Lufia: The Legend Returns

Lufia: The Legend Returns
North American box art
Developer(s)	Neverland Natsume[1]
Publisher(s)	JP Taito NA Natsume EU Ubisoft
Director(s)	Masahide Miyata
Designer(s)	Tomonari Matsumoto
Writer(s)	Masahide Miyata
Composer(s)	Yasunori Shiono Akiko Ishibashi Tomoko Morita Yukio Nakajima
Platform(s)	Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console
Release date(s)	Game Boy Color JP September 7, 2001 NA September 20, 2001 EU October 23, 2001 3DS Virtual Console NA January 15, 2015 PAL November 20, 2014
Genre(s)	Role-playing video game
Mode(s)	Single-player

Lufia: The Legend Returns, known as Estpolis Denki: Yomigaeru Densetsu (エストポリス伝記　よみがえる伝説, officially translated Biography of Estpolis: The Legend Returns^[2][3]) in Japan, is a role-playing video 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.

Gameplay

Though Lufia: The Legend Returns has much in common with the other games in the series, such as utilizing traditional role-playing video game elements like random battles, it also has its own unique elements as well. Players familiar with the Lufia series will be happy to find that the popular "IP System" is still in place, though in a different format than in the previous installments. No longer are the special skills used by characters tied to the equipment they are wearing at a given time. Instead, characters gain new special abilities (called "IP Skills"), by finding Ancient Texts hidden within various dungeons throughout the game. To use those abilities, they must obtain the requisite amount of Spiritual Force (or "SF"). A more detailed description of the technical properties of the Spiritual Force is included below.

Battle system

Much of the game takes place on the Battle Screen, where the player's characters will engage enemies ranging from low-level Red Slimes to sea creatures and evil gods. Even though nine characters can take part in a battle, only three of them may attack per turn—one per vertical column. Characters in the top row will do more damage when attacking enemies, but will also receive more damage; those in the back row will receive less damage, but also deal less. In order to make the most of these three turns, the player is able to move the characters around the Battle Screen in between rounds. In this way, it is possible to revolve characters around the field in order to make the most of their different abilities.

If a character loses all of his or her HP during a battle, that character will be unable to participate in the rest of the battle, and will not earn any Experience or Learning Points once the battle is over. The character will automatically be revived after the battle with 1 point of HP.

However, if the player revives the character before the battle ends, there will be no penalty. This can be achieved either by casting spells or using items on the fallen character. If the three characters in the topmost row of battle all become incapacitated, the player will lose the game and will have to return to the last save point, wherever that may be. This will occur even if the other six characters are perfectly healthy, and so the player must be careful throughout battles to keep the characters in the front alive.

Spiritual Force

A new addition to this third installment in the Lufia series is the Spiritual Force, a mysterious power that all people possess in varying types and amounts.^[4] Early in the game players are given a basic introduction into the use of the SF system.

Spiritual Forces are assigned one of four colors: red, blue, green, or yellow. In general, characters who possess a certain color of SF can only learn one type of special IP Skill; these are designated by the particular colors and will be described below. For example, 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.^[4] Each IP Skill requires a different number of Spiritual Force points of various colors 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—the so-called "Flow of the Spiritual Force." ^[5] 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. It is in this way that characters are able to learn new IP skills, as many require SF of different colors. If a character has the correct amount of SF required to use a previously learned IP skill at the start of a battle, it will cost less to perform this technique than if the character has been moved and no longer has the correct amount.

The bonuses received by possessing a certain color of Spiritual Force or being placed near a character with that color are found below:^[6]

Color	Characters	Bonus Effects
Red	Wain, Randolph, Deckard, Egg Dragon	Increases Character Strength
Blue	Seena, Melphis, Yurist	Increases Character Magic Power and Resistance
Yellow	Dei, Ruby, Isaac	Increases Character Speed and Max MP
Green	Aima, Mousse, Milka	Increases Character Defense and Max HP

At the end of each battle, the characters involved gain LP or "Learning Points" which go toward increasing the Spiritual Force or learning magic from any of the priests found in various cities and towns.^[4] Increasing the Red SF has the added effect of increasing that character's Strength, Blue increases Magic Power and Magic Resistance, Green increases HP and Defense, and Yellow increases Speed and MP. In order to make the most of these bonuses, it is important to place characters next to each other strategically so that they can either get needed boosts in lower statistics, or raise their natural powers to even higher levels.

