Easily one of the most underrated RPGs to ever grace a console,
the legend of dragoon was initially met with mixed reception. With a unique combat system
and one of the most compelling stories of any J RPG, this game went on to amass a
significant cult following, And it’s one of the most requested videos on this channel.
This.
Is the legend of dragoon iceberg.
The Western J RPG
Japanese role playing games that have been created in Japan, typically with an anime or
mahnga style character design, are almost always more successful in their country of origin.
However, L o D was one of the first J RPG’s that broke this mold. The game was more popular in
the West than it was in Japan. This very well could have been contributed to the fact that
Japanese players were often cited as saying the game was too difficult. Due to this reaction,
the game was nerfed, decreasing the difficulty, during the localization for Western audiences.
The Western reception was so positive, that it sold 3 times as well as the Japanese version.
The Grind is Real
Some games, especially J RPG’s, are notorious for their arduous level grinds. L o D is definitely
one of them. Although the maximum level is only 60, almost all of the experience comes from
bosses. The most experience that can be gained through non-boss monsters is just a few thousand,
and they can be a rare monster to encounter. While bosses from the same area can grant upwards of
20,000 experience. And even defeating every bonus boss in the game will only leave your characters
about level 43 during the final boss fight. If players skip the optional bosses, that can
leave them in their upper thirties. Nevertheless, this is typically high enough to defeat the final
boss. Instead, they incentivize you to level up additions and dragoon levels as they are
easy enough to level up, making it so that you don’t really need to grind character levels.
In addition to this, the boss fights in L o D definitely tend to last longer than many other
J RPG boss fights. The final boss, in particular, can last upwards of 45 minutes to an hour long.
Enhanced Combat
Most J RPG’s of the time were simply turn based fighting games.
But L o D added some features within the combat system that made it more interactive
and intense. First was the addition of action commands. During physical attacks, you will
normally hit X at a particular timing, to move on to the next hit in the combo. And occasionally an
enemy will attempt to counter-attack, forcing you to react with a different button input.
If you don’t react accordingly, your character takes damage and you lose the combo.
Another interesting aspect of L o D’s combat is the vocal identification of their attacks.
When characters use their dragoon magic, they will shout out the name of their
command as they use it, typically alongside a powerful sounding crescendo of vocal grunts.
And the inverse is true of their additions,
where they perform the attack, and then shout out the name of it.
This shouting out of an attack was first used in mazinger Z, widely considered the first super
robot anime. And the tradition was popularized in various anime shows like dragon ball,
didji mon, naruto, and others. It seemed to fit in well enough with the game,
but it hasn’t been quite as prevalent in games as it’s been in anime series.
Color-coded
We can actually see in early concept art for Dart, that he was meant to have a
different color outfit. This is a visualized example of the shift that was taken through
the development of the game. At one point, the team decided to make the characters,
most bosses, and minor enemies, all wear clothing and associated with the color
of their corresponding element. They felt this would make for a much more identifiable nature
and meaning to the game, while also making it more strategic in the process.
Foreshadowing
There were a number of different elements throughout the game that
served as clear foreshadowing. So many of the major plot twists were alluded to,
that many players agree that in itself warrants a replay of the game.
At one point, Shirley transforms into Albert, even wearing green with a lance.
The same music plays when Shana gets her dragoon spirit as when she exhibits unusual powers.
We learn that Shana’s dragoon armor is much different than shirley’s. Both of these indicate
that shirley isn’t the true dragoon of the white silver dragon, as her moon child powers are what
allow her to wield it. There’s also a number of hints as to rose’s identity as the black monster.
She continuously tries to talk Dart out of pursuing revenge for his parents’ deaths.
The ghosts of the phantom ship seem to single out rose immediately, seemingly because they
remember their killer. We also see Lavitz mentioned on every single disc after his death,
keeping his memory alive. And alluding to us potentially seeing his reappearance again.
Anti-Villains
The antagonists of L o D can be considered anti-villains. They are very clearly still
evil, but they actually have noble causes that make them act that way.
Rose, as the black monster, spent the last 11,000 years destroying the moon children.
This was done in an attempt to prevent the apocalypse.
Emperor Doel was seeking a world in which all species were truly equal.
We also learn that doel used to be far less tyrannical in the past,
possibly due to Lloyd's manipulations on top of his wife’s death.
And even Lloyd can be considered an anti-villain in a certain sense.
He seemed to be genuinely seeking to create a utopia to live within.
Lavitz Final Words
The major character loss through L o D has a heartfelt moment of death.
Before his life slips away, we see him confirm the safety of the others, before entrusting Dart with
the game’s resolution. His final words are, dart, survive, and… The final words are never completed,
although there is speculation on what he would have asked. Most people seem to think that he
wished for Dart to deliver a message of love and gratitude for his mother. Although this may
not be the intended meaning, there’s definitely enough evidence to suggest this to be the case.
The Re make Rumors
Shortly after the game’s release, there were almost immediate talks about a sequel to l o d.
Presumably due to mixed reception of the game, the sequel project was cancelled.
The only information we’ve received on the project was that, if any project was going
to be developed within the L o D universe, it would most certainly be a prequel project.
