A Complete Wishlist for The Legend of Dragoon Remake
Legend of Dragoon is a much loved JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game) developed in 1999 by SCE Japan Studios. The narrative is a simple one, involving the main protagonist Dart, and his companions as they work to save their world. While Legend of Dragoon sat in the shadow of its much more popular peer, The Final Fantasy Series, the game still managed to garner a hardcore following of fans determined to see their game either remade or receive a well-deserved sequel. As such, fans began converging on various gaming forums creating their own wishlists filled with items, additions and improvements they’d like to see in a remake or sequel. In this article, you’ll be able to see our complete wishlist for the Legend of Dragoon remake, and consider what you’d like to see added to the list.
Fans Lobby for a Remake, Bluepoint Games and Flanvel
To give you an idea of just how badly this remake is wanted, we’ll briefly introduce you to the petition, Bluepoint games, and a certain ambitious fan known as Flanvel. In 2019 fans of Legend of Dragoon created a petition to have their game remade for its twentieth anniversary. As you can see, their petition achieved their goal of 25,000 signatures.
Bluepoint Games suggested that they were interested in developing the remake, and have since left a few cryptic tweets indicating the possibility of it being considered for development and commercial release. However, in the meantime, a devoted fan who goes by the name of Flanvel actually did a remake using RPG Maker. According to all who’ve seen this remake, it’s smart, well done and comprehensive, as evident from this video (below). If you’re interested in keeping this fan remake going, please visit Flanvel’s Patreon page where donors are free to play the game as it’s being developed.
Here’s a complete wishlist for The Legend of Dragoon Remake
Retain Its Immersive Quality
As Legend of Dragoon is an RPG, or role playing game, it’s fitting to begin our complete wishlist for the Legend of Dragoon remake on the topic of immersion. After all, if an RPG has no immersive quality, then chances are it will leave fans bored to tears. But what exactly is immersion with regards to gaming? According to gamedesigning.org, “Immersion is a process of temporarily expanding consciousness into areas of the unconscious–something like hypnosis, but retaining consciousness as one does in lucid dreaming states”
It’s this quality of immersion which Legend of Dragoon was designed for. Sony’s development team wanted to bring the gamer into a world they could become lost in. They even took the concept of immersion to the games original website, by creating the narrative stating that tale of Legend of Dragoon actually emerged from a real archeological site in Morocco. Of course, this was nonsense, but it did help instill the myth of the Legend of Dragoon within the minds of players. Senior Vice President, Eric Lempel believes that this concept of immersion must be included in any remake or remaster of the game, stating: What we really wanted to do was create a way to bring the consumer into the world. When they play our games that’s the nice robust piece that happens, and then you’re transported into an adventure with rich worlds, old characters, and really captivating stories.
Combat Style
The original game used turn based combat. Turn based combat occurs when each player takes a turn during a battle, as opposed to real time combat when all players fight simultaneously. In other words, real time combat does not involve players taking turns, and there are many fans which would like to see real time eclipse turn based, or at least create a hybrid of the two. Also, fans don’t want to lose the addition system, though some could do without the twirling square animations which serve to signal the player when to make the hit as they converge. This is especially relevant when you consider the revolutionary PS5 DualSense controller, which is just made for additions where well paced button presses increase the damage inflicted on an opponent. Finally, an Addition Affinity mechanic could be included in the remake or sequel. Here, the player takes two additions, combines them for a more powerful and targeted attack.
The Return of Rose and Zieg
For fans of Legend of Dragoon, one of the top requests involves the return of Rose and Zieg. Rose is the character who shows Dart the ropes, turning him into an accomplished Dragoon fighter. Rose comes across as a mysterious yet powerful character. As the game progresses, the character of Rose gradually endears itself to gamers. Zieg Feld enters the game as Emperor Diaz. However, in reality, He’s Dart’s father, as well as Rose’s lover in years past. At this point, Zieg has been overtaken by the wicked and evil spirit of Melbu Frahma. Fans begin to sympathize with Zieg’s character, due to his situation.
As an interesting tid bit, the character, Zieg Feld shares the same name as Ziegfeld, the famous showman of the 30’s and 40’s. Whether this is a coincidence, or perhaps someone was a fan of the great showman, we’ll never know. Both Rose and Zieg decide to sacrifice themselves in the final battle, and are killed. But are they? For you see, during the final cut scene, players noticed that there were two seagulls sitting on the Divine Tree. One seagull had a red stripe on its tail, and the other a purple stripe. It can be said, the the red stripe represents Zieg, and the purple, Rose. This suggests that the once long lost lovers are now reunited for eternity.