Ancient Text and IP Techniques

As stated in the introduction, Lufia: The Legend Returns makes use of the "IP System" introduced in previous installments of the saga.^[4] IP Skills are special techniques usable in battle that are more powerful than normal attacks and magic, and are only usable once a character has studied its corresponding Ancient Text. Ancient Texts are found in the various caves and dungeons throughout the game's four continents—players need only visit local item shops to find out what Ancient Texts are available in the vicinity.

Not all characters can make use of every Ancient Text,^[4] and players will quickly learn that different characters specialize in the use of offensive, defensive, and supporting skills.^[7] By opening the Spiritual Force Menu, players can browse the Ancient Texts that they have acquired. By clicking a specific Text, players can learn which players can learn the skill contained within it. Once a player decides to teach an IP Skill to a character, it is simply a matter of building the Spiritual Force required to learn it—all texts list how much of each color is needed. The names of characters who can learn the skill without making any changes to their SF are in bold print, while those who need some additional work are in grey type.

Example Ancient Text Assignment

IP Skill	IP Effect	SF Necessary to Learn the Skill	Who Can Learn the Skill
R. Blade	Does Damage Equal to Max HP - Current HP	12 Red 8 Blue 8 Yellow	Wain, Dei, Aima, Randolph, Deckard, Yurist
Stealth Hit	Does Twice the Damage of a Normal Attack by Ignoring Enemy Defense	18 Red 10 Yellow	Dei, Ruby, Isaac

Imagine that a player has the Ancient Texts that teach both of these techniques. The thief Dei is able to learn both of these skills, but requires differing amounts of Spiritual Force to do so. In order to learn R. Blade, Dei must be located in the same row or column as characters that use Red and Blue Spiritual Force in addition to his own Yellow SF.^[7] The total amount of SF that flows into him from the four characters surrounding him must equal the same amount as that required by the Ancient Text, or he will never be able to learn the skill. Once these requirements have been met, Dei will be able to learn R. Blade and players can direct him to use it future battles.

How to Use an IP Technique

Once a player has taken the time to teach an IP Skill to a character, the next thing to do is unleash it in combat. Simply by pushing and holding Down on the direction pad and then hitting the A Button will bring up a list of IP Skills that the character currently knows.

Given that IP Skills are more powerful than normal attacks, players are not able to use them at all times. In fact, players may only direct characters to use the techniques if they possess the necessary IP Value. The IP Value that a character has at a given moment is a number from one to a hundred, and goes up steadily as turns pass. If that character is damaged in battle, his/her IP will increase more quickly, with more damaging attacks increasing it by greater amounts. Once the character has the necessary IP, the player can command him/her to use the skill, which will then decrease the IP Value by a certain amount—each IP Skill requires a different level of IP to use.^[7] For example, the Stealth Hit technique mentioned in the table above requires an IP Level of 50 under normal circumstances; Dei, Ruby, and Isaac can only perform the skill if they have an IP Value of 50 or more at the beginning of a turn.

However, players should keep in mind that the Spiritual Force system also comes into play in the use of IP Skills once they have been learned. If Ruby is located next to characters that possess the SF that she needed to learn Stealth Hit, she only needs an IP Level of 50. On the other hand, if the player has moved Ruby to a position where she does not have access to this SF configuration, the move will cost 75 IP Points.^[8] Players will know that the IP needed to perform a move is more than normal as they scroll the list, as those that require additional IP will have an asterisk (*) next to them.^[6] Though it sounds a bit complicated, the IP System is simple to learn. Once players figure out which IP Skills they will use most often, it becomes much easier to manage.