Despite the cancellation,
a cult-following was formed throughout the years. Many rumors and theories were devised over time.
However, rumors have only been becoming more and more prevalent through the years.
In 2019, a representative for bluepoint games, a studio that helps to develop popular re makes,
such as shadow of the colossus, made a tweet advocating for an l o d project. Despite not
showing any official confirmation, fans were ecstatic over the possibility. Especially
since they did announce that they were working on a new project for playstation 5. A project
that is said to define the visual benchmark for the next generation of gaming hardware.
They also recently expanded their team, as their next project seemed much more extensive.
And with L o D spanning over 4 discs, some fans have speculated this may
actually be the secretive project that is quietly being developed in the shadows.
Gone but not forgotten:
While L o d may not have received much love as it deserved, at least one other game has paid
tribute to the classic game. Playstation all-stars battle royale, is sony’s take on a brawl game, as
a crossover platform fighting game for the PS3 and vita. The game itself was met with mediocre and
underwhelming reception. It featured Downloadable content packages that more or less spelled doom
for the franchise. We later learned that there was concept art being done for a potential future
addition to the game. The art featured none other than dart from L o d. Unfortunately,
any plans that may have been in the works were scrapped before anything came of this.
Censorship
Rose’s Demon’s gate has an interesting animation to it. The Western version has a sort of black goo
dropped from her. This same liquid actually has a red hue to it rather than black.
We can speculate on what this is supposed to be, none of which I will be mentioning in the video.
But it’s rumored that even the original red coloring was an already censored animation.
People have suggested that the uncut version was meant
to display her harming herself in some way before seeing the red liquid drop.
The Adaptations
There exist several adaptations of the game presented through textual mediums.
The first is the mahnga that was released the same month as the game.
There was only one issue created, following the events of the first disc.
However, it didn’t follow the events to the letter. In order to keep the volume short,
they condensed and changed several events, and purposely left out several characters. Even with
the intention of keeping the project shorter, it still included over 170 pages of content.
There also exists a novelization of the game as well. It only includes
a handful of artist renditions of the characters,
otherwise it’s entirely written word. It’s presumed that this novel is a reiteration of
the game, but we’ve yet to receive an official translation of the work. The Western audience
is unable to effectively enjoy either of these adaptations, as they were only sold in japan.
Epilogue call-back
At one point Dart and Lavits are having a conversation in Lohan. Lavitz ends up joking about
accepting a drink in return for his advice. We see this referenced and called back later. At the end
of the game, during the epilogue movie, we can see dart place a drink next to the painting of Lavitz.
Unofficial Fan projects
While we’re on the subject of a continuation of the series,
let’s acknowledge some fan-made projects. Some superfans have created their own versions of the
game through various means. They obviously feature slight differences between the original game.
One of them even features a free roam system reminiscent of pokemon,
with nostalgia driven close up duels. Despite not being official re makes, they definitely
exemplify the level of passion the fandom has for this game. I’ll link these projects below.
New Game Plus Glitch
There is no true new game plus mode like many other RPG games. However, players have discovered
a glitch that grants a pseudo new game plus mode. If you have an existing save file on the moon,
you’ll be able to use a tricky process of creating a new save file just before the first boss. When
saving the new file, you can turn off the console completely. If you’re lucky and timed it just
right, you can start this new file with all your character equipment, item and dragoon levels, as
well as key items. Although this functions mostly the same way, some events will be skipped and you
may experience some strange moments, especially as this is really just a glitched save file.
Interestingly enough, this same method can be used to access the debug room. If you corrupt your game
file in this manner, you can potentially reach the debug room with a number of paths leading to
japanese text. Each of these destinations will transport you to specific points in the game.
Unfortunately, the file corrupted can have unusable results like having multiple level
0 dart characters, that are unable to survive any attacks, making the game nearly unplayable.
The encounter rate bug
It’s believed that the encounter rate when moving down or left with your character,
is roughly twice the rate at which you encounter enemies when moving up or right. There are several
areas where you can examine this hypothesis. The most notable area to test this is in the barrens
in disc two. When you’re moving up through the map, it’s very possible for you to not meet any
random encounters. However, when you go down, it’s likely that you’ll meet 3 or 4 encounters.
The VHS Promo
Around the launch of the game, there was a promotional VHS that served as a theatrical
style trailer. It contained many of the title's CG cut-scenes. The artwork for
the VHS box even resembled something akin to a theatrical movie poster.
Luckily the VHS has been digitized and freely available for public viewing.
The Name Pool
Each character was said to initially have received over 100 different potential names for characters.
The pool of names was given to the development team of over 100 people,
to select a name that they felt best suited the characters. This is why we have character names
that seem more familiar like rose, along with names you'd likely only see in a video game.
The Unbeatable Shirley
During the developmental phase, Shirley was originally planned to be a standard boss fight
alongside the other dragoons in vellweb. However, she had the ability to fully heal herself with
unlimited MP, making her truly undefeatable. Instead of tweaking her output and capabilities,
they formatted her into an unbeatable part of the story. The original data
for the intended fight can still be found on the disc.