Add a New Game Plus Mode
Even if you’ve never heard of the term “New Game Plus Mode”, chances are you’ve engaged it. New game plus mode, or NG+, refers to the ability to replay the game once you’ve finished the first run-through. This second game now includes features that were not available in your first run-through, such as upgrades, unlockables, additional items and more. By including this mechanic in Legend of Dragoon, you’re automatically guaranteeing players the opportunity to replay the game with additional options. For instance, this new game lets you experience everything from a brand new set of sidequests, weapons, armor upgrades, along with the possibility of the addition of new characters. In short, a new game plus mode would ensure replayability of the game.
Improved Graphics
The original game was designed for Playstation One consoles. For its time, the graphics in Legend of Dragoon were seen by fans as excellent, especially the cinematic cut scenes. The graphic quality of the original game assisted in helping players engage in the narrative. However, that was 20 years ago. As such, what fans want now is a game with high quality graphics, graphics which let it stand shoulder to shoulder with the best games available on PC, PS5 and XBox.Series X.
Improve the Quantity and Quality of the Sidequests
Sidequests are an optional activity, and can be found in most games. However, if the sidequests are to remain in Legend of Dragoon, then their quality and purpose must be improved. In general, the purpose for having sidequests in any game is to present the gamer with the option to explore more of the world without losing anything they’ve gained. In other words, sidequests are an option for the player who sees themselves as a ‘completionist’ gamer. You can still beat the game without doing a sidequest, but the sidequest enriches the overall gaming experience.
Improve the Mini-games or Get Rid of them Altogether
Mini-games are games within games. Examples of mini-games would be the Gummi Ships in Kingdom of Hearts 2, Blitzball in Final Fantasy 10, or Break the Targets in Super Smash Brothers. However, just like all things, the quality of mini-games varies. Some mini-games provide enrichment, while others are downright frustrating. For instance, in Legend of Dragoon, one item which infuriated most players involved the obstacle course. as player
“I’m trying to do the mini games and this obstacle course is a ****ing cheater, I’m getting hit by air. I wait til the obstacles are out of the way and I run and bam I get hit.” In general, some players felt these mini games in Legend of Dragoon yielded nothing of major importance or were unwinnable altogether. When complaints like this are considered, it usually means a significant drop in the immersive quality of the RPG. This creates a situation where players might get bored and simply put the controller down and not return.
Traveling the Map
If Legend of Dragoon is remade, then you already know that the map will be immense compared to the original. That being said, some sort of fast travel option must be made available to players. Fast travel is a gaming mechanic where the player is able to instantly send their character from one point on the map to another, as long as the destinations are in areas already explored. As you can see, this removes the horrid monotony of retracing your steps if you need to visit a previous destination.
Miranda and Shawna
This is one fans have wanted since the get go: To give Miranda and Shana more additions. In Legend of Dragoon, if a character is said to have low additions, it basically means that when a battle enters the picture, those with low additions are akin to being basically useless. In Legend of Dragoon, this is due to their weapon of choice, being the bow. For instance, more additions would mean that the arrows could go from quiver to target at a greater pace, increasing the characters use in combat.
Keep the Original Soundtrack in the game
Under no circumstances should the original soundtrack be replaced by something new. This soundtrack suited this game, adding to the overall ambience and immersive quality of the game. If the game is to be remastered or remade, then use different musical arrangements, but keep the original soundtrack. To remove the soundtrack of this game completely and replace it, will destroy the effect this game had on its original players. In other words, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
How good is the soundtrack of Legend of Dragoon? Pretty darn good, according to game critic Ethan Gach. For a JRPG back in the day, the world which hosts the narrative is large and varied, and the soundtrack reflects this quite admirably. As an example, “Death Frontier” accompanies the player as they move their character through a desert area of the same name. In this case, the soundtrack can be seen as a character in and of itself.
Additional Characters
Fans have also voiced their approval for additional characters. (https://www.neoseeker.com/forums/1093/t294847-legend-of-dragoon-2-wish-list/). For instance, keep the stable of regular characters, bring back Rose, Zieg and Lloyd, as well as an entirely new set of characters. By adding characters, you’re giving the gamer something to look forward to, new story lines, battles and bosses to fight.