The Ancient Cave

The Ancient Cave, made popular in Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, reappears in this third installment in the series. As in the original, the Ancient Cave's layout is randomly generated and consists of 100 distinct levels that the player must navigate in order to reach the bottom. Upon entering the cave, the characters are reduced to Level 1 and the player must level them up in order to survive the cave. The characters are also stripped of their equipment, magic spells, and IP Techniques, but the cave's many chests are supplied with temporary replacements. Unlike in Lufia II, this cave does not end at floor 100. A player will meet the Jelly Master as he or she did in Lufia 2, but he will not immediately fight the player (see section below), and it is possible to ascend to even lower levels, down to floor 200.

The Ancient Cave can be found on a small island to the West of the Fante Continent, right behind a small village called Gulduck.

Providence

As in the original scenario, the player must navigate all the way to the bottom of the Ancient Cave in order to leave it. However, if the player finds a special item known as "Providence," it is possible to exit the cave before reaching the bottom.^[9] In this version, Providence can be found on and below Level 20 of the Ancient Cave, and will keep reappearing on each floor until it is found.

The Glass Ruby

When the player first visits the Ancient Cave, only the first fifty floors will be available. In order to reach the lower levels of the cave the player must first find an item called the Glass Ruby.^[10] The Glass Ruby is located at the bottom of Broffo Cave on the Episis Continent.

Blue Chests

Within the cave lie two kinds of chests — blue and red. A red chest contains items which can only be used while the player remains in the Ancient Cave, but that will vanish once the characters leave it.^[9]

On the other hand, the rare blue chests contains unique items that can be used outside the Ancient Cave and can be brought back to the cave on subsequent journeys. The equipment found in the blue chests is often far superior than those found in red chests, and may be higher quality than even the best items found in the outside world.

The Master

Upon reaching the 100th floor of the Ancient Cave, the player will meet its Master, who takes the form of a green slime. The Master will congratulate the player on navigating all the way to the bottom of the cave, and offer to grant the characters one of three wishes:

• The best weapons in the world, which will become available in the Parethea Shrine on the Lidal Continent. The player will have to move to the Shrine and travel to the top in order to make the most of this wish, which can be granted three times in order to receive the best pieces of equipment for each character.
• Making the Ancient Cave 200 Levels deep, which will allow the player to travel even deeper than before, all the way to a difficult battle against the Goddess Iris (not to be mistaken for the Iris of Lufia II. The Iris from Lufia 2 is Airisu in Japanese, and this Iris is named Irisu).
• Nothing. Though the player can wish for nothing, the Master will declare that a feat such as completing the Ancient Cave cannot go unrewarded, and will surprise the player with statistical increases for each character once the party leaves the Ancient Cave.
• A fight, which will force the party to engage in battle with the Master Himself. As in the previous version of the game, the Master will commit suicide after several turns of battle, and the player will receive nothing. If, however, the player manages to defeat the Master before three turns are up, the slime will allow the party to enter the Ancient Cave at Level 100. This wish can only be requested once the player exhausts the three Best Weapon wishes.^[9]

Plot

Setting

Like many other role-playing games of its type, Lufia: The Legend Returns contains a large overworld map through which players must travel in order to advance the game's plot.^[11] Though there are usually no enemies found within the cities scattered around the world, the overworld and the caves that separate the different regions of the continents are full of them. However, the enemies in many of the dungeons can be avoided simply by staying out of the caverns' lower levels:

"In most caves there are two ways. One leads straight to the exit and to your next goal, the other one goes deeper into the dungeon. When the guard tells you that the monsters are too strong, believe him! You can come back later. Most of these caves are part of sidequests."

