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Character skills focus heavily on the use of "eres", a skill that can be split into two frames; iron eres (physical) and crystal eres (spell casting). New iron eres techniques may be learned at the occasional level as well as mastering certain sets of eres a fixed amount of time. Combination techs, or Arcane Eres, are a nice way of combining two to three of your favorite base attacks into one much larger move. Crystal eres however depend on the strainous collection of eres stones from fallen foes, which are then used to complete eres scrolls to learn a new magic spell. It is very possible to ignore mastering each scroll and focus on the game's progression, as the monsters in each dungeon are more than likely to drop more than enough stones through a speedy run, but it becomes rather tedious to stop in certain dungeons solely to stock up on enough stones to learn certain skills. It unnecessarily slows the game down and is more of a nuissance then something enjoyable. There is also a compound eres system which allows you to mix much larger skills to create one giant skill, although most of the possible combinations are rather useless, making Compound moves ultimately not worth bothering over at all.
Many of the series' staple elements have also returned. In various locations, you'll come across Mimi the Baker, a young woman who will teach you various recipes for your party. She's essentially the same NPC fans have known in past games as the Wonder Chef, only that Mimi solely focuses on baked good recipes. Staple series battle techs (Sword Rain, Indignation, Swallow Dance, etc.) also make a triumphant return. Character titles are another recurring theme that pop up in Legendia. However, unlike past Tales of ... games, they can be equipped on the fly as an accessory would, increasing or decreasing stats at will. Unlike Symphonia, these titles are not incremental bonuses that solely function on level ups, but work immediately. Any of the 200+ titles to be earned can be rewarded through certain battle circumstances and/or story sequences.
Tales of Legendia takes roughly under 30 hours to complete. While that length of time is considered to be short by today's standards, we must realize that many modern releases are typically 30-hour quests, with an additional 20 hours of cannon fodder and/or fetch quests. Tales of Legendia has none of this and ends appropriately at just the right time. You never feel as if things are dragging on for too long, or that the story took an unsuspecting turn just to stretch things a little longer. When all is said and done in the Main Quest, players can open up Character Quests, which are extensions on party member's own storyline that were touched in the Main Quest, yet never fully answered. This adds an interesting twist to replaying Legendia a second time around without going through the same experience.
While the story is nothing epic and the game never takes an exciting turn whatsoever, it is incredibly stable and enjoyable for what it is. While it may not be the plot twist heavy epic tale we've come to expect of every game this generation, it's very straightforward and worth anyone's time. It's a must own for diehard fans, though newcomers may feel somewhat intimidated by the bizare game design and nostalgic throwbacks. Despite these minor problems, Tales of Legendia an interesting adventure to take note of and hopefully the beginning of many more to come stateside. |