Indecisive Dragoon
The other dragoon spirits all choose their own human to bond with. The blue sea dragoon spirit
is the only one that never actually chooses a fully human wielder. The original wielder, Damia,
was actually half human and half mermaid. While each of the other wielders were actually winglies.
The Purple Dragon
There are three named dragons, outside of the mountain of mortal dragon. We know of Fairbrand,
Regal, and the divine dragon. Some players theorize that you can see the fourth dragon
at the end of disc one in Kazas. The researchers of the white and green flame mention the purple
flame that comes from a dragon. It’s believed that this is the source of emperor dohl’s
violet dragoon power. But we don’t see much else on the matter. If you continue onward,
you can see what appears to be the carcass of the purple dragon hanging above,
It's theorized to be the source of the magic in the black castle. It’s also believed that
this is the dragon that dohl is able to summon with his level 5 dragoon magic.
Colored Personality Theory
A clever redditor has created an extensive post with a few plausible theories regarding
the dragon spirits. As we discussed earlier, characters are visually color-coded to distinguish
their elemental preferences. The first theory suggested here posits that each of a character’s
elemental type is based upon their personality characteristics. Red fire is linked to anger,
hatred, boldness, rash decisions, and leadership. Blue water types are said to be artistic,
secretive, spontaneous, and genuine, with a deep desire for peace. Green wind is said to be loyal,
chivalrous, kind, calm, greedy, with a set a high moral standards. Brown Earth is honest,
reliable, confident, with a deep craving for stability. White wind is honest, caring, loving,
self sufficient, and they tend to hide their flaws. Black Dark is said to be restricting,
serious, intimidating, in persistent self-denial, with a very real lack
of emotion. And violet thunder is impulsive, determined, impractical, and filled with regret.
Dragoon Madness
That same redditor goes on with another theory suggesting that the common theme between all
dragoons is their blatant insanity. Doel and graham seem to regain their sanity as they die.
They appear to return to their former selves, what they used to be. Rose even makes a comment about
this assertion as well saying, “humans fight by making themselves insane.” When dart first
becomes a dragoon, he also immediately becomes consumed, attacking kongol.
And when Albert is attacked by lloyd, lavitz goes into a rage, endangering others in the process.
The Jade Dragon’s Purpose
The next theory posits that the jade dragon fills a specific role, the knight, the protector. The
jade dragon simply seeks to help and protect its allies. This is hinted at with the dragon's
horrible offensive options and the only defensive spell. To be this brave defender of light, fear
must not be in control. Each of the jade dragon’s vessels were met with horrible fates due to them
letting fear take over. Syuveil fears death and was unable to make the ultimate sacrifice,
which ultimately ended in his own death. Graham acted cowardly by failing to protect his friend,
instead destroying him in pursuit of additional power. And even Lavitz lost to it in the fear
of losing his friend albert. In face of this fear, Lavitz’s incited rage nearly harmed his
friend in the process. It’s because of this that he died. This fan suggests that it’s
further emphasized upon examination of each character’s death. Syuveil lingered on after
death. Graham regretted his life. And lavitz traded his soul after death for fear of loss.
The True Dragon Masters
The final theorization from this redditor are the suggestions for the actual master of each dragon.
The red dragon master is zeeg. This becomes evident when the dragon spirit abandons dart
upon zieg’s return. It does not activate on its own either, as it needed Rose to bring it about.
Zieg’s personality is also much better suited, fueled by his rage of the events he’d experienced.
The jade dragon’s master is considered albert. He willingly sacrificed himself for his people.
He also possesses a unique armor compared to other jade dragoons. The theorized white dragon
master is said to be shirley with a close second being shana. Shirley never left belzac as he died,
and used her magic to seal souls in vellwab. She’s considered to be the glue that held the original
party together. The dark dragon master was very clearly Rose. The violet dragon master is said to
be doel. Doel also has a unique dragoon armor, but more importantly, he’s the only dragoon other than
rose, who awakens another dragoon himself. He was also willing to become the necessary evil of the
world, which he regretted. The blue sea dragon’s master is said to be meru. She is the spontaneous
and artistic dancer that best embodies the spirit. The golden dragon is theorized to be different
however. It’s suggested that the golden dragon is only loyal to the other dragons. This is evidenced
by its apparent knowledge of the dragon’s locations. And the divine dragon chose dart,
simply because lloyd opted the path of rage, which was better suited toward other dragon spirits.
Game of Thrones Similarities
Another superfan of the game has gone to the great length of documenting and visualizing
a number of similarities between Legend of dragoon and the mega popular game of thrones.
It’s still uncertain whether or not there were direct inspirations,
as many of these entries are fairly common tropes within the fantasy and medieval genres.
Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see the commonalities between the two stories. This
reddit post along with the previous entries can all be found in the description below.
The legend of dragoon was criminally underrated. And perhaps that is no better illustrated than
now, More than 20 years later, where people are still avidly requesting a sequel or re make for
this masterpiece of a game. Only time will tell if we'll be so lucky. Like and subscribe if you’d
like to see more videos like this. And let me know what subjects you’d like to see covered next.