Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered by original developer, Cattle Call and remastered by FURYU Corporation:
The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered (The Explanation)
With the Nintendo Switch already being the RPG powerhouse that it is, a little later this month it gets to add another fantastic RPG in the form of The Legend of Legacy. Except, instead of being a port of the original Cattle Call developed title that was initially released on the Nintendo 3DS back in 2025, The Legend of Legacy has since gone on to be another deserving title worthy of remastering and has since been reborn as The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered.
Unlike other RPG remasters we’ve seen in recent years, much of The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered’s upgrades pertain to its graphical beauty, as the game has been completely overhauled, making it worthy of a console and PC release. Still, while the lack of additional features might be a turn-off for some, let us not forget that The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered in its baser form, was already a modern classic in its own right thanks to its world, characters and battle system. So, while we can’t talk too much about what has changed, there is plenty we can say that has been kept the same and improved.
In Octopath Traveller fashion, before Octopath Traveller was even a thing, The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered is the story of seven heroes, all with their own motivations as to why they have headed to the Island of Avalon, but before we discuss our saviours, let us cover the setting first. Having appeared under mysterious circumstances ten years prior in the Northern Sea, folklore would have you believe that the island is part of a larger landmass, formally known as the continent of Avalon. Being a prosperous land, it was believed that the gods themselves must have called Avalon home.
But in the ten years that have passed since the island first appeared, no one is none the wiser as to what the real truth may be and with hazardous monsters roaming freely, only the bravest and most skilled have a chance of pressing onwards. With many secrets to uncover, one breakthrough has come in the form of elementals and the discovery of them. Many theories have been raised regarding the elementals, but the common line of thinking that has been more readily accepted is that they could be the remnants of the gods’ lingering power and that the many structures that can be found all over Avalon, are the cause for their appearance.
Whereas another folktale that has bound itself with Avalon pertains to the Star Graal. No one knows exactly what it is, what it looks like or who might even have it, but however big or small this relic is, there have been many adventurers who have sought it out and failed. At least, for the adventurers who failed, but kept their lives intact, can return to the City of Initium. Founded by the man who would be king, or at least, crowned “The King of Adventurers”, who also just happened to discover the Island of Avalon when it first appeared, Initium is the only place of safe harbour on Avalon and it is precisely where any adventurers adventure can get underway.
Speaking of adventurers, with seven choices of hero available, the first is Meurs, a 27-year-old elementalist, who, tragically is the last of his kind, can speak to elementals. Next up we have the 20-year-old Templar, Garnet. As a knight of the Holy Order, both her loyalty and focus are absolute. Another heroine players can opt to play as, is Bianca. Her age is unknown, but that’s because much of her past is unknown also, due to her amnesia, but she makes up for what she’s lost by maintaining a healthy dose of optimism. Our choice of hero, comes in the younger form of Liber. Just because he is only 18 -years-old that doesn’t make him any less of a treasure hunter.
Rounding out our remaining three, we have Eloise, a 24-year-old alchemist seeking to discover the secrets of eternal youth. What she might be lacking in physical prowess, Owen, a 36-year-old mercenary soon makes up for. As long as you have the necessary coin, there is no job Owen “the Baron” will refuse. Last but certainly not least, our seventh hero is the only non-human among them, for it’s the Frog Prince himself, Filmia.
As long as there is one character you’re willing to throw your support behind, once you’ve made your choice, your playthrough can get underway. Your hero of choice will not remain a single act for long as they’re swiftly joined by two others and players will be delighted to know that as you progress, the remaining heroes can be recruited to your cause and can be swapped into your party of three any time you pay a visit to the inn in Initium.
Once your party is formed, with all characters possessing the necessary equipment in the form of weaponry for both hands, headwear, legwear and bodywear, players are now free to explore their very first area that isn’t Initium, where they can obtain a map. With a map in hand, players are now free to explore as the map merely allows players to access new areas, and only shows the parts you have revealed in a given area. If you want to see everything, you will need to explore each stage to 100% of the current map before moving on to the next area.
The more you play and explore, the more you increase your chances of happening upon new maps or discovering viewpoints that allow you to look out onto another part of Avalon, and then be able to access it the very next time. Of course, in the event you have enough coin, when back in Initium you can always head to the local shop and buy a new map, whenever they are available and if funds are a little tight, you could always consider selling off some of your own maps, provided you have fully completed them as you’ll get more for them that way.
Then because if you have sold enough maps that you’ve ended up with more money than you know what to do with and the local shop doesn’t have good enough equipment to strengthen your team, you could always head to the dock and deal with a trader and dispatch a ship in the form of a cog, caravel, or a galleon. Each ship is bigger than the last and costs more to dispatch, but it also means they can bring back more goods and of better quality too. The only downside, it will take longer for the largest ship to come back and anything you do get that you don’t actually have a use for, you can always sell it to rebuild your coin. Incidentally, trading was previosuly tied to StreetPass on the 3DS, so naturally, it’s been tweaked slightly for the remaster.
Moving on to the actual gameplay itself, while players are free to explore the game’s many dungeons, it is via the game’s exploration system that they can encounter all manner of beasts and enemies, thus triggering turn-based battles. Should you wish to rely on the available formations you are first presented with, you are free to do so but players are also free to create and customise their own to better suit your team. Once you have selected your desired formation, it is time to choose from your available commands, which can differ depending on how you have built each unit. If you choose to rely on the elements, it is always a good idea to start be forming a contract with your preferred elemental, so that you can then use charms associated with that elemental on your following turn.
Otherwise, if your character is equipped with a shield or a buckler, they can do some defending, but if they have a weapon pertaining to one of the following classes: fist, longsword, shortsword, axe, spear, staff or bow, you can use an attack/skill associated with that weapon. When starting out, you won’t have the greatest of selections, but the more you use a character’s skills, the greater they can become as each skill can be levelled up through constant use, causing it to deal greater damage. You can also level up a character’s HP, SP, which are used for skills, and Attack. What’s more, your characters can also have moments of Awakening, which is when during battle, they’ll suddenly unlock a new skill and once you’ve used it, you can keep on using it as long as you have the necessary SP.
It can be a bit of a learning curve, getting used to The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered’s levelling up systems as it is the skills rather than the characters who level up, but with enough usage, repetition and updated all equipment with superior weaponary and armour, you can soon build up a team capable of pure devastation. Additionally, every time you do walk away from a battle, regardless of how much damage you have received, your party will be restored to full health when the next battle begins. The only thing you will need to watch out for, is if an ally is knocked down, any damage they sustain whilst defeated, will be reduced from their max health, so even when you win or they are revived and you commence your next battle, their full health can be less than what you were expecting, but sleeping at the inn can soon put that right.Â
While some might try to argue that The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered was an unnecessary remaster, we like to beg to differ. The Legend of Legacy was always a worthwhile title in its own right, only now does its targeted audience have the opportunity to experience it on both a larger scale and a great variety of platforms. To pass on it once, is fair enough, but to pass on it twice, you simply don’t know what you are missing, especially when there is a New Game Plus mode that allowes character statistics to carry over, along with money and you can now chose a new hero to start off with.
The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered (The Gameplay)
Game Specifications:
Developer: Cattle Call, FURYU Corporation
Publisher: NIS America
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Role-Playing, Adventure, Strategy
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: March 22, 2024
Price: $49.99
File Size: 4.3 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