^[12]

At the start of the game, players must travel around the Epsis Continent in order to learn the basics of combat and start gathering the heroes necessary to defeat the Sinistrals. After defeating Gades, the Sinistral of Destruction, players move North to the Lidal Continent, which is home to the Alstadt Kingdom and the Copley Forest. Players can move back to Epsis simply by traveling to the port town of Caan and buying tickets on the local ferry, but it is impossible to move about the ocean freely until players recruit the pirate Deckard, who owns his own ship.

Once players leave Lidal behind, they can travel to either the Fante or Rosplett Continents, but there is nothing plot-related to be found on the latter until the quests on the desert continent are completed. Famous locations on the Fante continent include the Gamblers' City of Redwood and the City of Illusionary Science, Mologolo. Once the first three Sinistrals have been defeated, players must travel to the Al-Ayin Islands located in the center of the world map, and eventually enter the sunken Doom Island, the legendary home of the Sinistrals.

The quests that are found on each continent are based on the four Towers and Sinistrals that are located on each one. On Epsis Continent, players try to repair the destruction caused by Gades. On Lidel, players uncover the mystery surrounding the chaotic Alstadt Kingdom. On Fante, many supporting characters are made to feel intense fear at the hands of Daos, Sinistral of Terror, and it is up to players to quell the confusion.

Playable characters

There are twelve playable characters that can be found during the regular course of the game's plot. The Egg Dragon is a special character that can only be recruited after a series of sidequests.

Wain: A young man from the small town of Patos who has honed his skill with a sword by exterminating weaker monsters like red jellies. He longed for adventure and excitement until Seena arrived.^[13] He's much more witty then the previous heroes in the series, and can be slow to understand when someone is also being witty (having once needed to be informed that Gades was insulting him). He also tends to openly insult the Sinistrals. It is later revealed that he is Maxim's descendant.

Seena: A beautiful young fortune teller who arrives in Wain's town to challenge the riddle of the Tower of Death located nearby.^[13] A strong-minded yet sensitive girl whose predictions are uncannily accurate,^[14] she joins Wain on his journey to rid the world of evil. Seena is eventually proven to be Erim, Sinistral of Death, after Guard Daos is defeated. She claims that she wanted the others to kill Daos so that she could be the only Sinistral and rule the world herself,^[15] causing the rest of the group to attack her in their confused rage. After the ensuing battle, the ghost of Daos summons Zalbak, the Infernal God of Flame, who absorbs Erim in order to gain her immense power. The group travels to Doom Island to defeat Zalbak, and Erim, who has returned to her original form as Seena, dies along with him. Before that happens, Seena explains why she had to deceive Wain and the others. She did not want to continue her life as the Sinistral of Death, and so she hid her new identity and traveled around the world looking for strong people who would eventually be able to kill her. Just before she dies, she makes a final prediction—that she and Wain will meet again someday.^[16]

Throughout the story, Seena shows that, although she is usually practical, she does have a romantic side. She is the one who urges Wain to travel around the world looking for the stones Rudo needs to win over Maqurine, and she thinks about her future love at several different points. However, she does not let herself get completely carried away, and understands the possibility that love may not be in her future.^[17] She also realizes that, despite her natural talent at fortune-telling, she sometimes has to help things along in order to make the client happy,^[18] and that there may not be any magic forces behind getting the job done, much to Wain's surprise.^[19]

Dei: A kind-hearted yet unlucky thief who gives all the money he steals to the poor of his hometown.^[13] Loyal to the end, Dei would give up his own life to save that of a friend, but would rather look for treasure than fight.

Dei undergoes a personal transformation throughout the course of the game. At the beginning, the player will notice that Dei relies completely on his skill as a thief to maintain his self-esteem, calling himself the greatest bandit in the world who is able to steal from anyone at any time. During the game, Dei begins to understand that there is more to life than stealing, and that he would rather protect his loved ones than spend his life as a thief. In the game's epilogue, Dei states that he wants to become a better person who is worthy of marrying Lurissa, despite her very young age.^[20]

Aima: A female monk who is constantly training her body to become a "Master of the Fist." She studied under a master of the Jigen-Ryuu fighting school while defending her town from the Garland Gang bandits until he was killed. In her own words, her biggest obstacle in obtaining her goals is her mental weakness, which she seeks to strengthen on her journey with Wain.^[13]

Randolph: Vassal of Princess Melphis, whose age may have affected his swordsmanship, but never deterred his loyalty to his kingdom. In his youth he was known as the "Master of the Twin Swords."^[13]

Melphis: A princess who was forced to live in a haunted lighthouse before being rescued by Wain's group. Though she dreams of seeing as much of the outside world as possible,^[13] her first priority is the safety of her people.

