Lufia: The Legend Returns
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| Lufia: The Legend Returns | |
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| Developer(s) | Neverland |
| Publisher(s) |  Taito Natsume Co., Ltd Ubisoft |
| Release date(s) | September 7, 2001 September 20, 2001 October 23, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Color |
| Media | Cartridge |
Lufia: The Legend Returns, also known as Lufia III, Lufia III: Ruins Chaser, and Lufia: Ruins Chaser (Japanese: Estpolis Denki: Yomigaeru Densetsu) is a console role-playing game for the Game Boy Color developed by Neverland and published by Taito, Natsume, and Ubisoft in Japan, North America, and Europe respectively in 2001. It is the third game in the Lufia series and the first one to appear on a handheld gaming system.
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[edit] Story
Lufia: The Legend Returns takes places three hundred years after the events of Lufia & the Fortress of Doom which, despite being the first game in the series, took place after Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, making this game the most recent occurrence in the Lufia world up to this point. The game begins by outlining the "Doom Island Wars" (the events of the first two Lufia games) and goes on to explain how four all-powerful and evil beings known as the Sinistrals were defeated by a hero named Maxim and his three companions.
This game follows the trials and tribulations of a teenager named Wain, who is actually a descendant of Maxim himself. When a mysterious woman arrives in his village one day looking for a "swordsman", he joins her reluctantly after an unknown force from the nearby Death Tower, which just recently appeared outside of town, burns down a neighboring house. The woman introduces herself as Seena, and informs Wain that she is an aspiring magician who wants to find out what's behind the mysterious tower's appearance. When they finally reach the top, they come face to face with Gades, one of the four Sinistrals who threatened the world many years ago. Though Wain and Seena are defeated, and Gades escapes, their mission is clear: stop the newly awakened Sinistrals and save the world once again.
[edit] Gameplay
Though Lufia: The Legend Returns has much in common with the other games in the series, such as utilizing traditional CRPG elements like random battles, it also has its own unique elements as well. In order to gain new abilities (called "IP Skills"), the player must find Ancient Texts hidden within various dungeons throughout the game, and in order to use those abilities, they must obtain the requisite amount of Spiritual Force (or "SF"). Spiritual Forces are each assigned a color: red, blue, green, or yellow, and only characters who are designated as that particular color can make use of the skills they grant. A character with a red affinity would be able to learn red abilities, while a character with a blue affinity would be able to learn blue abilities, for example. Each IP Skill requires a different number of Spiritual Forces to activate and become learnable, and the cost of each ability is outlined in the Skill menu within the game.
A character's color does more than determine what skills they can or cannot learn, it also has a purpose in combat. Battles take place from a first-person perspective, with each character present as an icon on the lower left-hand corner of the screen. A total of nine slots are available for party members, and placing characters with the same color affinity next to each other enhances their abilities and statistics such as strength and magic power. For example, putting two green characters adjacent to one another would increase both of their abilities, while putting a third one near them would enhance them further. At the end of each battle, the characters involved gain experience points which go toward gaining levels, making them stronger in the process. In addition, they also earn LP or "Learning Points" which go towards creating Spiritual Force. The amount of LP learned after combat corresponds to how many of a certain color of characters were used.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Playable characters
Wain (age 17): A young man from the small town of Patos who has honed his skill with a sword by exterminating weaker monsters like red slimes. He longed for adventure and excitement until Seena arrived.
Seena (age 16): A beautiful young fortune teller who arrives in Wain's town to challenge the riddle of the Death Tower located nearby. A strong-minded yet sensitive girl, she joins Wain on his journey to rid the world of evil once again.
Randolph (age 72): Vassal of Princess Melfis whose age may have affected his swordsmanship, but never detered his loyalty to his kingdom. In his youth he was known as the "Master of the Twin Swords". In combat he uses a pair of sabres which he wields with great power.
Melphis (age 20): A Princess who was charged with subordination and forced to live within the walls of a dungeon in her own kingdom before being rescued. Since then, she makes it her business to see as much of the outside world as she can, albeit in disguise. In battle she casts curative magic to aid her allies.
Dei (age 24): A kind-hearted yet unlucky thief who gives all the money he steals to the poor. Though his attack power is so-so, his speed makes up for it, as well as his skill with daggers.
Aima (age 26): A female monk who is constantly training her body to become the "Master of the Fist". In her own words, her biggest obstacle in obtaining this goal is her mental weakness, which she seeks to strengthen on her journey with Wain.
Deckard (age 32): A pirate with a mysterious past who only attacks the ships of those who deserve it. He sees himself as a noble thief and doesn't quite grasp his criminality.
Ruby (age 21): A tall, blonde gambler whose cold poker-face hides her sentimental nature. She is sometimes prone to cheating, but has yet to be called out on it.
Milka (age 25): Though her physical age is young, she is an elf with a severely prolonged lifespan who has actually witnessed the Doom Island Wars (the same Milka who knew Artea). She holds disdain for the industrialized human society and longs to live with nature, and in combat she relies on her skilled use of magic.
Isaac Shaia (age 43): As a descendant of the famous Shaia family of inventors, Isaac has a natural ability to create and understand new technology. Most of his inventions explode or break upon creation, but his spirit never falters. In addition to his trade, he is also a top-notch magician.
Yurist (age 27): A wanderer and poet who lives by his own rules, taking life as it comes. He appears to have at least some knowledge of medical science. His game sprite makes him look female apparently and this allows him to equip weapons and armor exclusive to the ladies.
Mousse (age unknown): Described as a "Capsule Monster" (a creature that can be captured and then follow the commands of his new master) that resembles a shaggy dog. Though he cannot speak, he can understand the language of humans. In battle he relies solely on his brute animal strength.
Egg Dragon (age unknown): The famous wish-granting Egg Dragon from the previous Lufia games returns, but he is only acquired through a sidequest. He will join you after you defeat him, but like Mousse, he can't be directly controlled by the player. On the plus side, he is very strong, has deadly fire spells and an instant death attack.
[edit] Other characters
The Sinistrals: A group of god-like warriors who want to take over the world of Lufia. Though they were defeated years ago by the hero Maxim, they have returned to the physical world once again in an attempt to claim it as their own. They consist of Gades, Amon, Erim, and their leader, Daos.
[edit] Lufia: Ruins Chaser
When Lufia: The Legend Returns was in development, it was originally going to be a PlayStation title called Lufia III: Ruins Chaser (Also written without the "III" as simply Lufia: Ruins Chaser)[1]. The game was revealed to U.S. publications under this name, and it was assumed it would be released sometime in late 2000 or early 2001. However, the company working on it, Nihon-Flex went out of business during its production, and the project was scrapped. A short time later, the game was picked up by long-time Lufia series developer Neverland and after a process of significant downgrading of the graphics while at the same time completely rewriting the story and creating new characters, Lufia: The Legend Returns became the game it is today.
[edit] External links
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Lufia & the Fortress of Doom • Rise of the Sinistrals • The Legend Returns • The Ruins of Lore |
