a 3DS title, The Legend of Legacy HD still holds up almost 10 years later, but — obviously — it looks quite a bit sharper. Everything is awash with bright watercolours. Characters have an almost chibi-like style, akin to the FINAL FANTASY III DS remake and Bravely Default, and are certainly full of charm and expression. What really impressed me, artistically, were the environments. Assets such as trees and ruins will spring up from the ground as you approach them, making me think of a pop-up book. Admittedly, this was possibly a clever way to navigate around the hardware limitations of the 3DS, but it makes the whole adventure feel like a storybook come to life; a truly unique visual that’s very rarely seen in games.

Although the visuals did impress me, the soundtrack is on a whole other level. Musical pieces are often whimsical, orchestral pieces that evoke a sense of adventure and exploration, whereas the battle theme shifts the tone drastically to get you hyped up for the fight ahead. But, with composer Masashi Hamauzu leading the charge, it’s absolutely no surprise that the sound design is absolutely top-notch.

Whilst The Legend of Legacy HD does have a somewhat unique turn-based battle system, it can play more like a traditional dungeon crawler. Each time you venture forth into a new area, you’ll slowly begin to fill in the blanks of your map (which, when completed, can be sold for a tidy profit!) as you traverse the unknown. It’s a fun idea that rewards exploration, especially since you’ll come across plenty of treasure on your way towards the main objective.

It very quickly settles into a gameplay cycle of exploring and battling in the wilds, defeating a boss, returning to Initium to upgrade gear and purchasing maps that unlock new areas before starting the cycle again. There isn’t a lot of variety on offer, but there’s still a sense of reward and progression for a time as you return to the safety of town and rake in the cash to improve your party members.

Of course, Avalon wouldn’t be much of a hostile environment were it not for the many monsters that plague the land. After coming into contact with an enemy silhouette during exploration — no random encounters here — the fight commences! Battles feel a tad more engaging than your standard turn-based games, mainly thanks to the “Formations” system. At the start of each turn, you can change your battlefield formation, which shifts characters and changes how certain moves play out. Go on the offensive, and everyone will be able to attack with increased strength. Have one member play the role of support, and you’ll reduce the amount of damage the party takes. Being able to create your own Formations by altering each character's stance to then try out in battle was fun and had me constantly experimenting with the best set-ups for both offensive and defensive strategies.

Another unique feature of combat is that characters don’t level up in the traditional sense. The more of a certain type of skill or stance you use, the more your aptitude for that type will increase. The more one party member uses a bow in the Attack stance, for example, the more skills they’ll learn for those particular areas. It’s a simple concept, for sure, but still, one that was interesting enough to let players have some freedom with how they want to build their team. You’ll also be able to perform elemental-based skills, which can be a literal lifesaver in certain areas. As you wander around, the dominant element (Fire, Water, Air, and Shadow) will change, so you’ll constantly need to be aware of what enemy types you face off against. An opponent with shadow-based attacks could be very dangerous if you’re not prepared with skills it’s weak against!

Even the most well-prepared team may fall to a regular mob of enemies, however, because this game can be really tough at times. You know how in some RPGs, you can just mash the attack button against more basic enemies to win? Yeah, that won’t work here. Each battle can be the downfall of your party, and if you’re a gamer who hates grinding to even have the chance to simply get to the area's boss, then this game won’t be for you. It feels rather old-school in how much grinding you’ll need to do, and all the best equipment and Formation set-ups in the world won’t help you if you’re not powerful enough. The difficulty isn’t unfair, but, oh boy, can it get tiresome fighting the same handful of enemies on repeat.

It’s difficult not to be charmed by The Legend of Legacy HD; the visual and audio design is really quite impressive, considering this is a port of a 3DS title. Calling this a “remaster” may be a bit of a stretch, but despite the improved texture quality and consistently smooth framerate, it would have been nice to see a few extras included, such as extra missions or even a new hero? Regardless, if you’ve never played the original title, then HD Remastered is surely the way to go.

That said, The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered certainly won’t be for everyone. A promising start to the narrative, quickly nose-diving into the occasional short scene of characters talking about nothing of importance is my biggest gripe. This, combined with the lack of variety in gameplay, is what really makes me hesitant to recommend this game. Yes, the combat is engaging and strategic, but the overreliance on having to constantly grind to improve your characters while still having to be fully aware of what enemy you’re up against can become tiresome. So, if you do decide to venture to Avalon, be prepared for long stretches of nothing happening aside from the hope of seeing a character’s stats increase.