The Legend of Dragoon was Sony’s try to crack the traditional turn-based RPG method on the unique PlayStation, but it surely wasn’t a part of some grand push into new genres. The way in which ex-PlayStation Studios veteran Shuhei Yoshida talks in regards to the cult hit, it appears the bold fantasy journey principally happened by chance.
“Remaining Fantasy VII was already already introduced and the usage of 3D graphics for the fight and the pre-rendered 3D CG—lovely CG—for the backgrounds was superb to us,” he mentioned in a current interview with YouTuber Kyle Bosman (through Gamesradar). “Like ‘oh, that is next-generation sort of recreation.’ We had been younger and we had been naïve, and by chance I used to be given the task to develop the inner crew. I used to be assigned to make the studio bigger. I used to be given a free price range, nearly, to rent folks.”
Whereas Yoshida was The Legend of Dragoon’s producer at Sony Laptop Leisure of Japan, the important thing inventive power behind the challenge was Yasuyuki Hasebe, who had not too long ago left Sq. Comfortable after designing the battle system for Tremendous Mario RPG. “When he joined us, I requested him, ‘What do you need to do?’” Yoshida mentioned. “‘I need to make a brand new RPG.’ And that’s how I began gathering much more folks to start out making The Legend of Dragoon.”
It was uncommon for builders in Japan to depart their firms, Yoshida famous, making Hasebe a uncommon discover. The remainder of the studio was then largely populated with contemporary graduates. “I didn’t also have a price range after I began, as a result of it was an inner manufacturing,” Yoshida mentioned. The Legend of Dragoon crew would finally be 100 robust and find yourself costing Sony $16 million.
A number of the trouble by that giant crew went towards the sport’s notorious half-hour of, on the time, attractive CGI cutscenes. Whereas the prerendered backgrounds and polygonal character fashions had been wanting roughly on par with what Sq. was doing on the finish of the PS1’s life, the cinematics helped elevate into a way more epic and lavish-feeling recreation general. The opposite spotlight was the timed battle mechanic that turned fight right into a mini-rhythm recreation, an evolution of what Hasebe had created for Tremendous Mario RPG (and which continues within the trendy Paper Mario video games).
“Ultimately, we recouped that (price), because of gross sales outdoors Japan,” Yoshida beforehand advised Kotaku. “The gross sales within the U.S. had been very robust.” Sadly not robust sufficient to manifest a sequel or non secular successor. Fortuitously, The Legend of Dragoon is playable right now after coming to PS5 a few years in the past, although deep down in my coronary heart of hearts I’m nonetheless hopeful we’ll finally get The Legend of Dragoon 2.
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