Mousse: Described as a "Capsule Monster" (a creature that can be captured and used in battle by its new master) that resembles a shaggy dog.^[13] Seena tells the rest of the group that Mousse is a forest spirit that helps out lost travelers. Though he cannot speak, Mousse can understand human language, and Seena is able to understand his feelings. Mousse is very attuned to the nature of the Earth, and becomes upset when nature's balance is disturbed.

Deckard: 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.^[13]

Deckard is actually Alheim, the missing Prince of the Alstadt Kingdom, and thus the older brother of Princess Melphis. He ran away from home as a child in order to escape the responsibilities of ruling the kingdom, but managed to learn swordplay from Randolph, the head of the palace guard. Deckard assumed a new identity so as not to bring shame to the royal family of Alstadt, and the existence of a prince has been reduced to mere rumor.

Ruby: A tall, attractive gambler from Redwood whose cold poker face hides her sentimental nature. She is prone to cheating, but has yet to be challenged.^[13] Ruby claims that she will only fall for a strong gambler.^[21]

Yurist: A wanderer and poet from the village of Tanba who lives by his own rules, taking life as it comes.^[13] Though his friends say that he is a strong fighter, Yurist shows no interest in war and instead chooses to focus on developing his knowledge of medical science. However, once he has been threatened, Yurist will be sure to bring all of his fighting arts to bear in order to utterly destroy his opponents.

Isaac Shaia: A descendant of the family of inventors featured throughout the Lufia series, Isaac has a natural ability to experiment with new technology.^[13] Most of his inventions explode upon creation, but his spirit never falters.

Milka: An elf with a severely prolonged lifespan who actually witnessed the Doom Island Wars depicted in the earlier installments in the Lufia series.^[22] She has appeared in the first three Lufia games, though her name was spelled differently in the first (Mirka). Though she agrees to join Wain's cause in defeating the Sinistrals, Milka holds disdain for the industrialized human society and longs to live with nature.^[13]

Egg Dragon: The famous wish-granting Egg Dragon from the previous Lufia games returns, but he is only acquired through a sidequest.^[13] The Egg Dragon is a special character that has appeared in previous installments of the Lufia series, but will make himself available in battle if the player can best him in combat (which can be difficult, he is more powerful than the final boss of the game). This opportunity itself only appears to those who find the Egg Key in one of the world's many dungeons, as well as the eight Dragon Eggs scattered across the world. Those wishing to find the Dragon Eggs and make use of the Egg Dragon's talents are pointed to the External Links section of the page, as several eggs can only be obtained after sidequests of their own.

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 (and his descendant, Hero), they have returned to the physical world once again in an attempt to claim it as their own. They consist of Erim, Gades, Amon, and their leader, Daos.

Lamika and her Mother: A young girl living with her mother in the village of Patos. They undergo a family tragedy at the start of the game, and are in need of help. By going through the game and completing various quests and dungeons, Wain and company are able to solve Lamika's problems and reap the benefits—Lamika is in possession of one of the eight legendary Dragon Eggs needed to summon the Egg Dragon, and gladly gives it to Wain once the series of sidequests is completed.

Ibla: An old man from Patos Village who spends his days teaching basic fighting skills to anyone who has the patience to learn. Players must undergo Ibla's helpful tutorials in order to advance the plot, but they are rewarded with helpful healing items and accessories along the way.

