The Legend of Legacy

Did You Know?

• A demo was released for digital download on September 22, featuring Eloise, Owen and Filma exploring the game's two opening dungeons, with save data transferable to the main game.
• The Legend of Legacy was first announced in September 2014 through an issue of V Jump.
• Using ideas predating The Legend of Legacy, many of the same developers created The Alliance Alive, released in Japan on June 22, 2017.

Gameplay

Players control seven different characters as they explore the island of Avalon, each with different starting statistics. Each scenario begins with three pre-set characters, and the rest of the cast can be recruited but only gain stat increases while in the party. The chosen protagonist operates from the town of Initium, exploring areas after receiving a blank map; walking around automatically generates a map displayed on the bottom screen. During exploration, the party can enter dungeons and find chests containing items and currency. Completing a region's map allows the player to turn it in for currency and receive a new blank map, which also reduces monster numbers and aids dungeon exploration. The player can save at specific locations or create a quick save at any point. Initium serves as a hub for buying and selling equipment and maps, and for talking with non-playable characters. Ships can be used for trading via StreetPass, sending cargo to other cities to bring back currency and items; larger ships take longer but have a higher chance of rare items. Completing the game unlocks a New Game Plus option that carries over character statistics and money.

Synopsis

The Legend of Legacy takes place entirely on the island of Avalon, discovered ten years before the game's opening and identified with a legendary lost continent whose inhabitants walked alongside gods. The island is mostly wild and dominated by monsters, but houses ruins built with the help of natural spirits called Elementals, and ancient stones that reveal the island's past when activated. A legendary artifact called the Star Graal is said to grant eternity to its bearer, drawing dozens of adventurers to Avalon. The only active town is Initium, founded by the King of Adventurers who discovered the island ten years earlier. Each of the seven playable characters comes with different objectives: Meurs is the last Elementalist who can communicate with Elementals; Bianca is an amnesiac who remembers only her name; Liber seeks adventure and treasure; Garnet is a Templar of the Holy Order; Eloise is an alchemist pursuing eternal life; Owen is a mercenary for hire; and Filmia is a frog prince from a lost kingdom. Their reasons for coming include responding to Elemental distress calls, searching for identity, seeking the Star Graal, investigating rumors of living gods, and rebuilding a kingdom.

Development

The Legend of Legacy was principally developed by Cattle Call, with game design by Grezzo and general supervision by Atlus. The staff included many industry veterans who had worked at Square on the Final Fantasy and SaGa series, including designer Kyoji Koizumi and illustrator Tomomi Kobayashi from SaGa, and art director Masayo Asano, character designer Ryo Hirao, and monster designer Yuichiro Kojima from Final Fantasy. Ryoji Shimogama, previously involved with Resident Evil and Parasite Eve 2, worked on monster designs with Kojima. Masashi Hamauzu, who composed for Unlimited Saga and Final Fantasy XIII, wrote the music. Masato Kato, writer of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, wrote the script. Director Masataka Matsuura had previously worked on Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. The concept was created by Matsuura before he joined FuRyu, as a reaction to the proliferation of casual mobile games in Japan; he wanted to create an RPG reminiscent of the genre's golden age, inspired by Square's Final Fantasy and SaGa. Due to his liking for the SaGa series, he asked Koizumi and Kobayashi to join the project. Matsuura stated that his initial game design was almost entirely rewritten by Koizumi. The development team was called Project Legacy, and the game was completed in a relatively short time.

Reception

The Legend of Legacy saw strong pre-order demand at Japanese retailer Tsutaya. When it launched in Japan, it sold roughly 54,000 copies in its first week, earning second place on the sales charts behind Tales of Zestiria. This marked the best opening week for any FuRyu game at the time, surpassing recent entries in the popular Atelier series, and it sold out at several high street stores. The following week, sales fell to 6,500 units, dropping the game to thirteenth place. By January of the next year, total sales in Japan had reached over 74,000 copies. In North America, the game moved 31,000 units during 2015. Upon its UK release, it hit ninth place on the dedicated 3DS charts. Critics gave the game mixed or average reviews, earning a 67% score on Metacritic from 31 reviewers. Josh Bycer of Black Gate wrote that the game forces players to discover its strengths, offers no hand-holding, and that enjoyment depends entirely on whether its mechanics click.