Improve the Voice Acting and Script Quality
Granted, games 20 years ago didn’t require top notch voice acting or script writing skills, as can be seen viewing the original game. However, that was then. Today, gamers are much more sophisticated. As such, having a well written script and pairing it with voice actors who excel at what they do is an absolute must. By doing so, Legend of Dragoon is more apt to be well-received and remain relevant in today’s gaming scene. .
Remove Item Capacity Limits
This is one item that has a definite place on any Legend of Dragoon wishlist. In the original game, your item capacity is a mere, paltry and lame 32 items. When you’re dealing with a world of this size, you’re going to be traveling and collecting valuable items, without knowing which item will be needed in the near future. So, as you can see, having the ability to only carry 32 items, without the knowledge of which one will have the most impact on a future quest can be quite an inconvenience. Some players have no issue with this, as they believe it helps them prioritize their items, taking only what is necessary, while others find it annoying. There are a number of ways to increase item capacity. One involves allowing the player to purchase larger backpacks from a vendor as the game progresses. Another is to allow the player to return to their dwelling, and simply drop off their stash. When they need a particular item, they just return to their home, such as in Fallout New Vegas.
Create a Free Roaming, Open World Environment
According to Bartle, gamers can be classed into 4 basic types: Socializer, Achiever, Killer or Explorer. Explorers are gamers who live for discovering every aspect of the map, in hopes of finding something new. It’s these players who’ll appreciate an open world game the most. While the world of Legend of Dragoon was understood to be massive and complex, it was never an open world game. After all, the tech of the day could only allow the player to move the characters in a smaller environmental setting. Remember, this was a game in 4 discs so if they really wanted to show every bit of the world they envisioned, it would most likely required many more discs, a huge hassle for both the company and players.
So, with today’s gaming PC’s and high performance consoles, developers are free to create the world they always wanted to. Here, the world is free to contain hidden paths, which lead to mysterious destinations, hidden treasure chests, power-ups, rare items and clues which help the player advance in the game. Whereas it was both impossible and impractical to craft such an expansive open world on the Playstation One, today it would present no problem, with players able to explore additional levels, as well as new countries, finding fun and surprises along the way.
Include Lloyd as a Usable Character
Lloyd is one of the main villains in the game, and he’s also nonplayable, which means he’s an NPC. Many fans of the game became so enamored with Lloyds character, that we’ve included him in our complete wishlist for the Legend of Dragoon remake. In other words, they want Lloyd to be playable, a character they can control. Lloyd is also one of the last Winglies, and is considered an anti-hero due to his situation, which makes him a tantalizing addition to the roster of playable characters.
Customization of Characters
Customization of characters is big on the wishlist. Customization means the player has the ability to design how their character looks from their hair, eye color, to their body type. This also includes the ability to upgrade armor and the option of having new skins available for both armor and weaponry. There are also suggestions by fans that they be given the choice to play Winglies and dragons as well. This brings us to those who really want to be dragons in the game, by making them playable characters. Quite possibly one of the more original items on the wishlist also includes the addition of a brand new species: A hybrid between human and dragon! That would definitely bring the concept of customization in Legend of Dragoon up to a whole new level, not to mention the advancement of story lines.
Omit Save Points
Save points are specific areas in the environment where the game can be saved. In fact, no matter your progress, you can only save the game at these points. Save points are convenient for the developer to program and place in the game, but can cause utter havoc for some players during gameplay. For instance, say you are immersed in Legend of Dragoon gameplay, and you’re forced to stop to answer a call, or leave for an appointment. If this happens when you’re away from a save point, you’ll lose all previous progress, leaving you to start again, at a previous save point. Needless to say, many fans of Legend of Dragoon have had their fill of the save point mechanic, and want the remake or sequel to allow the player to save wherever they choose.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, our complete wishlist for the Legend of Dragoon remake. It’s quite clear that Legend of Dragoon has garnered a loyal and steadfast fanbase, one that’s lasted over 20 years. One needs only to view its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LegendxofxDragoon) to see that interest in the game has extended to younger gamers. For all of its faults, Legend of Dragoon seems to be rooted in the psyche of its fans. Will Bluepoint Games remake the game? Only time will tell. Until then, fans can visit the various groups, forums and of course, Flanvel’s Patreon page to keep up with the progress.