Fugo, Elestra, and Melissa: A very rich man who owns most of the property located in and around the city of Albano. Though he already owns the largest mansion on the continent, Fugo is currently funding the construction of a "vacation home" located next-door. His daughter, Melissa, worries that Fugo spends too much time thinking about money and no longer cares about his family. Fugo's second home is eventually destroyed by Gades, the Sinistral of Destruction, leading Fugo to consider that there are more important things than riches. Fugo's wife, Elestra, gives Wain and company a Dragon Egg in return for their help in making Fugo realize his greed.

Gantz: A talented architect and carpenter currently employed by Fugo, Gantz is an integral part of several of the game's many sidequests. When Fugo's second home is destroyed by Gades, Wain and company ask Gantz to help in the construction of a new home for Lamika. Once this is complete, players can ask Gantz to help in the reconstruction of Sianto. In order to complete these sidequests, players must locate and bring back the Good and Magnificent Wood from the Copley and Rosplett Forests, respectively.

Lurissa: The young daughter of a miner who lives in the town of Majari. She asks Seena to use her fortune-telling to find out when her missing father will come home. After a short sidequest in a nearby cave, Wain and company are able to find and cure Lurissa's father, who is then able to travel home on his own. If the party travels back to Majari, Lurissa gives Seena a Dragon Egg in return for her kindness. It is also known that Lurissa has a crush on Dei, and plans to marry him once his quest to save the world is over.

The Garland Gang: A group of bandits currently holed up in a cave to the West of Sianto (Warning: An error in the game makes Aima claim it to be East of Sianto). Aima is able to defeat the members of the gang with relative ease, but she describes them as being "actually pretty strong," and so she does not trust anyone else to dispatch them. The leader of the Garland Gang kidnaps Aima's martial arts teacher in order to learn the secrets of the Jigen-Ryu fighting style, but Wain and company are eventually able to defeat him and save the day.

Rudo and Maqurine: A young man living in the port town of Caan, Rudo has recently developed a crush on a girl who lives in Copley Forest.^[23] If Wain and company travel back to the forest after traveling through it once, they will find that a small cottage has been built. Inside lives Maqurine, the mysterious girl whom Rudo loves. It seems that Maqurine has a love of precious stones, as she desires two gemstones hidden deep in caves. After completing several sidequests, the player will find out that Maqurine needed the stones to maintain her human shape, and, now that she has them, she can live with Rudo in happiness. In return for their help, Rudo and Maqurine give Wain and friends the Cat Ring, which bestows an enormous Speed bonus to the character who wears it.

Keit: A young boy living in the town of Tomis with his mother, the ferry ticket agent. Keit is the only one in Tomis who knows the location of the pirates' secret base, and leads Wain and company to the cave at low tide. Wain asks Keit to watch the ship, and, though the pirates eventually escape on their own vessel, Wain assures Keit that he did a good job.

Nicky: Another young boy from Lidal continent who is interested in pirates. Nicky lives in the fishing village of Cobe, and calls himself "Deckard's Number One Partner."^[24] However, everyone else in the village thinks that Nicky is a liar, and Wain is the only one who believes in him. The company asks Nicky to transport them to Alstadt Kingdom using his boat, but they are soon waylaid by a Kingdom battleship. Nicky is knocked out by an errant shell in the ensuing skirmish, and the party is forced to destroy the ship. Nicky learns from this experience that he cannot always rely on Deckard's help, and vows to become a stronger pirate.

Deraf: An elite magician and the Prime Minister of Alstadt Kingdom. Deraf had always dreamed of leading the Kingdom, but did not act on his wishes until thunder struck the Tower of Illusion and he received power from the Sinistral Amon. Deraf then began to put poison in the King's food, which killed him even sooner than he expected. Deraf's next act was to imprison Princess Melphis in a haunted lighthouse and begin collecting weapons for use in a takeover of the entire Lidal continent. In order to do this, he employed pirates to transport cannons and asked General Gohl of the palace guard to find the Ultimate Weapon.

