The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered review

Although most of us don’t have enough time to play all of the new and exciting games that release nowadays, there’s still something exciting about a HD remaster. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and getting to play a game you enjoyed as a youngster or missed out on entirely can be just as exciting as a brand new experience. Not all remasters are created equal though, and to be quite frank there are some games that just don’t really need another moment in the spotlight. One such game is The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered, which in a world where superb RPGs release almost every day just can’t hang.

Set on a newly discovered island, The Legend of Legacy starts with a choice between six characters. Each of the characters have their own reason to explore this uncharted landscape, be it treasure hunting or trying to recover lost memory. Regardless of who you choose this is a rare RPG without a whole lot of story, so after picking the adorable frog knight (and being assigned two of the other characters to join my party) I was sent off on my adventure.

If you’ve played pretty much any turn-based RPG before you’ll be familiar with what The Legend of Legacy is laying down. Each of your characters has a selection of attacks and abilities that they can use in battle, be they powerful attacks or taunts that draw hits away from your allies, and with a bit of luck you’ll use them to take down the bad guys. To use the skills you want you’ll need to use the correct stance to unleash them, but the end result is pretty much the same. It may not be the most complex combat in the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy by any means.

One way to ensure you cope better in battle is to take advantage of the elemental affinity of a particular area. A lot of the story of The Legend of Legacy is based around the elements, and this bleeds into the combat as well. Using water spells in a place that boosts the power of water magic might sound simple enough, but if you forget to take advantage of this boost you’ll regret it.

Upon winning battle you don’t actually gain experience and level up like you would in a traditional RPG, and instead level up skills by using them. This goes for different stats too, but without a clear bar of XP going up it often makes victory feel a little underwhelming when you don’t really get much for it.

One of the big focuses of The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered is exploration. Almost immediately you’re sent to your first area to explore a mysterious forest, and are told that if you can fill out the map it’ll get you a hefty chunk of change if you sell it in town. This means you’ll be doing a whole lot of wandering into every corner in the game’s various dungeons, because it’s certainly worth your while to do so.

While the idea of exploring dungeons and filling in maps is perfectly fine, without too much of a clear direction or storyline to be following The Legend of Legacy just ends up feeling a little bit aimless. It’s even worse when you stumble into a boss out of nowhere, and get absolutely battered because you’re unprepared and given no warning that it’s coming.

Although The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered didn’t hook me as much as many other RPGs do, it’s not without charm. The visuals are lovely, with a storybook aesthetic that features scenery popping up around you as you explore. Compared to the 3DS version of the game it’s particularly impressive, although admittedly you’d probably expect it to be.

The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered isn’t a bad game by any means, but when held to the high standards of modern RPGs it’s a tough one to wholeheartedly recommend to people who aren’t already fans. The combat and exploration are certainly enjoyable enough, and the visuals upgrade is lovely, but I could easily think of quite a few RPGs I’d recommend before it. If you’re feeling nostalgic for a game you enjoyed once before ago then by all means give it a go, but otherwise your time will probably be better spent elsewhere.