Legend of Legaia set for US release?

[12.03.98] » Sony remains tight-lipped, but The Official PlayStation Magazine reveals an English demo is on the way.

Vann chats in town

   One of the PlayStation's most recent releases in Japan is Legend of Legaia, an RPG published by Sony and developed by in-house by Contrail. Contrail was behind the development of Wild ARMs and Popolocrois (an excellent RPG that never quite made its way here), and Sony brought Legend of Legaia out to the devoted role-playing masses in October this year to modest acclaim. To the frustration of US RPG enthusiats, Sony still hasn't given any sort of indication towards the possibility of a US release -- until now.

   In the December issue of The Official PlayStation Magazine, mention of the game's promo movie at the Tokyo Game Show is made. The article in question (p. 59) happily proclaims that "OPM readers like yourself will have it on next month's demo disk-- in English!" With an English-translated promotional movie of Legend of Legaia set for January, it seems a safe bet to assume Sony is planning to port the game over to a North American audience.

   Legend of Legaia stars a 14-year-old boy named Vann who must attempt to restore a futuristic world corrupted by pollution and decay, along with several of his close friends. The graphically-heavy game is completely polygonal, also sporting a plethora of rendered CG movies. The innovative battle system is known as "Tactical Arts System," and reflects the developers' love for fighting games with attacks via button combos and blows to various parts of the enemy's anatomy.

   We attempted to get in touch with Sony for an official confirmation, but they could not be reached by press time. Thanks goes to Fritz Fraundorf and BenGrande for the news tip. Look for full and complete coverage of Legend of Legaia this weekend, and stay tuned for the latest developments!