Lufia: The Legend Returns

I never owned a Game Boy Color when it first came out.  So, when I bought a Game Boy Advance a couple of years ago, I decided to seek out some of the GBC titles that I never had the oppotunity to play.  Lufia: The Legend Returns (aka: Lufia III) was one of those games.  Lufia II turned out to be one of my favorite RPGs on the SNES.  So, as you can imagine, I was very excited to play its sequel.  Although my expections fell a little short, Lufia III delivers a solid RPG experience.

Lufia III is takes place many years after the first two games.  This time around, a hero named Wain goes on a quest to defeat the evil Sinistrals.  Unlike the traditional RPG hero, Wain is not exactly the most cunning warrior out there.  In fact, he's basically an idiot.  Although he doesn't seem to see it, his allies call him "stupid" in just about every scene in the game.  Combine that with some of the most amateur-ish text ever written and you've got yourself an *unintentionally* funny game.  Of course, this plot's been done to death in the first two games, but there are plenty twists and turns to keep things going.  Lufia III also features a huge cast of characters.  Along your journey you'll meet a thief, a princess, a scientist, a viking, and a gambler (just to name a few).

Obviously, Lufia III is not going to look as good as its predecessor, but for an aging 8-bit system, the graphics fare pretty well.  The battles are by far the best looking sequences in the game.  Granted, the backdrop is plain white, but the enemy sprites and magic effects look fantastic.  The character potraits look nice as well.  The field visuals do their job well.  They're nothing groundbreaking, but at least it's easy to distinguish one object from another (which is always nice).

The majority of the music is pretty good.  Naturally, the battle and boss themes rock, and the "big" boss theme rocks even more.  Also, most of the town themes are beautifully arranged.  On the other hand, the majority of the dungeon music is bland and repetitive.

I have a few problems with Lufia III's controls.  Navigating through menus is a breeze, but Wain's controls (particularly in dungeons) are a bit sticky.  For example, there is a slight delay when you charge up your sword to stun a enemy.  Likewise, swinging your sword to cut down bushes is somewhat unresponsive.

Lufia III takes about 30-40 hours to finish - the average length of an RPG.  Saving your game is a breeze.  There are save points in every town and in almost all the dungeons.  Also, there is a quick-save feature which allows you to save anywhere.  The catch: when you resume your game, the save gets erased.  Overall, the game has a balanced difficulty.  It's not too hard, but at the same time you won't be able to breeze through it.

Lufia III may appear to be an average RPG, but there are a few elements that make it unique.  First of all, the battle system is by far the best I've seen in an 8-bit game.  You can control up to nine...that's right - NINE party members in battle.  Of course, there's a catch.  Your party is arranged in a 3 x 3 grid, and only one character per row can perform an action each round.  Thus, planning out attacks becomes even more important than usual, simply because you're only limited to three actions at a time.  Talk about strategy!

Fans of Lufia II's IP system will be pleased to learn that Natsume brought it back in this installment.  In the past, the IP system was, more or less, an extra feature.  This time around, the system is one of the most important aspects of the game.  The way it works is actually quite simple.  Upon exploring dungeons, you will often come across items called "scrolls".  You can use scrolls to teach characters new skills.  Characters can use these skills in battle as long as they have enough IP points.  IP points are earn by taking damage from enemies.  So, the more a party member gets attacked, the more they can unleash some powerful overdrives... er... IP skills.  Heh.

Finally, a review of this game wouldn't be complete without talking about the random dungeons.  Yes, the dungeons in Lufia III are randomly generated, which means that no two dungeons are the same... or are they?  You see, each floor follows the same layout: four or five big rooms, and a bunch of random passageways connecting them together.  Throw in a bunch of predictable secrets and you've got yourself a recipe for repetitiveness!  The only things that seems to change are the enemies, the hidden scrolls, and the background textures.  I would have gladly taken fixed puzzle-driven dungeons anyday.

You want replay value?  You got it!  The "Start Over" mode allows you to replay the game, collecting four times as much experience and gold as you would in a normal game.  Furthermore, the Ancient Cave side quest is back, and just as addictive as it was in Lufia II.  Speaking of sidequests, this game is packed with them.

Veterans of the first two Lufia games will probably enjoy this one as well.  Even though the random dungeons are repetitive, the inspired battle system completely makes up for it.  If you're looking for an addictive, portable RPG, Lufia: The Legend Returns is right up your alley.

Score: 3.2 (B)