Conas and Karina: A pair of young lovers from the town of Elcorano in the Fante Continent. Conas is a member of the town's local militia and works with the player's party to defeat a dragon in the nearby Mistra Cave.^[4] Once Wain and company return to Elcorano, they find that Conas is just about to ask Karina to marry him when another dragon descends on the city. Though the player can defeat the dragon in battle, the characters cannot "kill" it according to the story. A mysterious warrior enters Elcorano and dispatches the dragon in one blow. After this enemy is defeated, Conas approaches the stranger to express his gratitude, and is killed in the same way. The stranger reveals that he is Daos, the Sinistral of Terror, and leaves Karina to grieve for her fallen lover.

Tak: A self-proclaimed "master gambler" from the City of Gamblers, Redwood. Though Tak has enough skill to defeat many an opponent, he has yet to beat the female gambler Ruby, with whom he is hopelessly infatuated. He makes one more attempt to convince Ruby to become his lover during the Monster Track Contest in Azoles Cave, but once Ruby escapes he gives up until the game's epilogue.^[4]

Leydock: The man behind the Monster Track Contest held every so often in Redwood, Leydock loves "strong people." ^[4] Once the player directs Wain to win the contest, the party is invited to Leydock's Mansion for a celebratory feast. The characters all express their gratitude for the meal except for Dei, who suspects that something is not right. Indeed, the food had been spiked with a sleeping potion, and Dei is only able to save Wain before the rest of the group is kidnapped. After commenting on the eccentricity with which rich people create dungeons under their mansions,^[4] Dei and Wain travel through Leydock's dungeon to discover that he plans on performing taxidermy on the others in order to improve his "collection" of strong fighters. In battle, Leydock insists on being accompanied by his doll-like servants, and if the player is able to defeat them on every round of play (which can be done rather easily if the player levels up enough), Leydock will never attack, as he will waste his turn summoning another minion.

Jan and Sammi: A second set of lovers from the Fante Continent, Jan and Sammi hail from the small village of Tanba at the Northeast corner of the landmass. Jan is a strong man who has infiltrated the Tower of Sorrow in order to figure out what is causing strange weather patterns and freak occurrences in the vicinity of Tanba. Jan joins the party in a short battle against Daos, and defeats the Sinistral once the battle is over. The party realize that Jan, though formidable, could not possibly have the strength to defeat the leader of the Sinistrals, but can do nothing else but return to the city.^[4] Upon arriving there, the player will find that Jan and Sammi have finally getten married after a long courtship. However, Daos crashes the wedding, and possesses Sammi, causing her to see Jan as a hideous monster. Seena and Wain try to keep the two apart, but are not able to do so—upon possessing Sammi, Daos also gave her fighting power equal to his own. Yurist, a childhood friend of both Jan and Sammi, tries to intervene,^[25] but Sammi is not able to shake off the curse, and ends up seriously wounding Jan. In order to keep his new wife from committing a crime, Jan takes his own life, thus breaking Daos's spell. Throughout the rest of the game, Sammi expresses her remorse for losing her husband, but eventually comes to realize that Jan sacrificed himself so that she could live her life to the fullest.

Story

Lufia: The Legend Returns takes places one hundred years after the events of Lufia & the Fortress of Doom which is one hundred years after the events of Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals.^[26] 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 beings known as the Sinistrals were defeated by a hero named Maxim and his three companions two hundred years ago, and then again by his descendant one hundred years ago.

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", she runs into Wain on the street and asks if he is any good as a fighter. Unconvinced that Wain is the best that the village has to offer, the woman sends him away, and Wain goes outside the village to vent his anger on unsuspecting monsters.

After the player moves back into the city, the camera pans out, and an unknown force appears at the nearby Tower of Death, immediately burning down a house in the city. Several uncontrollable scenes ensue, during which Wain rescues a girl from the burning house, collapses from smoke-inhalation, and is nursed back to health by the woman, who introduces herself as Seena—a famous fortune teller from another continent who is on a "Great Adventure." ^[5] Seena convinces Wain to go with her on her fated journey, and the player sets out to see who or what is causing trouble at the tower. When the two 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 inevitably defeated and Gades escapes,^[5] their mission is clear: it is up to them to gather strong fighters and stop the newly awakened Sinistrals to save the world from destruction.

