The Legend of Dragoon (1999)

Developer: SCE Japan Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
Genres: Role-playing (RPG)
Rating: 4.2 of 5, 92 player ratings
Main story: about 45 hours
Completionist: about 71 hours

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A grand, earnest fantasy epic where precise button-timed combat keeps you actively engaged turn by turn as you follow an emotionally charged, cutscene-heavy story through a largely guided world.

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About

The Legend of Dragoon is a Japanese-style RPG, visually reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII (pre-rendered backgrounds, 3D characters and battle scenes, CG animations to advance the story). Battle mechanics follow the traditional turn-based prototype, with a few additions such as critical attacks dependent on precise timing, and "dragoon" transformations, which allow access to powerful techniques. Game progression is largely linear, with the "world map" replaced by locations represented as connected dots.

What players say

A cult-classic JRPG with a passionate fanbase, distinguished by its timing-based Addition combat and epic ambitions while held back by rough localization and dated design. It feels grand and earnest, divisive yet fondly remembered as an overshadowed gem.

Screenshots

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Featured in: PS1 RPGs beyond Final Fantasy

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.