In order to accomplish this task, Wain and Seena travel north to the city of Albano, where they meet Fugo, the richest man on the Epsis Continent. Fugo asks Wain and Seena to catch a local thief in return for a large reward, and the pair agrees to find him. After traveling to the nearby Siani Cave, the duo happens upon the thief, but he manages to escape after calling Wain "Stupid." Angry and confused, Wain decides to travel north to the rural town of Majari, the thief arrives to help dispatch a monster who attacked a young villager. The beast is later discovered to be one of Fugo's gold-eating pets; Fugo sent out his pet because it has a keen sense of smell for gold. After chastising the heroes for not knowing the special value that a gold-eating pet can have, Fugo grabs the thief and the stolen gold and returns to Albano.

Seena and Wain then travel back to the city and speak with Fugo's daughter Melissa, who gives them a hint as to where Fugo is keeping the thief locked up. The pair then goes deep below Fugo's mansion to save the thief, who finally introduces himself as Dei, "Master Treasure Hunter." The trio escapes from the dungeon, only to find that Gades has reappeared and destroyed Fugo's partially built summer home. The player then engages in another battle with the Sinistral of Destruction. Again, regardless of whether the player defeats the boss, the story continues as if the characters lost, and Gades disappears again. Fugo retreats back into his first mansion, leaving Dei to travel with Wain and Seena.

The player then travels further north to the port city of Siantao, where they happen upon a pair of bandits robbing a young girl. The characters are about to intervene when a mysterious woman named Aima appears and scares off the thieves. Moments later, a local man announces that Leong Temple, the center of the Jigen-Ryu fighting style practiced by Aima, was destroyed by the Garland Gang, a sinister group of bandits who has holed up to the west of Siantao. Aima rushes to the temple, and the player finds that Aima's fighting master has been kidnapped. The group convinces Aima that they need to work together to rescue him, and they travel to the Garland Gang's hideout. After traveling to the basement of their lair and defeating the leader, the Garland Gang disbands, and Aima is able to return her master to Siantao.

However, upon returning to Siantao, the player discovers that Gades has descended and razed the entire city. Aima's master attempts to defeat the Sinistral, but is too old to dispatch him, and eventually dies after leaving the secret skill of the Jigen-Ryu to Aima, making her the new master of the discipline. Aima and the rest of the group resolve once more to defeat Gades, and return to the top of the Tower of Death. This time, the plot will not continue if the player loses to Gades, but the characters are strong enough to defeat him without too much trouble. After defeating the Sinistral of Destruction, Seena reveals that he is only one of four Sinistrals who have appeared in the world—and that he is the weakest of the group.

Development

There were several characters initially created to be part of the cast of Lufia: The Legend Returns who were not put into the final version of the story.^[13] These characters included Chelsee, a girl who dreams of becoming a teen idol, Bareia, a self-aggrandizing half-vampire, and Panapas, a precocious artist not unlike Relm Arrowny from Final Fantasy VI.^[27]

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).^[28] 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.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 67%[29] Review scores Publication Score Nintendo Power [29] Nintendojo 6.8 of 10[30] RPGamer 4 of 10[31]

Lufia: The Legend Returns received mixed critical reception upon release, with the game's unique party system being praised, though the complexity of the menus being criticized.^[30]

References

External links

• Jimeous's Lufia: The Legend Returns Tutorials
• Lufia World - Lufia: The Legend Returns
• Forfeit Island~A Lufia/Estopolis Website
• Omega-Neo's Ancient Cave Guide

Lufia Characters Games Lufia & the Fortress of Doom Rise of the Sinistrals The Legend Returns The Ruins of Lore Reboots Curse of the Sinistrals